The Porter sisters were the true pioneers of the historical novel, publishing 27 influential works beginning in 1803. Their international success was significant enough that Napoleon reportedly banned their books in France.

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And yet it is Sir Walter Scott, Scottish poet and novelist, author of Ivanhoe, Rob Roy and Waverley, who is widely credited as the inventor of the historical novel. His fame swiftly eclipsed the Porters’, despite the fact that they published first and arguably did it better. Perhaps the difference was simple: he was a man, and they were not.

 

We like to imagine Sir Walter sulking in his study every time someone dared to mention the sisters in his presence.

In a culture eager to celebrate male genius, the tastemakers of the day made their choice.

 

Scott became a literary legend; the Porter sisters quietly slipped from view. We might be wrong, of course. We are not historians, just sensationalist magazine types with a tendency to champion overlooked women.

Jane Austen certainly knew of their success, as Scott himself did.

For more about their legacy, visit the Smithsonian’s excellent overview, linked below.