An Outline of the Idealistic Construction of Experience

Born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, Joanna Baillie was such a successful playwright during her time that many considered her the natural successor to Shakespeare. Baillie lived a quiet existence with her sister after their parents died, and was thirty-six before she began writing plays. She decided to write a series of pairs of plays, each pair relating to a different emotion. Published anonymously, they created a literary sensation; many thought Sir Walter Scott was responsible. Although the plays were mostly written to be read as and not performed, they did receive a few public performances to great acclaim.