ABSTRACT
Writing with a great deal of affection and pride, Anna Seward told Mary Powys that John Saville’s singing was becoming enormously popular throughout the country. A fascinating letter to Mary Powys, dated 1781 and written during the early days of Seward’s career as a published writer, looks back on the cheerless times of the previous few years. The overarching theme of the transience of life and the enduring quality of ‘Love and the Muse’ is one that Seward and Mary Powys willingly shared. Seward wrote to Dorothy Sykes that she looked forward to an invitation to her home, Westella, where she could once more enjoy the reading parties that she missed so much. Seward’s lethargy rallied a little when she became involved in the education of Marianne, the eleven-year-old daughter of Joseph and Sykes. Sykes continued to urge Seward to forget about Saville and Seward continued to refuse, although she was becoming increasingly isolated.
