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Frances Brooke

Frances Brooke (born Frances Moore) was an 18th century female poet, writer, and editor in Europe and Canada. She was born in eastern England in the early 1720s. While not born to a noble or extremely rich family, Brooke was the daughter in a family of church leadership and her father was both well-known and respected in their community. She continued the tradition and married into another family of religious leaders, which happened to include opportunities of travel to North America, due to her husband’s involvement as a military chaplain, as well as life in major cities such as London.

Brooke did find acclaim during her lifetime even as a female writer, and was welcomed in the social circles of other famous writers of the time period. The bulk of her exchange, publishing, and performance occurred in London, though she wrote some of her most famous pieces while she was living abroad in Canada.

While not quintessentially “American” in the way we may classify the spirit today, Brooke’s work does contribute towards the idealization of North American during the time period, especially due to her popularity during her life. Her novels and plays with foreign settings also help flesh out 18th century examples of travel narratives. Her odes, likewise, are interesting in a modern context. There are strongly gendered works and draw from many religious and classical roots, which is a fascinating exploration of what women in Brooke’s position could have been considering and drawing from during the time period.

While Brooke is most well-known for her novels and plays, she has a small number of known short poems that deserve a place among other considerations of 18th century and American literature. They are three odes of varying lengths, which include topics of love, prayers, and hope.

Brooke’s odes can be read here.

An example of her extended works can be read here, and more are available under her name in the ECCO database.

Works Cited

Edwards, Mary Jane. "Brooke [née Moore], Frances (bap. 1724, d. 1789), writer and playwright." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 17, 2015. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb 9780198614128-e-3540

“Frances Brooke.” Brooklyn Museum. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/frances_brooke