Bluestockings: Women of Reason from Enlightenment to Romanticism

289 Pages·2010·14.283 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Eger (auth.)

PalgraveStudiesintheEnlightenment,RomanticismandCulturesofPrint
GeneralEditors:ProfessorAnneK.MellorandProfessorCliffordSiskin
Editorial Board: Isobel Armstrong, Birkbeck; John Bender, Stanford; Alan Bewell,
Toronto; Peter de Bolla, Cambridge; Robert Miles, Stirling; Claudia L. Johnson,
Princeton; Saree Makdisi, UCLA; Felicity Nussbaum, UCLA; Mary Poovey, NYU;
JanetTodd,Glasgow
Palgrave Studies in the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Cultures of Print will
feature work thatdoes notfit comfortably withinestablishedboundaries – whether
between periods or between disciplines. Uniquely, it will combine efforts to engage
the power and materiality of print with explorations of gender, race and class.
By attending as well to intersections of literature with the visual arts, medicine,
law and science, the series will enable a large-scale rethinking of the origins of
modernity.
Titlesinclude:
ScottBlack
OFESSAYSANDREADINGINEARLYMODERNBRITAIN
ClaireBrock
THEFEMINIZATIONOFFAME,1750–1830
BrycchanCarey
BRITISHABOLITIONISMANDTHERHETORICOFSENSIBILITY
Writing,Sentiment,andSlavery,1760–1807
E.J.Clery
THEFEMINIZATIONDEBATEIN18th-CENTURYENGLAND
Literature,CommerceandLuxury
AdrianaCraciun
BRITISHWOMENWRITERSANDTHEFRENCHREVOLUTION
CitizensoftheWorld
PeterdeBolla,NigelLeaskandDavidSimpson(editors)
LAND,NATIONANDCULTURE,1740–1840
ThinkingtheRepublicofTaste
ElizabethEger
BLUESTOCKINGS
WomenofReasonfromEnlightenmenttoRomanticism
InaFerrisandPaulKeen(editors)
BOOKISHHISTORIES
Books,Literature,andCommercialModernity,1700–1900
IanHaywood
BLOODYROMANTICISM
SpectacularViolenceandthePoliticsofRepresentation,1776–1832
AnthonyS.Jarrells
BRITAIN’SBLOODLESSREVOLUTIONS
1688andtheRomanticReformofLiterature
MichelleLevy
FAMILYAUTHORSHIPANDROMANTICPRINTCULTURE
RobertMiles
ROMANTICMISFITS
TomMole
BYRON’SROMANTICCELEBRITY
IndustrialCultureandtheHermeneuticofIntimacy
NicolaParsons
READINGGOSSIPINEARLYEIGHTEENTH-CENTURYENGLAND
ErikSimpson
LITERARYMINSTRELSY,1770–1830
MinstrelsandImprovisersinBritish,IrishandAmericanLiterature
MaryWaters
BRITISHWOMENWRITERSANDTHEPROFESSIONOFLITERARYCRITICISM,
1789–1832
EstherWohlgemut
ROMANTICCOSMOPOLITANISM
DavidWorrall
THEPOLITICSOFROMANTICTHEATRICALITY,1787–1832
TheRoadtotheStage
PalgraveStudiesintheEnlightenment,RomanticismandCulturesofPrint
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Bluestockings
Women of Reason from Enlightenment
to Romanticism
Elizabeth Eger
©ElizabethEger2010
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2010 978-0-230-20533-8
Allrightsreserved.Noreproduction,copyortransmissionofthis
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
Contents
ListofPlates vi
Acknowledgements ix
ListofAbbreviations xi
TextualNoteonElizabethMontagu’sCorrespondence xii
Introduction:TheNineLivingMusesofGreatBritain 1
1 LivingMuses:theFemaleIcon 32
2 TheBluestockingSalon:Patronage,Correspondenceand
Conversation 59
3 ‘FemaleChampions’:WomenCriticsofShakespeare 121
4 TheBluestockingLegacyintheRomanticEra 163
Conclusion 203
Notes 211
Bibliography 245
Index 270
v
List of Plates
1 RichardSamuel,TheNineLivingMusesofGreatBritain
(c.1778),oiloncanvas,132.1cm×154.9cm(cid:2)c National
PortraitGallery,London(NPG4905) 2
2 Page(afterRichardSamuel),TheNineLivingMusesofGreat
Britain(1777),engraving,12.5cm×10cm(cid:2)c BritishMuseum 4
3 AngelicaKauffman,‘Design’(c.1778–80),oiloncanvas,
130cm×150.3cm.Oneoffourceilingdecorationsforthe
entrancehalloftheRoyalAcademyofArts:‘Invention’,
‘Composition’,‘Design’and‘Colour’,theRoyalAcademyof
Arts,London 6
4 CatherineRead,ElizabethCarter(c.1765),oiloncanvas,
72cm×59cm.DrJohnson’sHouseTrust,GoughSquare,
London 8
5 SirJoshuaReynolds,Mrs.SheridanasSt.Cecilia(1775).
ExhibitedattheRoyalAcademy,1775.Oiloncanvas,
50cm×31.5cm.Waddesdon,TheRothschildCollection
(TheNationalTrust).Photo:MikeFear 10
6 J.F.Moore,CatharineMacaulayas‘History’(1778),marble
statue,height200cm.Nowstandingoutsidethepubliclibrary
inWarrington.WarringtonBoroughCouncil:Libraries,
HeritageandLearning 12
7 JohnRaphaelSmith,afterJoshuaReynolds,MrsMontagu
(1776),mezzotint,50cm×35.5cm(cid:2)c BritishMuseum 14
8 FrontispieceforElizabethGriffith,ed.,Novellettes,selectedfor
theuseofYoungLadiesandGentlemen(London,1780),
12cm×19cm.BodleianLibrary,Oxford 16
9 Bartalozzi,engravingofCharlotteLennoxafteraportraitby
JoshuaReynolds.ReproducedinSylvesterandEdward
Harding,printers,Shakespeareillustratedbyanassemblageof
portraitsandviews,appropriatedtothewholesuiteofourauthor’s
historicaldramas;towhichareadded,portraitsofactors,
editors,&c(London,1793),19cm×13.8cm(cid:2)c National
PortraitGalleryLondon(NPGD13802) 18
10 FrancesReynolds,HannahMore(1780),oiloncanvas,
88.3cm×75.6cm.Bristol’sMuseums,GalleriesandArchives 19
11 WilliamSay(aftertheportraitbySirJoshuaReynolds,
1777–79),MembersoftheSocietyoftheDilettanti(1812–16),
mezzotint,57.9cm×41.6cm(cid:2)c BritishMuseum 24
vi
ListofPlates vii
12 FrontispiecetoThomasHeywood,TheGenerallHistoryof
Women,ContainingtheLivesofthemostHolyandProphane,the
mostFamousandInfamousinallages,exactlydescribednotonly
fromPoeticallFictions,butfromthemostAncient,Modern,and
AdmiredHistorianstoOurTimes(London,1657),13cm×21cm.
ReproducedbykindpermissionoftheSyndicsofCambridge
UniversityLibrary 37
13 Page(afterRichardSamuel),TheNineLivingMusesofGreat
Britain,Engraving(1777),12.5cm×10cm,fromTheLadies
NewandPolitePocket-MemorandumBook1778publishedby
JosephJohnson.FolgerShakespeareLibrary,Washington,DC 39
14 DerryMoore,12thEarlofDrogheda,ModernMusesofGreat
Britain(1996),digitalC-typecolourprint,105mm×470mm.
CountryLife 44
15 JamesBarry,TheSocietyoftheEncouragementofArts&cinthe
distributionofthePremiumstotheSocietyofArts(1791),etching,
420mm×505mm(cid:2)c NationalPortraitGallery,London.This
engravingwasmadebyBarrytorecordhismuchlargermural,
15(cid:3) 2(cid:3)(cid:3) ×11(cid:3) 10(cid:3)(cid:3) paintedforhisgrandseriesTheProgressof
HumanKnowledgeandCultureandnowrestoredandpossible
toviewattheRoyalSocietyofArts 45
16 RichardEarlom(afterJohannZoffany),TheAcademiciansofthe
RoyalAcademy(1773),mezzotint,506mm×721mm.
PublishedbyRobertSayer(cid:2)c BritishMuseum 48
17 CharlesBestland(afterHenrySingleton,1795),Assembly
oftheRoyalAcademicians(1802),stippleengraving,
645mm×805mm(cid:2)c NationalPortraitGallery,London 50
18 AngelicaKauffman,TheArtistHesitatingBetweentheArtsof
MusicandPainting (1791or1794),oiloncanvas,1473mm×
2159mm.NostellPriory,theStOswaldCollection(acquiredby
theNationalTrustwiththehelpoftheHeritageLotteryFund
in2002)(cid:2)c NTPL/JohnHammond 52
19 SimonGribelin(afterPaolodeMatthaeis),TheJudgementof
Hercules(1713),inAnthonyAshleyCooper,Earlof
Shaftesbury,Characteristicksofmen,manners,Opinions,Times,
3rdedition,17cm×10.8cm.TheSyndicsoftheCambridge
UniversityLibrary 53
20 AngelicaKauffman,Self-PortraitintheCharacterofPainting
EmbracedbyPoetry(1782),oiloncanvas,61cm,tondo.The
IveaghBequest,Kenwood 54
21 G.S.andI.G.Facius(afterAngelicaKauffman),SapphoInspired
byLove,stippleengraving,357mm×265mm.Publishedby
Boydell,1778(cid:2)c TheBritishMuseum 55
viii ListofPlates
22 PortraitmedallionofMrsMontagu,jasperware(stoneware)
ovalcameo;whitereliefbust,profiletoright,moulded
andappliedtopalebluegroundwithgiltmetalframe,
42mm×35mm×4mm(cid:2)c TheBritishMuseum 64
23 AllanRamsay,ElizabethMontagu(1762),oiloncanvas,
1257mm×1003mm.PrivateCollection 65
24 AbelardandEloisa(c.1775–78),hand-colouredmezzotint,
350mm×245mm.PublishedbyBowlesandCarver(cid:2)c British
Museum 66
25 J.TaylorJr,MissMorePresentingtheBristolMilkwomanto
MrsMontagu(published1785),engraving,105mm×130mm.
PrivateCollection 82
26 JosephGrozer(afterSarahShiells),AnnYearsley(1787),
mezzotint,447mm×332mm(cid:2)c NationalPortraitGallery,
London 84
27 MrsMontaguandMrsBarbauldintheWestminsterMagazine,
June1776.LineengravingafterThomasHolloway,159mm×
98mm(cid:2)c NationalPortraitGallery,London 86
28 JamesBasire(afterGiovanniBattistaCipriani),Catharine
MacaulayasLibertas(1765),lineengraving,301mm×235mm
(cid:2)c NationalPortraitGallery,London 102
29 CarolineWatson(afterRobertEdgePine),DavidGarrickwith
StatueofWilliamShakespeare(1783),stippleengraving,
447mm×620mm.Theinscriptionreads:‘ToMrsMontagu,
thisPlateismostrespectfullyinscribed’(cid:2)c BritishMuseum 124
30 ThomasRowlandson,BreakingupoftheBluestockingClub
(1815),hand-colouredetching,246mm×349mm(cid:2)c British
Museum 204
Acknowledgements
Iwouldliketothankallthosewhohavehelpedmewiththisproject.Marilyn
Butler,PeterdeBollaandthelateMaryMacraewereinspirationalteachersat
criticalpointsandIamextremelygratefulfortheirencouragement.Inpar-
ticularIwanttothankAnnieJanowitzforhergenerosityandguidanceinall
thatmatters.Iwouldalsoliketothankmanycolleaguesandfriendsfortheir
advice and help: Danielle Allen, Maxine Berg, Clare Brant, Susan Carlile,
Kate Chisholm, Norma Clarke, Emma Clery, Markman Ellis, Emma Fran-
cis, Heather Glen, Charlotte Grant, Judith Hawley, Gary Kelly, Larry Klein,
DevoneyLooser,JoMcDonagh,JonMee,AnneMellor,MarilynMorris,Felic-
ityNussbaum,KarenO’Brien,LucyPeltz,BarbaraPlacido,NicolePohl,Leah
Price, Kate Retford, Betty Schellenberg, Lydia Syson, Neil Vickers and Sue
Wiseman. I would like to thank my PhD examiners Isobel Armstrong and
SimonJarvis,andtheanonymousreadersofthemanuscriptforPalgrave,for
alltheirinvaluablesuggestionsinimprovingthetext.Manythanksaredue
to the editorial team at Palgrave: Paula Kennedy, Steven Hall and Barbara
Slater.
IamverygratefultoKing’sCollegeCambridge,whofundedmygraduate
research (from which this book derives). Later I was extremely fortunate to
have research fellowships at the University of Warwick, working on ‘The
LuxuryProject’,andattheUniversityofLiverpool.Iwouldliketothankall
my present colleagues in the English department at King’s College London
fortheirsupport.
Fittingly enough for a book about bluestockings, I have been sustained
byvariousintellectualnetworks,includingtheCambridgeConferenceCol-
lective (Charlotte Grant, Clíona Ó Gallchoir and Penny Warburton); the
Feminism and Enlightenment Project, run by Barbara Taylor and Sarah
Knott;theEnlightenmentandRomanticismReadingGroupintheInstitute
ofEnglishStudies,SenateHouse;andmystudents,particularlyClareBarlow
andFionaRitchie.
IamverygratefultoMaggiePowelloftheWalpoleLibrary,Universityof
Yale,andtoRoyRitchieoftheHuntingtonLibrary,California,whogranted
me two fellowships that were crucial to my research, and to the staff of
the British Library, the London Library, and the Maughan Library at King’s
College London. Celia Joicey at the National Portrait Gallery helped me
with pictures, and I’d like to express my thanks to all at the NPG, where
LucyPeltzandIworkedontheexhibition,‘BrilliantWomen:18thCentury
Bluestockings’,March–June2008.
ix