Mary Brunton was a novelist whose spirited heroines pursued independent lives of self-discovery, moral reflection and adventure.
Born on Orkney, her determined character was made evident when, at the age of 20, she fell in love and eloped with Reverend Alexander Brunton. Once settled in Edinburgh, where her husband had become minister of Greyfriars Kirk, she began to write.
Her home was undoubtedly a place of intellectual stimulation because not only was Brunton’s husband Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of Edinburgh but he also shared her views on the importance of education for women. As a result, he supported her wish to write and encouraged her to publish.
Through her female heroines, Brunton explored questions of morality and the search for independence. She also wrote evocative descriptions of their travels, such as Ellen Percy’s vivid first impressions of Edinburgh in Discipline. Her writing struck a chord with readers and her first novel, Self-Discipline (1811) was an instant hit, republished four times in its first year and reviewed by leading contemporaries such as Jane Austen.
Tragically, Brunton did not live to enjoy her success for long. In 1818 she died giving birth to a stillborn child. Her heartbroken husband published her last novel posthumously with an accompanying memoir. Despite her short career, Brunton’s impact was lasting, not only in the decades following her death when her novels were periodically republished, but in the position she holds in the history of Scottish women’s literature.
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