The Literary Gossiping of Susan Ferrier

Abstract: It is well documented that Susan Ferrier (1782–1854), a resident of Edinburgh for the majority of her life, drew on real-life characters and occurrences for inspiration for her three novels: Marriage (1818), The Inheritance (1824), and Destiny; or, The Chief’s Daughter (1831). Indeed, the originals of many of her characters have now become common knowledge in Ferrier criticism. However, such dedication to realism has thus far only perpetuated the critical view of Ferrier as a lone observer, an outsider even, of Scotland’s literary and social circles. This article challenges such perspectives by exploring how Ferrier’s creative practices surrounding copying from life rely – like much of her wider career – on her sociality. By paying attention to a number of Ferrier’s literary exchanges during the prime years of her authorial career (c. 1809–1831), as well as her concurrent fascination with gossip, we find she promotes everyday interactions, and talking about other people especially, as a space for both serious creative engagement and wider moral debate. Such work not only emphasises the collaborative nature of her literary writings during this time but attempts to reposition Ferrier as a more active member of Scotland’s intelligentsia.