Brooke, Frances (1724-1789), was an English author who wrote The History of Emily Montague (1769), the first novel in Canadian literature. Brooke lived in Canada from 1763 to 1768, while her husband was chaplain in the British garrison at Quebec. She set her novel primarily in Quebec. The plot is a traditional love story told in letters written among four friends in England and Quebec. The work is best known for its convincing account of life and amusements in a rugged British garrison town. It also includes interesting portrayals of the French-Canadian working class, then known as habitants, and Indigenous (native) people.
Brooke, whose maiden name was Frances Moore, was born on Jan. 24, 1724, in Lincolnshire. In 1756, she married John Brooke, an Anglican minister. She became a noted literary figure in London, writing drama and poetry and translating French literature into English. Brooke died on Jan. 23, 1789.
