Elizabeth Carter
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Carter was an English poet, classicist, writer and translator, and a member of the Bluestocking
Circle.
, she was the daughter of a clergyman whose parish was in the town - her redbrick family home can still be seen at the junction of South Street and Middle Street, close to the seafront. Encouraged by her father to study, she mastered several modern and ancient languages (including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic) and science. She rendered into English De Crousaz
's Examen de l'essai de Monsieur Pope sur l'homme (Examination of Mr Pope
's "An Essay on Man
", two volumes, 1739); Algarotti's
Newtonianism
o per le donne (Newtonianism for women); and wrote a small volume of poems. Carter's position in the pantheon of eighteenth century women writers was, however, secured by her translation in 1758 of All the Works of Epictetus
, Which are Now Extant, the first English translation of all known works by the Greek stoic philosopher. This work made her name and fortune, securing her a spectacular £1000 in subscription money.
She was a friend of Samuel Johnson
, editing some editions of his periodical The Rambler
. He wrote that "[my] old friend, Mrs Carter could make a pudding [just] as well as translate Epictetus... and work a handkerchief [just] as well as compose a poem"). She was friends with many other eminent men, as well as being a close confidant of Elizabeth Montagu
, Hannah More
, Hester Chapone
, and several other members of the Bluestocking circle. Anne Hunter
, a minor poet and socialite, and Mary Delany
are also noted as close friends. She also wrote to Emma Hamilton, who called Carter "[as] I imagine, the most learned female who ever lived" (though Hamilton's guardian's son Francis Lord Napier
wrote to Emma that Carter was "a fine old Slut, though bearing not the least resemblance to a Woman. She had more the appearance of a fat Priest of the Church of Rome than an English Gentlewoman
.")
, the nineteenth century novelist, refers to Carter as an epistolatory model, bracketing her in Cranford
with Hester Chapone
, a self-taught Bluestocking.
Blue Stockings Society (England)
The Blue Stockings Society was an informal women's social and educational movement in England in the mid-18th century. The society emphasized education and mutual co-operation rather than the individualism which marked the French version....
Circle.
Biography
Born in Deal, KentDeal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
, she was the daughter of a clergyman whose parish was in the town - her redbrick family home can still be seen at the junction of South Street and Middle Street, close to the seafront. Encouraged by her father to study, she mastered several modern and ancient languages (including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic) and science. She rendered into English De Crousaz
Jean-Pierre de Crousaz
Jean-Pierre de Crousaz was a Swiss theologian and philosopher. He is now remembered more for his letters of commentary than his formal works....
's Examen de l'essai de Monsieur Pope sur l'homme (Examination of Mr Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
's "An Essay on Man
An Essay on Man
An Essay on Man is a poem published by Alexander Pope in 1734. It is a rationalistic effort to use philosophy in order to "vindicate the ways of God to man" , a variation of John Milton's claim in the opening lines of Paradise Lost, that he will "justify the ways of God to man" . It is concerned...
", two volumes, 1739); Algarotti's
Francesco Algarotti
Count Francesco Algarotti was an Italian philosopher and art critic.He also completed engravings.He was born in Venice to a rich merchant. He studied at Rome for a year, and then Bologna, he studied natural sciences and mathematics...
Newtonianism
Newtonianism
Newtonianism is a doctrine that involves following the principles and using the methods of natural philosopher Isaac Newton. While Newton's influential contributions were primarily in physics and mathematics, his broad conception of the universe as being governed by rational and understandable laws...
o per le donne (Newtonianism for women); and wrote a small volume of poems. Carter's position in the pantheon of eighteenth century women writers was, however, secured by her translation in 1758 of All the Works of Epictetus
Epictetus
Epictetus was a Greek sage and Stoic philosopher. He was born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia , and lived in Rome until banishment when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece where he lived the rest of his life. His teachings were noted down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses...
, Which are Now Extant, the first English translation of all known works by the Greek stoic philosopher. This work made her name and fortune, securing her a spectacular £1000 in subscription money.
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
, editing some editions of his periodical The Rambler
The Rambler
The Rambler was a periodical by Samuel Johnson.-Description:The Rambler was published on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1750 to 1752 and totals 208 articles. It was Johnson's most consistent and sustained work in the English language...
. He wrote that "[my] old friend, Mrs Carter could make a pudding [just] as well as translate Epictetus... and work a handkerchief [just] as well as compose a poem"). She was friends with many other eminent men, as well as being a close confidant of Elizabeth Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu was a British social reformer, patron of the arts, salonist, literary critic, and writer who helped organize and lead the bluestocking society...
, Hannah More
Hannah More
Hannah More was an English religious writer, and philanthropist. She can be said to have made three reputations in the course of her long life: as a poet and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, as a writer on moral and religious subjects, and as a practical...
, Hester Chapone
Hester Chapone
Hester Chapone , writer of conduct books for women, was born on 27 October 1727 at Twywell, Northamptonshire,The daughter of Thomas Mulso , a gentleman farmer, and his wife , a daughter of Colonel Thomas, Hester wrote a romance at the age of nine, 'The Loves of Amoret and Melissa', which earned...
, and several other members of the Bluestocking circle. Anne Hunter
Anne Hunter
Anne Hunter was the wife of the celebrated surgeon John Hunter, and a minor poet. She is mostly remembered now for the texts to at least nine of Joseph Haydn's 14 songs in English. Their relationship during Haydn's stay is ambiguous, though at the time she was a widow...
, a minor poet and socialite, and Mary Delany
Mary Delany
Mary Delany was an English Bluestocking, artist, and letter-writer; equally famous for her "paper-mosaicks" and her lively correspondence.-Early life:...
are also noted as close friends. She also wrote to Emma Hamilton, who called Carter "[as] I imagine, the most learned female who ever lived" (though Hamilton's guardian's son Francis Lord Napier
Francis Napier, 8th Lord Napier
Francis Scott Napier, 8th Lord Napier was a British peer and army officer.Napier was born in Ipswich in 1758, the son of Hon. William Napier and his wife, the Hon...
wrote to Emma that Carter was "a fine old Slut, though bearing not the least resemblance to a Woman. She had more the appearance of a fat Priest of the Church of Rome than an English Gentlewoman
Gentlewoman
A gentlewoman in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family, analogous to the Latin generosus and generosa...
.")
Cultural influence
Elizabeth GaskellElizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...
, the nineteenth century novelist, refers to Carter as an epistolatory model, bracketing her in Cranford
Cranford
Cranford may refer to:*Cranford - a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell*Cranford - a BBC television adaptation of Cranford and other works by Elizabeth GaskellCranford may also refer to the following places:...
with Hester Chapone
Hester Chapone
Hester Chapone , writer of conduct books for women, was born on 27 October 1727 at Twywell, Northamptonshire,The daughter of Thomas Mulso , a gentleman farmer, and his wife , a daughter of Colonel Thomas, Hester wrote a romance at the age of nine, 'The Loves of Amoret and Melissa', which earned...
, a self-taught Bluestocking.
Resources
- Portraits of Elizabeth Carter at the National Portrait Gallery
- "Elizabeth Carter", Tulsa Studies in Women's LiteratureTulsa Studies in Women's LiteratureTulsa Studies in Women's Literature , founded in 1982, was the first journal devoted solely to the study of women's and feminist literature...
, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring, 1986), pp. 138–140