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| Author | Elizabeth Montagu |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
Publication date | 1769 |
| Publication place | England |
An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear, full title An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear, Compared with the Greek and French Dramatic Poets: With Some Remarks Upon the Misrepresentations of Mons. de Voltaire, is a book published in 1769 by Elizabeth Montagu.
In the essay, Montagu defends the writings of Shakespeare against criticism by supporters of the French style of drama, most notably Voltaire[1].
Context
[edit]In the later half of the 18th century, Montagu hosted events of the Blue Stockings Society, an informal women's social and educational movement in England, of which she was one of the founders. In the society, members supported each other in intellectual endeavours, and many published literature.[2]
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Montagu wrote this essay in response to criticisms on Shakespeare's writing. Like later authors, she claimed Voltaire's criticism of Shakespeare stemmed from ignorance of his works, and she expressed a desire to establish for future generations how brilliant Shakespeare truly was.[3] Evidence from Montagu's correspondence with her friends implicates that she did not write the book in isolation, and that they helped her achieve the goal of publishing the book.[4] In the 18th century, women were the primary defenders of Shakespeare against literary criticisms and were involved in the restoration of Shakespeare's reputation, consequently helping establish him as the national poet.[5][6][7]
Montagu worked on the essay over the course of several years, starting in 1764.[4] Three works of hers had been published earlier as part of George Lyttleton's Dialogues of the Dead (1760), stemming from her frequent correspondence with Lyttleton about literature and history.[8] Other letters of hers were published posthumously, and they included discussions of literature in general and Shakespeare's works specifically.[9]
In the book, Montagu says to have been inspired to write the essay due to her "great admiration of his genius, and still greater indignation at the treatment he had received from a French wit," referring to Shakespeare and Voltaire respectively.[1]
Contents
[edit]The essay highlights characters, plots, and beauties of the verse in Shakespeare's writings, and Montagu saw in Shakespeare a champion of all things inherently English. The book is divided in an introduction, a general explanation on dramatic poetry and historical dramas, and several chapters dedicated to specific examples of Shakespeare's writing, in comparison to Greek and French classics.[1] Apart from defending Shakespeare, the essay also delivers a critique of French neoclassical dramatists.[1][7]
Montagu claims Shakespeare's success originates from his overall virtue and ability to engage the audiences' emotion, not from strict adherence to the classical models of drama. As Montagu sees it, Shakespeare was able to imitate the human nature of his contemporaries in a faithful way, and thereby write appealing plays. In her view, Shakespeare's plays are examples of both dramatic excellence and moral instruction.[1]
Reception
[edit]The book was initially published anonymously, and the first print of 1000 copies quickly sold out.[4] Seven editions were published between 1770 and 1810, and the book was translated and published in French,[10] as well as in Italian and German.[4] Montagu published the book without her name on the cover page, which was not uncommon in the 18th century, because she was aware that her opinions were unconventional, and she feared her gender would invite negative reception. However, the fact that Montagu had written the essay was more widely known by autumn of 1769, and public admiration and flattering letters from several leading male philosophers and critics of her day followed.[7] Montagu's name would first appear on the title page of the fifth edition, in 1777,[4] and her three Dialogues of the Dead were added to the fourth and fifth edition of the book.[7]
The book received mostly praise upon its initial release, with only one review condemning the language of the essay as affected, but others citing it in a favourable manner. From within the Blue Stockings Society, Montagu also received praise. During a visit to Paris in 1776, she found that her book was also well known there, and that her criticisms on French plays and acting were welcomed.[11]
Montagu has been credited as one of the, primarily female, critics who established Shakespeare's legacy in the 18th century, and cemented his position as national poet.[4][5][6][7] Considering Shakespeare's current position as national poet of England and the positive reception and wide spread of Montagu's book,[6][7] the essay may be said to have achieved its goal of helping establish Shakespeare's genius for future generations.[6]
One criticism that has been made on the essay asserts that its prose is disjointed because Montagu asked for too much advice from different contemporary authors and friends.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Montagu, Elizabeth (1772). An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear Compared with the Greek and French Dramatic Poets: With Some Remarks Upon the Misrepresentations of Mons. de Voltaire. H. Hughs.
- ^ Tinker, Chauncey Brewster (1915). The salon and English letters: chapters on the interrelations of literature and society in the age of Johnson. Macmillan.
- ^ Lounsbury, Thomas Raynesford (1902). Shakespeare and Voltaire. The Library of Congress. New York, C. Scribner's.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sairio, Anni. "Elizabeth Montagu's Shakespeare essay (1769) The final draft and the first edition as evidence of two communities of practice". Communities of Practice in the History of English, ed. Joanna Kopaczyk & Andreas H. Jucker.
- ^ a b Brasser, J.W.M. (2012). "The Making of the Romantic Shakespeare: Elizabeth Montagu and Samuel Taylor Coleridge".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d Ritchie, Fiona (2008-11). "Women and Shakespeare in the Restoration and Eighteenth Century". Literature Compass. 5 (6): 1154–1169. doi:10.1111/j.1741-4113.2008.00578.x.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f Eger, Elizabeth (2002). ""Out Rushed a Female to Protect the Bard": The Bluestocking Defense of Shakespeare". Huntington Library Quarterly. 65 (1/2): 127–151. ISSN 0018-7895.
- ^ Ellis, Markman (2012). ""An Author in Form": Women Writers, Print Publication, and Elizabeth Montagu's Dialogues of the Dead". ELH. 79 (2): 417–445. doi:10.1353/elh.2012.0012. ISSN 1080-6547.
- ^ Eger, Elizabeth. Bluestockings : women of reason from Enlightenment to Romanticism. ISBN 1-137-01847-X. OCLC 1040418976.
- ^ Apologie de Shakespear, en Réponse a la Critique de M. de Voltaire. Traduite de L'Anglois de Madame de Montagu. 1777.
- ^ The Cambridge history of English and American literature : an encyclopedia in eighteen volumes. New York: Bartelby.com. 2000. ISBN 1-58734-073-9. OCLC 81626961.