BAILLIE, JOANNA (1762-1851). A Scotch dramatist and poet. She was horn September 11, 1762, at Bothwell, in Lanarkshire. In 1784 she went to reside in London, where her brother had settled as a physician. Here and in Hampstead she remained till her death, February 23, 1851.
Through her long life she enjoyed a large share of the esteem and affection of her literary con temporaries. Her greatest achievement is un doubtedly the Plays at the Passions, which, though erroneous in conception, are full of noble and impressive poetry, and often display intense dramatic power. The principle upon which Miss Baillie proceeded in the construction of these plays was to take as the subject of each one sonic passion, like hate, love, fear, or remorse, and to exhibit its influence on a character supposed to be actuated by nothing else. The leading per sonages of Miss Baillie's plays are, therefore, rather impersonations of certain elements of hu man nature than genuine human beings. Still, there are scenes, in her tragedies espevially, where the interest of the reader is intensely ex cited by the great art shown in the minute delin eation of a particular passion, and where he is forced to forget the artificial theory underlying it. The first volume of the Plays on the Pas
sions appeared in 1798, and met with remark able success. Four years afterwards she pub lished a second volume; in 1804, Miscel laneous Plays: in 1812, the third volume of her Plays on the Passions; and in 1836, three vol mimes of dramatic poetry. The most popular, as well as the most powerful of her works, is the tragedy of De Montfort. It was performed in London. Kemble acting for eleven nights the character of the hero. Many of Miss Baillie's minor pieces are very sweet, simple, and beauti ful; some of them are humorous ballads and poems in the Scottish dialect. Consult: Baillie, Dramatic and Poetical Works (London, 1851) ; Thackeray-Ritchie, Book of Sibyls ( London, 1883).