Elizabeth Montagu

 

 

   Elizabeth Montagu had few literary works published and would not have been immortalized to the same degree had she not been the prominent leader of the Bluestocking Society. In a period when literary circles were restricted to the sphere of the masculine, Montagu decided to become a literary host of her own and eventually became one of the most prolific literary influences of her time.

   Montagu was born Elizabeth Robinson as the fourth child of twelve in October, 1720 in York, England. Her father was a landowner and her mother a wealthy heiress. Her and her sister, future novelist Sarah Scott, spent extended periods of their childhood with their grandparents in Coventry, Cambridgeshire. Their grandfather, Dr. Conyers Middleton, was an extremely educated man working as a professor at Cambridge. Once destined for the clergy, he refused the life instead for an advantageous marriage. During their childhoods the girls learned numerous languages as well as literature.

   During her childhood, Montagu befriended Lady Margaret Harley who would later become Margaret Cavendish the Duchess of Portland. Through Cavendish she met many of the most influential and respectable people of her time. Cavendish was a similar admirer of the arts, and later in life boasted quite a collection ranging from the fine arts to natural history. She would later join Montagu as a member of “The Bluestockings”, sharing her collections as a contribution to the literary circle.

   In this period, the feminine sphere was thought to be solely within the home as a domestic goddess. If a woman was to be successful, it was to marry into success. As a young woman of respectable upbringing, Montagu was expected to follow suit. Thus, at the age of 22 she married 51 year old Edward Montagu. Conventions such as these leave little surprise that women would soon begin to lobby for independent thought and equality.

   Beginning in the early 1750′s, Montagu began hosting friends and family for breakfast. There were rules against gambling and alcohol, and conversation focussed on an intellectual agenda. Montagu became well known for hosting these rather informal social and literary discussions, and with her noteworthy colleagues such as Margaret Cavendish, Mary Delaney, Elizabeth Vesey, Sarah Fielding, Samuel Johnson, and Horace Walpole “The Bluestockings” were born.

Elizabeth Montagu and The Bluestockings (Montagu left and standing)

   Montagu published three notable works over her lifetime. She wrote several essays that did not garner much acclaim except for the amusing “Camdus and Herculese.” An essay of a different nature was “An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear” which dove into serious literary analysis:

“An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear” defends the famed British author against Voltaire,  who did not like the tyrannical dominance of the bard in literary culture. Montagu’s essay was part of a larger debate between France and Great Britain over literature, and had a nationalistic tone.¹

   Clearly Montagu was an excellent candidate for leading the female enlightenment: her intellectual capacity soared high above the expectant sphere of her sex.

   The works of Montagu may have been received with mixed criticism, but her leadership within “The Bluestockings” was instrumental. Montagu was a trail-blazer that lead a quiet revolution of female intellectuals and independent thinkers. Even without Montagu, it would be hard to argue that there would not have been similarly distinguished groups established around the time period; however, it is clear that Montagu was the catalyst of an advantageous marriage between women and the literary community.

 

 

 

1.”Elizabeth Montagu, 1720-1800.” Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism. 2008.  <http://www.enotes.com/nineteenth-century-criticism/montagu-elizabeth>

“Elizabeth Montagu.” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Montagu>

“Elizabeth (Fidget) Montagu, 1720-1800.” The Montague Millenium. 2006. <http://www.montaguemillennium.com/familyresearch/h_1800_elizabeth.htm>

Child, Elizabeth, “Elizabeth Montagu, Bluestockingwoman,” The Huntington Library Quarterly 65 (½), 2002: 153-173.

Miegon, Anna, “Biographical Sketches of Principal Bluestocking Women,” The Huntington Library Quarterly 65 (1/2) 2002: 25-37.