A Literary History of Women’s Writing in Britain, 1660–1789

Susan Staves0521858658, 9780521858656, 9780511246838

Drawing on three decades of feminist scholarship bent on rediscovering lost and abandoned women writers, Susan Staves provides a comprehensive history of women’s writing in Britain from the Restoration to the French Revolution. This major work of criticism also offers fresh insights about women’s writing in all literary forms, not only fiction, but also poetry, drama, memoir, autobiography, biography, history, essay, translation and the familiar letter. Authors celebrated in their own time and who have been neglected, and those who have been revalued and studied, are given equal attention. The book’s organisation by chronology and its attention to history challenge the way we periodise literary history. Each chapter includes a list of key works written in the period covered, as well as a narrative and critical assessment of the works. This magisterial work includes a comprehensive bibliography and list of prevalent editions of the authors discussed.

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Table of contents :
Cover……Page 1
Half-title……Page 3
Title……Page 5
Copyright……Page 6
Dedication……Page 7
Contents……Page 9
Acknowledgments……Page 11
THE SUBJECT……Page 15
METHOD OF ORGANIZATION……Page 23
TEXTS……Page 26
PLOT……Page 30
TEXTS……Page 41
INTRODUCTION……Page 42
QUAKER WOMEN, RELIGIOUS WOMEN……Page 43
CIVIL WAR BIOGRAPHIES: CAVENDISH’S LIFE OF WILLIAM CAVENDISHE……Page 46
CIVIL WAR BIOGRAPHIES: HUTCHINSON’S LIFE OF COLONEL HUTCHINSON……Page 50
A PURITAN POET IN NEW ENGLAND: ANNE BRADSTREET……Page 56
KATHERINE PHILIPS’S POEMS……Page 62
PHILIPS’S POMPEY ON THE PUBLIC STAGE……Page 67
ROWLANDSON’S CAPTIVITY……Page 70
APHRA BEHN AND THE THEATRE……Page 73
BEHN’S POEMS……Page 80
BEHN’S LATER CAREER……Page 88
EXOTIC AND IMAGINED OTHER WORLDS IN BEHN AND CAVENDISH……Page 92
CAVENDISH’S BLAZING WORLD……Page 96
CONCLUSION……Page 99
INTRODUCTION……Page 104
WOMEN PHILOSOPHERS……Page 107
MASHAM’S DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE LOVE OF GOD……Page 110
ASTELL……Page 112
ROWE’S POEMS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS……Page 119
THE THEATRE……Page 121
TROTTER’S FATAL FRIENDSHIP……Page 122
MANLEY’S ROYAL MISCHIEF……Page 125
PIX’S BEAU DEFEATED……Page 128
DRAKE’S ESSAY IN DEFENCE OF THE FEMALE SEX……Page 131
CONCLUSION……Page 133
INTRODUCTION……Page 136
POETRY……Page 143
CHUDLEIGH’S POEMS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS……Page 145
EGERTON’S POEMS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS……Page 149
FINCH’ S MISCELLANY POEMS……Page 152
MANLEY: SCANDAL CHRONICLE AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY……Page 158
TROTTER AND TRAGEDY……Page 165
CENTLIVRE’S COMEDY……Page 169
CONCLUSION……Page 175
TEXTS……Page 180
INTRODUCTION……Page 181
THE DOMINANCE OF SATIRE……Page 184
THOMAS’S MISCELLANY POEMS ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS……Page 186
LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU’S POETRY……Page 190
DAVYS’S SELF-RIVAL……Page 195
DAVYS’S ACCOMPLISH’D RAKE……Page 198
HAYWOOD’S SCANDAL CHRONICLES……Page 200
CENTLIVRE’S GOTHAM ELECTION……Page 201
COMMERCIAL PUBLISHING……Page 203
HAYWOOD’S LOVE IN EXCESS……Page 204
OTHER HAYWOOD TALES……Page 206
AUBIN’S NOBLE SLAVES……Page 208
PROVINCIAL NOVELTIES……Page 211
MARY CHANDLER……Page 212
BARBER’S POEMS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS……Page 213
DAVYS’S NORTHERN HEIRESS……Page 218
PARADOXES OF PRINT……Page 219
TRANSLATION……Page 220
AUBIN’S GENGHIZCAN……Page 222
ELSTOB AND ANGLO-SAXON……Page 223
THE TRAVEL LITERATURE OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND MONTAGU’S EMBASSY LETTERS……Page 225
ROWE: THE VOICE OF RELIGION AGAINST THE LIBERTINE……Page 231
CONCLUSION……Page 239
TEXTS……Page 242
INTRODUCTION……Page 243
FAMILIAR LETTERS NOT INTENDED FOR PUBLICATION……Page 245
PINCKNEY’S LETTERBOOK……Page 246
NOVELS……Page 249
COLLYER’S FELICIA TO CHARLOTTE……Page 250
A GENDERED DIVISION OF LITERARY LABOR……Page 257
HAYWOOD’S CONDUCT BOOKS: THE WIFE AND THE HUSBAND……Page 260
NEGOTIATING A GENDERED DIVISION OF LITERARY LABOR WITH A FAMILY MODEL……Page 262
SARAH FIELDING……Page 266
FIELDING’S ADVENTURES OF DAVID SIMPLE……Page 267
FIELDING’S GOVERNESS……Page 270
SERVANT AUTHORS……Page 271
LEAPOR’S POEMS UPON SEVERAL OCCASIONS……Page 272
CHARLOTTE LENNOX……Page 278
LENNOX’S FEMALE QUIXOTE……Page 280
SCANDALOUS MEMOIRISTS……Page 284
PHILLIPS’S APOLOGY……Page 285
LADY VANE’S MEMOIRS……Page 287
CHARKE’S NARRATIVE……Page 290
PILKINGTON’S MEMOIRS……Page 292
CONCLUSION……Page 297
TEXTS……Page 300
INTRODUCTION……Page 301
CHAPONE’S LETTERS ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND……Page 305
ROME AND FRANCE……Page 306
LENNOX’S MEMOIRS FOR THE HISTORY OF MADAME DE MAINTENON……Page 307
LETTERS……Page 310
SARAH OSBORN’S LETTERS……Page 311
ADAMS’S LETTERS……Page 314
BLUESTOCKINGS……Page 317
MONTAGU’S ESSAY ON THE WRITINGS AND GENIUS OF SHAKESPEAR……Page 318
CARTER’S ALL THE WORKS OF EPICTETUS……Page 323
MONTAGU–CARTER LETTERS……Page 329
HANNAH MORE’S INFLEXIBLE CAPTIVE……Page 330
AIKIN’S POEMS……Page 333
MACAULAY’S HISTORY OF ENGLAND……Page 335
SENTIMENTAL PLAYS AND NOVELS……Page 344
FRANCES SHERIDAN’S THE DISCOVERY……Page 346
NOVELS……Page 348
BROOKE’S EMILY MONTAGUE……Page 351
FIELDING’S COUNTESS OF DELLWYN……Page 353
GRIFFITH’S SENTIMENTAL NOVELS……Page 357
SHERIDAN’S SIDNEY BIDULPH……Page 359
SCOTT’S MILLENIUM HALL……Page 365
CONCLUSION……Page 370
TEXTS……Page 376
INTRODUCTION……Page 377
I. ROMANCE……Page 386
DOBSON’S LIFE OF PETRARCH……Page 387
DOBSON’S LITERARY HISTORY OF THE TROUBADOURS AND MEMOIRS OF ANCIENT CHIVALRY……Page 388
HANNAH MORE’S PERCY. A TRAGEDY……Page 391
REEVE’S CHAMPION OF VIRTUE……Page 393
REEVE’S PROGRESS OF ROMANCE……Page 397
WALKER’S MUNSTER VILLAGE……Page 399
SMITH’S EMMELINE: THE ORPHAN OF THE CASTLE……Page 402
SEWARD’S LOUISA. A POETICAL NOVEL, IN FOUR EPISTLES……Page 405
BROOKE’S ROSINA……Page 407
CHARLOTTE SMITH’S ELEGIAC SONNETS: FROM ROMANCE TO ROMANTICISM……Page 410
SOME CONCLUSIONS ABOUT ROMANCE……Page 414
II. COMEDY……Page 415
SOPHIA LEE’S CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS……Page 417
COWLEY’S COMEDY……Page 419
COWLEY’S WHO’S THE DUPE?……Page 420
COWLEY’S THE BELLE’S STRATAGEM……Page 422
COWLEY’S BOLD STROKE FOR A HUSBAND……Page 424
FRANCES BURNEY’S EVELINA, OR, A YOUNG LADY’S ENTRANCE INTO THE WORLD……Page 427
BURNEY’S “THE WITLINGS”……Page 431
INCHBALD AND THE THEATRE……Page 433
INCHBALD’S THE MOGUL TALE; OR, THE DESCENT OF THE BALLOON……Page 434
INCHBALD’S SUCH THINGS ARE……Page 436
BURNEY’S CECILIA……Page 440
PIOZZI’S ANECDOTES OF THE LATE SAMUEL JOHNSON……Page 443
CONCLUSION……Page 447
INTRODUCTION……Page 454
1 PUBLIC WOMEN: THE RESTORATION TO THE DEATH OF APHRA BEHN, 1660–1689……Page 455
2 PARTISANS OF VIRTUE AND RELIGION, 1689–1702……Page 462
3 POLITICS, GALLANTRY, AND LADIES IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE 1702–1714……Page 466
4 BATTLE JOINED, 1715–1737……Page 472
5 WOMEN AS MEMBERS OF THE LITERARY FAMILY, 1737–1756……Page 479
6 BLUESTOCKINGS AND SENTIMENTAL WRITERS, 1756–1776……Page 486
7 ROMANCE AND COMEDY, 1777–1789……Page 495
Recommended modern editions……Page 505
GENERAL WORKS……Page 510
1 PUBLIC WOMEN: THE RESTORATION TO THE DEATH OF APHRA BEHN, 1660–1689……Page 513
2 PARTISANS OF VIRTUE AND RELIGION, 1689–1702……Page 515
3 POLITICS, GALLANTRY, AND LADIES IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE, 1702–1714……Page 517
4 BATTLE JOINED, 1715–1737……Page 518
5 WOMEN AS MEMBERS OF THE LITERARY FAMILY, 1737–1756……Page 521
6 BLUESTOCKINGS AND SENTIMENTAL WRITERS, 1756–1776……Page 522
7 ROMANCE AND COMEDY, 1777–1789……Page 524
Index……Page 527