Aristocratic critic Elizabeth Montagu was of the few women of the 18th century who became famous for their wit and literary skill. Photograph: Florilegius/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesIn the early 19th century the future Irish novelist William Carleton was hired by a Louth farmer called Piers Murphy and his wife to educate their children. In his memoirs Carleton writes that when he first met his pupils he wanted to burst out laughing – because all but one of the children were female .
In this engaging and elegantly written book , Irish writer and Cambridge-based historian Susannah Gibson tells the stories of the women who showed the anglophone world that women could be men’s intellectual equals, and could also earn money from their literary work. This demonstration of independent female thought, Gibson convincingly argues, changed that world forever.
Throughout the book, Gibson reminds us that in most respects the Bluestockings were not radicals. Almost all came from upper middle or aristocratic backgrounds. Most were political and social conservatives, who were terrified of rocking the social boat.
As for More, one of the most fascinating sections of the book explores her relationship with Ann Yearsley, the “milkwoman poet”. More discovered Yearsley because she collected More’s kitchen slops to feed her pigs. She championed Yearsley’s poetry, which became hugely successful. But she also tried to control the poet’s finances, believing that she was incapable of managing her own money.
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