Last year marked 250 years of Jane Austen, one of the world’s best-known authors. Her enduring appeal is reflected in the myriad celebrations that took place to honour this anniversary, including exhibitions, festivals and a special six-part podcast series from The Conversation.

Austen at 250 cemented her global status as one of the most-loved literary figures of all time. But what about the other commercially successful female novelists who wrote alongside Austen, yet are barely remembered today?

Scottish authors Susan Ferrier and Mary Brunton offer two such examples. Although relatively modest in their output, their novels – and in particular their first novels, titled Marriage and Self-Control respectively – were popular and widely read in their own historical moment. As their names suggest, these were works concerned with propriety and expectation, but they were also experimental in their own ways.

Recent plot points in Netflix’s Bridgerton anticipate a growing cultural interest in Regency-era Scotland. With a fifth season officially in production, and Scottish scenery foregrounded in the most recent trailer (below), it is timely to consider Austen’s Scottish female contemporaries.

So far, Bridgerton has painted a picture of Scotland as a remote country, far removed from the bustle and excitement of the Ton. As Eloise Bridgerton recounts upon her return from the Kilmartin Estate:

Pen, there may not have been enough people in Scotland, but time spent amidst so much astounding natural beauty did give me considerable time to reflect, and what I realise is that there is no need for me to antagonise suitors or........

© The Conversation