A Look into Thaddeus of Warsaw
By Cassandra McLean
Jane Porter was a Scottish historical novelist who wrote many works that, in modern day, have fallen into obscurity. During her time, however, a few of her works were literary successes and earned her some fame. Her first work to do so is, Thaddeus of Warsaw (1803), a historical fiction novel set in the late 18th century Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. Porter herself is considered to have “crafted and pioneered many of the narrative tools most commonly associated with both the national tale and the historical novel” (McLean).
Although Thaddeus is known as one of the first British historical novels, Porter’s claim of “[forming] a new species of writing” was questioned during her time (Porter, 10th edition preface), and also caused tension between her and Sir Walter Scott, another Scottish historical novelist, whom she claimed to have influenced with her work. The third edition of Thaddeus was already in print by the time Scott started writing Waverley; his historical novel does share some “striking similarities” to Thaddeus (McLean). However, despite Porter’s belief of her influence, she “received a certain amount of ridicule,” and to this day, “few scholars have seriously considered the influence and importance of [Thaddeus of Warsaw]” (McLean).
The book comes in four volumes; the publisher of the first edition was Thomas Norton Longman And Owen Rees, and the printer was Andrew Strahan, located in London. Thaddeus was first published in 1803 and went through at least 84 editions and printings in the following fifty years, and was also translated into French and German (Looser, “Women Writers”). The many editions were printed in an attempt by Porter to gain some income from her work; described as being “totally destitute or nearly so,” Porter had to circle around as a houseguest of her friends. Because the rights to Thaddeus belonged to her various publishers, Porter was unable to make much of a profit from her work. It appears that, in some of her following editions, she added new prefaces, which serve to give more biographical information and insight on how she views her own works. An example of this is her preface in the tenth edition, where she compares her novels to the works of Richardson, Henry Mackenzie, Charlotte Smith, and Ann Radcliffe. Alongside her claims to creating the new genre of historical fiction, it appears that she was very proud and certain of her work, and remained so throughout adversity.
The main character of Porter’s novel is Thaddeus Sobieski, who, at the beginning of the book, dwells in Poland where we see the country’s battles and developments. He learns that he is, in fact, half-English, and goes to London to seek help from the British for his people. It is there that he finds his birth father, makes a living by selling art, and eventually falls in love.
The namesake of Thaddeus appears to be Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Polish-Lithuanian engineer, statesman, and military leader. He became a national hero in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and the United States. Porter explains that Kosciuszko came to England on his way to the US, and that a family friend introduced Sir Robert (Porter’s brother) to him. Sir Robert later described his meeting with Kosciuszko to Porter, who decided to write a tale based on his experiences. However, instead of using him as her protagonist, she “took a younger and less pretending agent.” After publication, Kosciuszko received a copy and “kindly and promptly lost no time in letting the author know his approbation of the narrative” (Porter, 10th edition preface).
Porter’s goal in writing Thaddeus was to “exhibit so truly heroic and endearing a portrait of what every Christian man ought to be” (Porter, 10th edition preface). In this regard, she appears to have taken inspiration from the military hero Sir Sidney Smith, who is given an extensive dedication on the title page of Thaddeus. An interesting thing to note is the novel’s influence on Porter’s love life. After the publication of Thaddeus, Porter learned that it “had prompted unfounded rumors of her engagement to Smith” (Looser, “The Great Man”). It seems that this was likely due to the heartfelt inscription to him in Thaddeus. Despite being initially shocked by the rumours, Porter developed strong feelings for Smith, and her sister, Anna Maria, encouraged her to hope for the possibility of becoming his wife (Looser, POR 467). However, despite the societal gossip, and even the Porter sisters’ attempts to get close to Smith’s family, Smith married the widow of a British minister in October 1809. Despite this, Porter continued to idolize Smith.
The story itself is derived from eyewitness accounts of British soldiers and Polish refugees fleeing the failed revolts against the foreign occupation of Poland in the 1790s (Wikipedia). Porter herself mentions how she remembered “seeing many of those hapless refugees wandering about St. James’ Park.” One in particular catches her attention, “one person, a gaunt figure, with melancholy and bravery stamped on his emaciated features” (10th edition preface). The choice of setting the story in Poland rather than Scotland bears some significance. “There was a long history of Scottish soldiers and tradesmen finding work in Poland” (McLean), and according to David Dobson, “[b]y the 1640s it was reckoned that there were approximately 30,000 Scots resident in Poland.” Not only that, but Scotland and Poland were also linked through their royal families, and through national tragedy: the over-running of both countries by external forces. Thus, as McLean states, “it is less surprising that Porter followed Thaddeus of Warsaw with The Scottish Chiefs.”
Despite its popularity at the time, Thaddeus of Warsaw, along with Porter’s other works, have fallen to the wayside, and the author herself pushed to the back in favour of other renowned writers. Porter (and even Anna Maria) witnessed a decline in her career following Thaddeus and The Scottish Chiefs. Anna Maria, in a letter to a friend, says, “there was a time when I had no occasion to apologize for a dull letter – but now – I am one of the Has beens; that numerous and doleful family!” (McLean). Despite Anna Maria writing this to describe herself, it can be used to aptly describe the result of Porter’s career: she is also a Has been, one who used to be successful and known, but no longer is.
