An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespear: Compared with the Greek and French Dramatic Poets: With Some Remarks upon the Misrepresentations of ... - Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama)

by Elizabeth Montagu

The daughter of wealthy parents, and well educated in history and languages, at the age of twenty-one Elizabeth Robinson (1718 1800) married Edward Montagu, a grandson of the earl of Sandwich whose income derived from northern estates and coal-mines, and began to establish a London salon attended by the intellectual cream of British society, including Johnson, Burke, Garrick, and Hester Chapone. This 1769 work, written at the urging of her bluestocking friend Elizabeth Carter, is a spirited defence of Shakespeare against the criticism of Voltaire, comparing Shakespeare's genius to that of the ancient Greek and modern French poet-dramatists, and finding it superior. Voltaire is especially condemned in this lively and elegant piece for his efforts to measure Shakespeare against Corneille using an inadequate and mechanistic French translation of the English dramatist's work. Mrs Montagu's collected letters, and works by others of her circle, are also reissued in this series."

252 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1970

About the author

Elizabeth Montagu, (born Elizabeth Robinson) was an English social reformer, patron of the arts, salonist, literary critic, and writer who helped organize and lead the bluestocking society. Her parents were both from wealthy families with strong ties to the British peerage and intellectual life. She married Edward Montagu, a wealthy man with extensive holdings, to become one of the wealthiest women of her era. She devoted this wealth to fostering English and Scottish literature and to the relief of the poor.

Reviews

[Nut Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is absolutely a publication of historical merit, it's value has less to do with its ostensible purpose of Shakespeare criticism and more as an example of the style and substance of debate among the 18th century intelligentsia. More over, this is a document which cannot be understood in full without the historical context of the time. Written as a pointed attack on Voltaire, Montagu's defense of Shakespeare has less to do with his artistic merit than with British nationalism. Montagu's criticism includes very little of such to speak of, and she goes so far as to acknowledge her own "partiality." To modern sensibilities, her discussion of Shakespeare sounds like "stanning" her favorite artist, with little regard for their faults. However, though the essay contributes little to Shakespeare scholarship, it is an invaluable document of Montagu's personal attacks on arguably the foremost intellectual of her era, which largely focus on skewering the quality of Voltaire's translations and outright questioning his comprehension of the English language. Including such barbs as "I am sorry the translator had not a better English Dictionary" it is a glorious insight into the polite savagery of the pre-(french) revolutionary intelligentsia, as well as a notable example of the Bluestocking Circle's output.