Elizabeth Montagu

See also: Elizabeth Montagu (homonymous)

--> Elizabeth Montagu born Robinson the October 2nd 1718 with York where she died the August 25th 1800 with London, is a English Woman of letters , member influential of the company of the Bas-bleu S.

Of a rare intelligence, Elizabeth Robinson married a grandson of the first count de Sandwich. It joins together, starting from 1770, in its hotel a company of distinguished spirits, among which it made a brilliant figure and where appeared of the characters like Samuel Johnson, Horace Walpole, Edmund Burke, Joshua Reynolds or David Garrick. It also protected from the writers like James Beattie, Hannah More, Fanny Burney, Anna Barbauld, Sarah Fielding or Anna Williams.

Elizabeth Montagu was not the dominant personality among the Bas-bleu S but, as it was most fortunate, it is its house, its purse and its capacity which allowed the existence of the company.

Its tastes of literary criticism carried it towards Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding and his sister Sarah, Fanny Burney or Laurence Sterne. With as much of knowknowing that of good sense, it off took to the defense of Shakespeare against the sarcastic remarks of Voltaire in remarkable a Essay one the Writings and Genius Shakespear ( Essai on the genius and the writings of Shakespeare ; London, 1769, in-8°), which Voltaire answered in his Lettre the French Academy (August 25th 1776). She retorted at once by a Apologie for Shakespeare , which was translated into French (London, 1777, in-8°). She had also written, in 1760, Dialogs off the Dead ( Dialogs of dead the ), a series of conversations between the alive ones and deaths famous which function like a Satire of vanity and manners of.

She also left a very interesting literary Correspondance published after her death (4 vol. in-8°).

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