ABSTRACT
Any l i t e r a r y d a b b le r c o u ld r e e l o f f th e names o f two
d o zen o r so o f th e s e im m o r ta ls . E n g lan d b o a s te d th e "m o st
b r i l l i a n t c o n s t e l l a t i o n o f fe m a le w o r t h i e s , " from s t a r s o f
th e f i r s t m ag n itu d e l i k e Hannah More and M aria E dgew orth to
l e s s e r l i g h t s l i k e A m elia O p ie , who w ro te m e la n c h o ly v e r s e ,
C h a r l o t t e S m ith , a u t h o r o f t h i r t y - e i g h t vo lum es o f f i c t i o n , and
1 "F em ale A u th o r s h ip ," L i t e r a r y M agazine and A m erican R e g i s t e r , IV (O c to b e r , 1 8 0 5 ) , 2^4 ; [ .N a th an ie l A p p le to n H aven , J r T f , "M em oirs o f M rs. C a r t e r , " M onth ly A n th o lo g y , IX (S e p te m b e r , I 8 l 0 ) , 194; "M rs. E . M o n ta g u 's " L e t t e r s ' ,M Q u a r t e r l y R ev iew , X (O c to b e r , I 8 1 3 ) , 31 . W ash ing ton I r v i n g p ro m p tly r e p r i n t e d th e Q u a r t e r l y 1s rem ark s i n th e P h i l a d e l p h i a J o u r n a l o f w hich he was th e n e d i t o r , th e A n a le c t ic M ag az in e , I I I (M arch , 1 8 1 4 ) , 2 1 5 . --------------------- -----------
2 "M em oirs o f M iss Hannah M ore," M onth ly M agazine and A m erican R ev iew , I I I (D ecem ber, l 8 0 0 ) , 455: -----
many o th e r s » In o « fa d e d beyond r e c o g n i t i o n . But A m erica , t o o ,
had I t s a u t h o r e s s e s , a " b r i l l i a n t a d d i t i o n t o o u r n a t i o n a l
g lo r y " ^ : v e r s a t i l e S u san n a H. Rowson and a c l u s t e r o f l e s s I n -
s p i r e d p r a c t i t i o n e r s In th e s e n t im e n ta l n o v e l , th e p o e te s s
S a ra h W entw orth H o r to n , an d ev en a h i s t o r i a n o r tw o .
