The Poetry of Anna Matilda

[Cowley, Hannah].

Published by London: Printed by John Bell, 1788.

About this Item

Hannah Cowley (1743-1809) was a dramatist and poet and the daughter of a bookseller from Tiverton, Devon. Her first play, The Runaway, which mocks a pompous "Female Student," was sent to David Garrick and produced at Drury Lane in 1776. She tried both tragedy and comedy, but was best at the latter, and her play, The Belle's Stratagem, enjoyed great success and has been revived even recently. She also produced a Gothic novel, The Italian Marauders (1810). In the summer of 1787, she began a poetic correspondence with the poet, Robert Merry, writing under the pseudonym of Anna Matilda. Merry used the pen name, "Della Crusca." These were published in the periodical, The World. At first they were unaware of each other's identity, but they eventually met and became members of the Della Cruscan society of poets. Of Cowley, Mary de la Mahoti re writes in the Oxford DNB: "It was only in the twentieth centuryÉthat Hannah Cowley's role in the fight for justice for women was recognized. Her contribution deserves credit, as she delivered her message in a powerful and accessible medium, the theatre. In an age when many people were unable to read and appreciate the arguments put forth in Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), her popular challenging of traditional roles was of overriding importance in the wider dissemination of feminist views. Twelvemo. [viii], 139 pp., including the second title-page. Rebound in modern calf over boards. Spine faded. A very good, crisp copy. [viii], 139 pp., including the second title-page. Rebound in modern calf over boards. Spine faded. A very good, crisp copy. Scarce in commerce. First edition. Jackson, Romantic Poetry by Women, p. 88. CBEL II, 831; Wright, West-Country Poets, p. 123. See also he Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Seller Inventory # 17503

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Poetry of Anna Matilda

Publisher: London: Printed by John Bell, 1788.

Binding: Hardcover

Edition: 1st Edition