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OBSERVATIONS ON FEMALE LITERATURE
IN
GENERAL,
INCLUDING SOME PARTICULARS RELATING
TO
MRS.
MONTAGU AND MRS. BARBAULD.
[Embelliƒhed with an elegant
ENGRAVING of thoƒe LADIES.]
Happily we do not live in thoƒe days when
prejudice condemned our women to ignorance to be
deplored. The ridicule which Moliere
[1] caƒt on
Female Pedantry brought all kinds of Knowledge into
ƒuch diƒrepute with the Women of
France, that many of them made a merit of
murdering their mother-tongue : there have
been always, however, ƒome Fair-ones, who,
detaching themƒelves from the ƒlavery of
cuƒtom, have ventured to think, to ƒpeak,
and to write with propriety; and there are
many Ladies at this time in England who do not
bluƒh--who have no reaƒon to be
aƒhamed to diƒcover that they are better
inƒtructed than the majority of the ƒmart
fellows of the age.
The
ingenious Author of the
Feminead*[2], or Female Genius, opens
his Poem with the following lines, which muƒt be
read by every Lady who thinks the "enlargement
of her mind, as well as the expanƒion of
her head," worth her attention, with
particular pleaƒure :
Shall lordly Man, the theme of every
lay,
Uƒurp the Muƒe's tributary bay;
In kingly ƒtate on Pindus' ƒummit
ƒit, [3]
By Salic law the female right deny, [4]
And view their genius with regardleƒs eye
?
Juƒtice forbid ! ------ ------
Long o'er the world did Prejudice
maintain,
By ƒounds like theƒe, her undiƒputed
reign;
" Woman! (ƒhe cried) to thee indulgent
Heav'n
Has all the charms of outward beauty
giv'n :
Be thine the boaƒt, unrivall'd to
enƒlave
The great, the wiƒe, the witty, and the
brave :
Deck'd with the Paphian roƒe's
damaƒk glow, [5]
And the vale-lily's vegetable ƒnow;
Be thine, to move majeƒtic in the dance,
To roll the eye, and aim the tender glance;
Or touch the ƒtrings, and breathe the melting
ƒong,
Content to emulate that airy throng,
Who to the ƒun their painted plumes
diƒplay,
And gaily glitter on the hawthorn ƒpray;
Or wildly warble in the beachen grove,
Careleƒs of aught but muƒic, joy, and
love."
Heavens! could ƒuch artful, ƒlavish
ƒounds beguile
The free-born ƒons of Britain's
poliƒh'd iƒle ?
Could they, like fam'd Ulyƒƒes' d
ƒtand crew,
Attentive liƒten, and enamoured view,
*The Rev. Mr.
Duncombe, of Canterbury
Page 284
Nor drive the Syren to that dreary
plain,
In loathƒome pomp where Eaƒtern tyrants
reign;
Where each fair neck the yoke of ƒlav'ry
galls,
And in a proud ƒeraglio's gloomy walls
Are taught, that, levell'd with the brutal
kind,
Nor ƒenƒe nor ƒouls to Women are
aƒƒign'd !
Our British Nymphs with happier omens
rove,
At Freedom's call, thro' Wiƒdom's Sacred
grove;
And as with laviƒh hand each Siƒter
Grace
Shapes the fair form, and regulates the face,
Each ƒiƒter Muƒe, in bliƒsful
union join'd,
Adorns, improves, and beautifies the mind.
* * * * * * *
With various acts our rev'rence they engage,
Some turn the tuneful, ƒome the moral
page;
Theƒe, led by Contemplation, ƒoar on
high,
And range the heavens with philoƒophic
eye;
While thoƒe ƒurrounded by a vocal
choir,
The canvaƒs tinge, or touch the warbling
lyre.
In
the number of ingenious Female Writers who have
diƒtinguiƒhed themƒelves in
ƒeveral branches of polite literature, the two
Ladies whom we have ƒelected for the
embelliƒhment of our preƒent Magazine make
a very brilliant appearance. With regard to
theƒe Ladies, indeed, the Author of this
ƒheet cannot, for obvious reaƒons,
expatiate on their reƒpective merits in a manner
agreeable to his inclination; but he hopes that
nothing which he does ƒay concerning them
will give the leaƒt offence. He is very
ƒure, that he wiƒhes to give them rather
pleaƒure than uneaƒineƒs, by his
ƒketches of their literary characters.
Mrs.
Montagu [6],
with a very pleaƒing perƒon, a liberal
mind, a benevolent heart, and a large fortune,
appears, in conƒequences of her combined
advantages, in a great variety of attractive
ƒituations. In her life, as well as in her
writings, the ƒolidity of her underƒtanding
and the elegance of her taƒte are equally
conƒpicuous :
By Fortune follow'd, and by
Virtue led,
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Mrs. CARTER.[7]
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She is alƒo
With wit well-natur'd, and
with books well bred.
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POPE.[8]
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With a mind richly cultivated and highly
poliƒhed, Mrs. Montagu has favoured the Public
with compoƒitions which are truly
claƒƒical, and which may be frequently read
with renewed ƒatisfaction.--The Three
Dialogues of the Dead written by her, and
publiƒhed by the late Lord Lyttelton [9] at the end of his own,
abound with good ƒenƒe, ƒprightly
ƒentiments, and ƒound morality. The
firƒt of theƒe is between Cadmus and
Hercules, and is calculated to ƒet forth the
uƒe and excellence of learning. The next,
between Mercury and a modern fine Lady, is a
pleaƒant ridicule on the trifling,
diƒƒipated manner in which our modiƒh
fair ones miƒpend their time. The laƒt,
between Plutarch, Charon, and a modern
Bookƒeller, is a lively ƒatire on the
literary taƒte of the preƒent age, which,
to the great diƒgrace of letters, delights in
fabulous, obƒcene, and immoral romances.
Theƒe Dialogues certainly diƒcover the fair
Writer's judgment and her taƒte; but they both
appear dans tout leur jour [10], in her "
Eƒƒay on the Writings and Genius of
Shakeƒpeare, compared with the
Greek and French Dramatic Poets; with
ƒome Remarks upon the
Miƒrepreƒentations of M. de
Voltaire."--The merits of the Eƒƒay are
not, however, confined to a mere defence of
Shakeƒpeare [11], or to obƒervations of
Voltaire's criticiƒms. It abounds with
curious diƒquiƒitions, and will undoubtedly
hold a high rank among the moƒt
claƒƒical pieces of the ƒame nature in
the Engliƒh language. The parallel drawn between
the conduct of the two Poets, in reƒpect to the
Ghoƒt of Darius, in the Perƒeus of
Eƒchylus, and that of Hamlet, as well as the
compariƒons made between Shakeƒpeare and
the French Dramatic Writers, are attended with a
great number of the moƒt judicious and beautiful
obƒervations. The charge againƒt Voltaire
of miƒrepreƒentations, of not
underƒtanding the Engliƒh language, and of
his being guilty of the greateƒt
abƒurdities in his tranƒlation of the
firƒt act of Shakeƒpeare's
Julius Cæsar, are abundantly
proved.
Mrs.
Barbauld, who, with the name of Aikin,
firƒt darted into the poetical world a few years
ago, and charmed all thoƒe who have a true
reliƒh for the effuƒions of a genius under
the immediate inƒpiration of the Muƒes,
ƒtill ƒhines with a luƒtre
ƒufficient to make the Mob of Gentlemen
who write "about it, Goddeƒs, and about it,"
appear like "little ƒtars hiding their
diminiƒhed rays" at the approach of the ƒun
in his riƒing ƒplendor. This Lady is not
only poetically enchanting, but
perƒonally attractive. With a countenance in
which every thing agreeable in a woman is
ƒtrongly expreƒƒed, ƒhe
prepoƒƒeƒƒes you
Page 285
extremely in her favour at firƒt ƒight; and
you are doubly pleaƒed with the diƒplay of
her intellectual powers in converƒation with
her, as ƒhe ƒeems not to be conƒcious
of an underƒtanding ƒuperior to the
greateƒt part of ther ƒex. "Her eye
ƒpeaks ƒenƒe diƒtinct and
clear," when ƒhe is ƒilent, and ƒhe
never opens her lips to deliver her thoughts with an
oracular ƒententiouƒneƒs; nor
does ƒhe ever converƒe with an
oracular duplicity. She never ƒpeaks as
if ƒhe attempted to command admiration; but
ƒhe says nothing which does not deƒerve it.
With her lettered friends ƒhe opens her
mental ƒtores with the leaƒt affectation to
be imagined, and is doubly cautious, before the
illiterate, to ƒhade her talents with the veil
of diffidence, that ƒhe may not force them to
feel their inferiority. There is, indeed, a delicacy
as well as propriety in her deportment uncommonly
pleaƒing; which, joined to the mildneƒs of
her manners, and her affability to all kinds of
people, throw an inexpreƒƒible charm
over her whole perƒon, and induce us to venerate
the beauties of her mind.
With
regard to Mrs. Barbauld's poetical
compoƒitions, there is a maƒculine force in
them, which the moƒt vigorous of our poets has
not excelled : there is nothing, indeed,
feminine belonging to them, but a certain
gracefulneƒs of expreƒƒion (in which
dignity and beauty are both included) that marks them
for the productions of a Female Hand. Her ƒtyle
is perfectly Horation [12], elegantly
poliƒhed, and harmoniouƒly eaƒy. The
curioƒa felicitas dicendi [13], which Genius alone
and the ear that Nature has harmonized can produce,
is frequently to be found in her beautiful Poems. She
has alƒo written ƒome pieces in proƒe,
which, in point of elegance, are as much
ƒuperior to the laboured Eƒƒays of our
ƒturdy Moraliƒt as the easy motions
of a fine Gentleman are, in point of grace, to
the ƒtiff attitudes of a
Dancing-maƒter.
Notes
1. The pen name of
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-73), playwright, actor,
and theatre manager known for his farces and comedies
of manners. His plays about art and nature, Les
Précieuses ridicules (1659) and especially
Les Femmes savantes (1672), might be in mind
here. It should be noted that the reviewer seems to
be giving a selective view of Molière's
attitudes; in other plays, in particular
L'École des femmes (1662), he satirizes
men who wish to keep women ignorant.
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2. John Duncombe, a friend
of Elizabeth Carter, wrote The Feminead: or,
Female Genius, a Poem, which circulated in
manuscript before being published in 1754 (2nd ed.
1757). The poem is a celebration of virtuous learned
women and was meant to encourage women writers.
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3. Pindus' Summit: A
mountain range in central and northwestern Greece
whose highest peak is 8,650 feet.
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4. Salic Law: A law thought
to derive from the code of laws of the ancient Salic
Franks which prohibits a woman from succession to the
throne.
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5. Paphian roses are related
to Paphos, a city near the southwest coast of Cyprus,
where Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was said to
have been born from the sea-foam. A temple to the
goddess was built at Paphos in the 12th century
B.C.
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6. Elizabeth Montagu
(1720-1800) was an essayist, letter writer, patron,
and bluestocking hostess. Montagu was a friend of
Elizabeth Carter, Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, Lord
Lyttleton, and Sir Joshua Reynolds, and a patron to
James Beattie, Anna Barbauld, Frances Burney, and
Hannah More. She contributed three essays to
Lyttleton's Dialogues of the Dead (1760) and
published An Essay on the Writings and Genius of
Shakespeare in 1769. Her four volumes of letters
were published in 1809 and 1813. Source:
Schnorrenberg, Barbara Brandon. A Dictionary of
British and American Women Writers, 1660-1800.
Ed. Janet Todd. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman and Littlefield,
1987. 221-2.
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7. "By fortune follow'd, and
by Virtue led," "To _____" (52) from Poems on
Several Occasions (1762), page 14.
Elizabeth Carter (1717-1806), poet, essayist,
translator, and letter writer, was a close friend of
Catherine Talbot and Elizabeth Montagu. She wrote
Poems on Particular Occasions (1738), two
papers for the Rambler (Nos. 44 and 106) and
Poems on Several Occasions (1762). Her
best-known work was a translation of Epictetus
(1758). Her letters to Montagu were published in
three volumes (1817) and letters between Carter and
Talbot appeared in four volumes in 1809. Source:
Schnorrenberg, Barbara Brandon. A Dictionary of
British and American Women Writers, 1660-1800.
Ed. Janet Todd. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman and Littlefield,
1987. 75-6.
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8. "Epistle to Miss Blount,
With the Works of Voiture" (1712), line 8.
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9. George Lyttleton, first
baron Lyttleton (1709-73) was a patron of literature
and friend of Pope and Fielding and an opponent of
Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole. He is addressed by
Thomson in The Seasons. He published poems and
a history of Henry II (1767-71) and co-authored
Dialogues of the Dead (1760) with Elizabeth
Montagu who wrote three of the eighteen essays in the
collection. Source: The Oxford Companion to
English Literature. 5th ed. Ed. Margaret Drabble.
Oxford: Oxford UP, 1985.
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10. In their best light,
to advantage.
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11. A refutation of
criticisms by Voltaire and published in 1769.
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12. Characteristic of the
Latin poet Horace (65-8 B.C.) whose writing is known
for its formal rigor, succinctness, and
elegance.
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13. Thoughtful felicity of
expression.
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