The Covent-Garden Journal (modernised as The Covent Garden Journal ) was an English literary periodical published twice a week for most of 1752. It was edited and almost entirely funded by novelist, playwright, and essayist Henry Fielding , under the pseudonym , "Sir Alexander Drawcansir, Knt. Censor of Great Britain". It was Fielding's fourth and final periodical, and one of his last written works.
77-406: The Journal incited the "Paper War" of 1752–1753 , a conflict among a number of contemporary literary critics and writers, which began after Fielding declared war on the "armies of Grub Street " in the first issue. His proclamation attracted multiple aggressors and instigated a long-lasting debate argued in the pages of their respective publications. Initially waged for the sake of increasing sales,
154-579: A "Universal Register Office", a planned center of advertisement of jobs, goods for sale, and other items. If this was not enough, Fielding started a dispute, just a few months before, with Philip D'Halluin, a former employee who established the competing "Public Register Office" in King Street, Covent Garden , who hired Bonnell Thorton, a friend of Smart, to attack Fielding and Hill. However, Hill had previously aided Fielding in this matter. Later, Hill attacked both Fielding and Smart, 13 August 1752, in
231-609: A Voyage to Lisbon , which was published in England in 1755. Fielding died in Lisbon on 8 October 1754, and was buried in the Os Cyprestes cemetery, a local English burial ground. Paper War of 1752%E2%80%931753 In 1752, Henry Fielding started a "paper war", a long-term dispute with constant publication of pamphlets attacking other writers, between the various authors on London's Grub Street . Although it began as
308-560: A Wit tried to provoke further response from Smart. However, Smart stopped responding to either of these assaults. Soon after, Hill ended his attacks with the final shot in December 1752. Charlotte Lennox Charlotte Lennox , née Ramsay (c. 1729 – 4 January 1804), was a Scottish author and a literary and cultural critic, whose publishing career flourished in London . Best known for her novel The Female Quixote (1752), she
385-571: A desire to use a periodical to promote the Universal Register Office – a business which connected service providers with consumers – and his other activities and views. Alluding to the earlier publication, he gave it the title The Covent-Garden Journal , and announced in The Daily Advertiser that the first number would be issued on 23 November 1751. The release was delayed until January because of work related to
462-466: A disinclination to continue led Fielding to end its run after the Number 72 issue. He died two years later while staying in Lisbon, Portugal . The first mention of The Covent-Garden Journal dates to 5 December 1749, when a broadsheet pamphlet was printed with the title " The Covent-Garden Journal. No 1. To be published'd Once every Month , during the present Westminster Election by Paul Wronghead, of
539-450: A dispute between Fielding and John Hill , other authors, such as Christopher Smart , Bonnell Thornton , William Kenrick , Arthur Murphy and Tobias Smollett , were soon dedicating their works to aid various sides of the conflict. The dispute lasted until 1753 and involved many of London's periodicals. It eventually resulted in countless essays, poems, and even a series of mock epic poems starting with Smart's The Hilliad . Although it
616-566: A fake paper war that would involve London writers "giving Blows that would not hurt, and sharing the Advantage in Silence." Such a meeting between Fielding and Hill to discuss the proposed war is believed to have occurred (if it occurred) on 28 December 1751. It is known that Hill met Fielding for legal business between 26 and 28 December 1751 after Hill was robbed. Before Hill had revealed this information, he attacked Fielding's Amelia in
693-460: A famous Surgeon, who absolutely cured one Mrs Amelia Booth, of a violent Hurt in her Nose, insomuch, that she had scarce a Scar left on it, intends to bring Actions against several ill-meaning and slanderous People, who have reported that the said Lady had no Nose, merely because the Author of her History, in a Hurry, forgot to inform his Readers of that Particular. Hill was not the only one to attack
770-622: A journal of the present paper-war between the forces under Sir Alexander Drawcansir, and the army of Grub Street", written in the tradition of Jonathan Swift 's Battle of the Books . The main response to Fielding's words came from John Hill , an English author, botanist, and literary critic who wrote a column called "The Inspector" in the London Daily Advertiser . Hill used this column approximately one week later to attack Fielding and criticise Amelia . Fielding replied in much
847-465: A lavish party for Lennox, with a laurel wreath and an apple pie that contained bay leaf . Johnson thought her superior to his other female literary friends, Elizabeth Carter , Hannah More , and Frances Burney , due to her efforts to professionalize her writing career, rather than write anonymously. He ensured that Lennox was introduced to important members on the London literary scene. However, some of
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#1732772492790924-433: A literary rival, and despite Richardson's calling the periodical "The Common Garden Journal". Fielding lauded the work of friend William Hogarth and poetry by Edward Young . He also promoted plays involving David Garrick and James Lacy (among others). Fielding frequently used the periodical to respond to criticism for his latest novel, Amelia , which was published in December 1751. The 25 and 28 January issues featured
1001-490: A paternal relationship with Amelia , though conceded that it was not without flaws: ... [N]ay, when I go father, and avow, that of all my Offspring she is my favourite Child. I can truly say that I bestowed a more than ordinary Pains in her Education ... I do not think my Child is entirely free from Faults. I know nothing human that is so; but surely she doth not deserve the Rancour with which she hath been treated by
1078-526: A position at court, but this was forestalled by her marriage to Alexander Lennox, and her decision to take up acting and to publish her works (and thereby earn her own income). Her husband's only known employment was in the customs office from 1773 to 1782, and this was reported to be as a benefice of the Duke of Newcastle as a reward for his wife. He also claimed to be the proper heir to the Earl of Lennox in 1768, but
1155-559: A price of three pence . For most of its run, the journal was issued twice a week, on Tuesday and Saturday. Each number consisted of an introductory remark or essay (written by Fielding), domestic and foreign news with annotations, advertisements, an obituary, a births and marriages panel, and other sundries. One section, entitled "Covent Garden", concerned Fielding's position as a magistrate at Bow Street. The column ran in every issue until 27 June 1752, appearing irregularly thereafter. It dealt with crime and legal matters and provided insight into
1232-649: A production called Fun and proceeded to defend Fielding. Charles Macklin followed suit by holding a benefit on 8 April 1752 at the Covent Garden with a two-act play called The Covent Garden Theater, or Pasquin Turn'd Drawcansir ; the play portrayed Fielding attacking the Hill and his followers, the "Town". A pamphlet in the London Daily Advertiser published on 29 January 1752 called The March of
1309-548: A production that satirised Fielding and his works. Particular attention was paid to Amelia in Have at you All ; the fifth number, for example, featured "a new chapter in Amelia , more witty than the rest, if the reader has but sense enough to find out the humour." On 15 January, Tobias Smollett published a disparaging twenty-eight-page pamphlet entitled A Faithful Narrative of the base and inhuman Arts that were lately practised upon
1386-631: A section in which Amelia ' s most outspoken critics were depicted on trial and in which Fielding systematically repudiated their respective complaints. "Councillor Town", the fictional prosecutor, summarised these complaints in saying, "The whole Book is a Heap of sad Stuff, Dulness, and Nonsense ; that it contains no Wit, Humour, Knowledge of human Nature, or of the World; indeed, that the Fable, moral Character, Manners, Sentiments, and Diction, are all alike bad and contemptible." In his reply, Fielding posited
1463-555: A section on the Paper War, a similar but more moderated commentary that Fielding termed the "Court of Criticism" later took its place. The Paper War continued without Fielding, ultimately embroiling a large number of other writers, among them Christopher Smart , William Kenrick , and Arthur Murphy . Having generated a significant amount of secondary literature (including Smart's The Hilliad and Charles Macklin's aforementioned The Covent Garden Theater, or Pasquin Turn'd Drawcansir ),
1540-474: A writer oscillating between outrage and sympathy, humor and lechery." By the summer of 1752, the Journal ' s circulation was dropping steadily and it was losing popularity. After making the transition to weekly publication on 4 July, it was advertised less, and, in the final months of 1752, its discussion of anything other than court decisions and political actions was minimal. In addition, Fielding's health
1617-566: Is a trite Observation, that when a Woman quits her Modesty, she discards with it every other Virtue. To extend this to every frail Individual of the Sex, is to carry it too far; but if it be confined to those who are become infamous by public Prostitution, no Maxim, I believe, hath a greater Foundation in Truth, or will be more strongly verified by Experience. Martin Battestin believes that this passage
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#17327724927901694-443: Is at least akin to his. It may possibly divert you & your company." Fielding's authorship would have been limited to the paper's introduction, which was used to target prominent Tories such as Paul Whitehead: a minor poet who had pseudonymously attacked Fielding before and was vocal on political issues. In late 1751, just before the publication of his novel, Amelia , Fielding began plotting his next literary work. He expressed
1771-491: Is indicative of the fact that while Fielding was opposed to prostitution, "when actually confronted with the pitiable wretches accused of such crimes and misdemeanors ... he acted toward them with the compassion and good-humored tolerance that characterize the treatment of the 'lower orders' in his novels." To critic Lance Bertelsen, the passage "seems to reveal a lurking fascination with the oldest profession – one that, paired with his earlier endorsement of "Meanwell", suggests
1848-598: Is the focus of "The Lady's Museum Project." Charlotte Lennox was born in Gibraltar . Her father, James Ramsay of Dalhousie , was a Scottish captain in the British Army , and her mother Catherine, née Tisdall (died 1765), was Scottish and Irish. She was baptized Barbara Charlotte Ramsay. Very little direct information on her pre-public life is available, and biographers have extrapolated from her first novel such elements as seem semi-autobiographical. Charlotte lived
1925-444: Is unknown what actually started the dispute, it resulted in a divide of authors who either supported Fielding or supported Hill, and few in between. Fielding started a "paper war" in the first issue of The Covent-Garden Journal (4 January 1752) by declaring war against "hack writers". In response, John Hill claimed in the London Daily Advertiser (9 January 1752) Fielding had met with him prior to January and proposed what would be
2002-726: The Fleet , Esq." It was organized as a standard paper, with sections called "Introductory Essay", "Foreign Affairs", "Home Affairs", and "Advertisement". Published with a list of fake printers (T. Smith, R. Webb, and S. Johnson), it claimed that the sellers were "all the People of London and Westminster". It was later revealed that the paper was created as a hoax by the Duke of Bedford to mock Sir George Vandeput, 2nd Baronet and his supporters. The printer, Richard Francklin, ran off 13,000 copies on 5–6 December, only one of which still survives. Although
2079-612: The Gray's Inn Journal . Following Murphy, Thornton attacked both Hill and Fielding in The Spring-Garden Journal on 16 November 1752. The Gentleman's Journal issue of November 1752 came out with a quick retort and claimed that those who supported Hill "espoused the cause of Gentleman" and those who sided with Fielding espoused the cause "of the comedian." This essay accomplished little but to polarise both sides even more. Hill then responded to Murphy, and their dispute
2156-497: The House of Lords rejected his claims, possibly on the basis of bastardy. Charlotte mentioned his "birth misfortunes" in a letter. In 1746, after turning away from a life of aristocratic patronage, seventeen-year-old Lennox took on a public role for the first time. She performed in a successful run of The Fair Penitent, which was part of a series of "civic" dramas at Drury Lane dealing with social issues of politics and gender. After
2233-476: The Journal was, "I solemnly declare that unless in revising my former Works, I have at present no Intention to hold any further Correspondence with the gayer Muses." Fielding died approximately two years later, his death caused by the gout and asthma that had, in part, compelled him to end the Journal ' s run. In his final year, he travelled to Portugal in the hope of recovery. He wrote an account of his travels during this time, entitled The Journal of
2310-516: The London Daily Advertiser on 8 January 1752. The book's title character, Amelia, was involved in an accident that damaged her face, and Hill, mocking the way Fielding described the scene, claimed that she "could charm the World without the Help of a Nose." In response to both the revelation and personal attacks, Fielding wrote on 11 January 1752: "If the Betrayer of a private Treaty could ever deserve
2387-414: The "Covent Garden" section of the journal. Fielding responded to the claims that he wrote the letter in the 1 August issue of the Journal . While acknowledging that his association with the letter had made him popular with prostitutes, he went on to accuse them of being a source for social evils : Prostitutes are the lowest and meanest, so are they the basest, vilest, and wickedest of all Creatures. It
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2464-499: The "dullness" seen in other contemporary periodicals: I do promise, as far as in me lies, to avoid with the utmost Care all Kind of Encroachment on that spacious Field, in which my ... Contemporaries have such large and undoubted Possessions; and which, from Time immemorial, hath been called the Land of Dullness . Discussion in the Journal was chiefly concerned with matters of literary criticism, and "the social and moral health of
2541-458: The Books and Fielding pretended to be a military leader that would lead "English VETERANS" against those who were compared to characters from the Greek and Roman classics along with those from modern French literature. However, he changed roles on the fourth issue, produced on 14 January 1752, and transformed himself into a "judge". By February, Kenrick joined in and "dramatized" the "Paper War" in
2618-585: The Brain of Habbakuk Hilding, Justice, Dealer and Chapman, who now lies at his own House in Covent-Garden, in a deplorable State of Lunacy; a dreadful Monument of false Friendship and Delusion . The pamphlet was notorious for its viciousness, and variously accused "Habbakuk Hilding" (Fielding) of literary theft, scandalousness, and smuttiness, while deriding his marriage to Mary Daniels . It also posited that Fielding founded The Covent-Garden Journal to further
2695-825: The Hazzaing, the Gaming and Drinking, ... that he is actually present at the Orgia of Bacchus, or the Celebration of some such Festival?" Number 50 blamed the growth of the London mob on poverty laws, and number 58 targeted the "Independent Electors of Westminster". In his literary reviews, Fielding often wrote with a biased hand. For instance, he gave immoderate praise to Charlotte Lennox 's The Female Quixote and Charles Macklin 's two-act comic play The Covent Garden Theatre, or Paquin Turn'd Drawcansir ; Lennox and Macklin were long-time friends of Fielding, and Macklin's play
2772-560: The Lion links various authors involved in the war and is the first to introduce Smart via a reference to his "Mrs. Mary Midnight" pseudonym, although Smart was not yet a participant. However, Smart did begin directly participating in the matter 4 August 1752 with the publication in The Midwife of a parody on Hill's "Inspector" persona. In the piece, Smart responded to Hill's attack on Smart's "Old Woman's Oratory" show and Hill's claim that
2849-531: The Paper War ended without victor in 1753. In 1749, a court decision made by Fielding – in his role as magistrate – provoked rumours that he was being paid to defend brothels . Three years later, a letter written by "Humphry Meanwell" voiced objection to the Disorderly Houses Act 1751 ( 25 Geo. 2 . c. 36), which was intended to remove prostitutes and brothels from Britain. The public soon associated this letter with Fielding; his publication of what
2926-503: The Paper War ultimately became much larger than Fielding had expected and generated a huge volume of secondary commentary and literature. Further controversy erupted in June, when Fielding expressed support for a letter decrying the government's 1751 Disorderly Houses Act 1751 ( 25 Geo. 2 . c. 36) in the Journal . His remarks were viewed by the public as an endorsement of the legality of prostitution , and it soon became common opinion that
3003-539: The Public. Fielding's efforts only attracted further criticism, eventually resulting in his promise "to write no more novels". The first four numbers of the Journal featured Fielding's contributions to the " Paper War ", a conflict he instigated with writers of other contemporary periodicals to generate sales. In the first number, along with the promise to avoid the dullness of other periodicals, Fielding confronted "the armies of Grub Street " and proclaimed his disdain for
3080-441: The ambitions of politician and statesman George Lyttelton , with whom Fielding had recently formed a friendship; the source of this inference remains unclear, since Lyttelton received no particular mention in the first few numbers. Fielding withdrew from the conflict after the fourth number, for the "war" had become more personal and hostile than he had originally intended. Although The Covent-Garden Journal would no longer feature
3157-592: The body politic". Most of the opening essays took a decidedly unpolitical tone. Exceptions were those in numbers 42, 50, and 58. Number 42 mocked the Country Tories by imagining how an Ancient Greek or Roman would react to party politics: "... convey [him] to a Hunting-Match, or Horse Race, or any other Meeting of Patriots. Will he not immediately conclude from all the Roaring and Ranting, the Hallowing and
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3234-434: The cases that Fielding dealt with on a regular basis, but the presentation was less organized and more informal than standard legal records. Most of the information on the cases was provided by Joshua Brogden, one of Fielding's clerks. Particularly in the opening comment and the news, Fielding injected a degree of wit or "liveliness" not seen in his previous publications; he stated in the first number that he planned to avoid
3311-406: The dispute, not all of them used their actual names; instead, many preferred to use pseudonyms along with attacks under their own name: Fielding wrote as "Sir Alexander Drawcansir"; Hill wrote as "The Inspector"; Thornton wrote as "Madam Roxanna"; and Smart wrote as "Mrs. Mary Midnight". It was under these pseudonyms that various authors soon responded to Fielding's attacks and to Fielding's plan for
3388-402: The first feminist work of literary criticism – were published by Andrew Millar. The third volume, which appeared in 1754, spoke to its success. Lennox studied and discussed how Shakespeare used his sources and was especially attentive to the romance tradition on which Shakespeare drew. One criticism Lennox had was that his plays strip female characters of their original authority, "taking from them
3465-459: The first ten years of her life in England before her father, who was a lieutenant in the guards, moved the family to Albany, New York in 1738, where he was lieutenant-governor. He died in 1742. Lennox's experiences in the colonies probably inspired her first and last novels, Harriot Stuart (1750) and Euphemia (1790). Around the age of 13, she was sent to be a companion to her maternal aunt Mary Lucking in London, but on her arrival she found that
3542-404: The learned subjects botany, history, astronomy, medicine, literary criticism, zoology, and theology. David Garrick produced her Old City Manners at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1775 (an adaptation of Ben Jonson 's Eastward Ho ). The play saw at least nine performances over two seasons, favorable reviews, and publication. Lennox was described as "a Lady well known as a favorite attendant in
3619-496: The least Credit, yet his Lowness here must proclaim himself either a Liar, or a Fool. None can doubt that he is the former, if he hath feigned this Treaty, and I think few would scruple to call him the latter, if he had rejected it." Regardless of the merits of Hill's claim, a war was soon started: by the third issue of The Covent-Garden Journal , Fielding narrowed his satire upon John Hill. Although Hill, Fielding, Smart, Thornton, Kenrick, Murphy, and Smollett were all involved in
3696-399: The letter, initially attributed to a "Humphrey Meanwell", was in fact written by Fielding. Fielding refuted this assertion in the 1 August issue of the Journal , while labelling prostitutes a source of social evils . The final issue of the Journal was released on 25 November 1752. In its last months, poor sales had resulted in a transition from semi-weekly to weekly release. Ill-health and
3773-401: The literary critics of the day: "As to my brother authors, who, like mere mechanics, are envious and jealous of a rival in their trade, to silence their jealousies and fears, I declare that it is not my intention to encroach on the business now carried on by them, nor to deal in any of those wares which they at present vend to the public." Also given in the inaugural number was "An introduction to
3850-428: The most influential French study of Greek tragedy in the mid-18th century, she found several learned men to contribute. In 1755 she translated Memoirs of Maximilian de Bethune, Duke of Sully , which sold well. Learning several languages, including Italian from Joseph Baretti , Lennox studied the sources for William Shakespeare 's plays. In 1753, the first two volumes of Shakespear Illustrated – seen by many scholars as
3927-435: The only issue of The Impertinent to be produced. Although the work was published anonymously, it was commonly known that it was produced by Hill, and he soon followed up the pamphlet with his 25 August 1752 The Inspector column in the London Daily Advertiser . With the column, he harshly criticized Smart's Poems on Several Occasions . Fielding eventually left the dispute after the sixth issue of The Covent-Garden Journal
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#17327724927904004-523: The other critics are the prosecutors and it is they, not Amelia , that are truly put on trial. The Covent-Garden Journal served Fielding well and he used it in his attacks upon Hill and Hill's supporters in the Journal piece called "Journal of the present Paper War between the Forces under Sir Alexander Drawcansir, and the Army of Grub-street". The work was modelled after Jonathan Swift 's The Battle of
4081-452: The pamphlet Habbakkuk Hilding anonymously on 15 January 1752. Although there were many attacks against Fielding's novel, there was some support for the work, and an anonymous pamphlet was written to attack "Hill and 'the Town'" while praising Amelia . On 25 January 1752, Fielding defended his work again by bringing the novel before the imaginary "Court of Censorial Enquiry", in which Hill and
4158-406: The pamphlet in the London Daily Advertiser . With his 25 August 1752 The Inspector column, Hill harshly criticised Smart's Poems on Several Occasions . Although Hill claimed to praise Smart, he did so in a manner, as Betty Rizzo claims, "that managed to insult and degrade Smart with patronizing encouragement." Arthur Murphy responded to this essay, and to Hill, in the 21 October 1752 edition of
4235-608: The platonically pure damsels he meets (such as the farm girl he loves), so Arabella believes it is in her power to kill with a look and that her lovers have a duty to suffer ordeals on her behalf. Some of Lennox's other works were advertised as being by "the author of The Female Quixote ". The translator/censor of the Spanish version, Lt-Col. Don Bernardo María de Calzada, appropriated the text, stating "written in English by an unknown author and in Spanish by D. Bernardo," even though he
4312-513: The play off the stage on its opening night, though it went on to be printed in several editions. Henrietta sold well, but did not bring her any money. From 1760 to 1761 she edited and wrote for the periodical The Lady's Museum , which included her novel Harriot and Sophia (later Sophia), known as one of two of the earliest serialized novels (along with Tobias Smollett's The Life and Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves ). Lennox called this magazine "a course in female education" and included
4389-516: The power and the moral independence which the old romances and novels had given them." Samuel Johnson wrote the dedication for Shakespear Illustrated, but others criticized its treatment, in David Garrick's words, by "so great and so Excellent an Author." and the literary world took its revenge upon the presentation of her play, The Sister (1769), based on her third novel, Henrietta (1758) . Several groups of attendees concerted to boo
4466-408: The publication of Amelia . At the time of the publication of the journal, Covent Garden , although formally associated with the theatre industry, was more widely known as London's red light district . Fielding had earlier written The Covent Garden Tragedy , a mock-tragic play concerning the tale of two prostitutes. The first number of the periodical was published on 4 January 1752, and sold at
4543-687: The publication of her first poems, Poems on Several Occasions (1747), she began to shift away from acting towards writing. However, she did perform at Richmond in 1748 and received a benefit night at the Haymarket Theatre in a production of The Mourning Bride in 1750. In the latter year, she also published her most successful poem, "The Art of Coquetry" in the Gentleman's Magazine . She met Samuel Johnson around that time, and he held her in high regard. When her first novel, The Life of Harriot Stuart, Written by Herself , appeared, Johnson threw
4620-569: The rest of her life, relying on support from the Literary Fund . She died on 4 January 1804 in London and was buried in an unmarked grave not far from "Dean's yard, Westminster," the area of London currently called St. John's Gardens. During the 19th century, The Female Quixote remained moderately popular. In the 20th century, feminist scholars such as Janet Todd , Jane Spencer, and Nancy Armstrong praised Lennox's skill and inventiveness. Five of Lennox's six novels have been published in
4697-536: The same fashion in the second issue of the Journal , while attempting to defend his novel. The two engaged in a sustained dispute, as each used their respective publication to joust with the other. Several others were quick to join Hill in his criticism of Fielding and the Grub Street campaign. Bonnell Thornton , a poet and essayist, was responsible for Have at you All; or, the Drury Lane Journal ,
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#17327724927904774-440: The show was dead. Hill was quick to respond; he attacked both Fielding and Smart in a piece published on 13 August 1752 in the only issue of The Impertinent . In the work, Hill claimed that authors either write because "they have wit" or "they are hungry". He further claimed that Smart, wears a ridiculous comicalness of aspect, that makes people smile when they see him at a distance: His mouth opens, because he must be fed; and
4851-441: The son of her future guardian had died and the arrangement was no longer suitable. Instead, Charlotte's writing seems to have caught the attention of Lady Isabella Finch, who had an extensive library and offered her protection. Lennox's first volume of poetry, Poems on Several Occasions , published in 1747, was dedicated to Lady Isabella and centred partly on themes of female friendship and independence. She might have been offered
4928-826: The train of the muses." Finally, in 1790, Lennox published Euphemia with little success, as the public's interest in novels of romance seemed to have waned. Euphemia is an epistolary novel set in New York before the American Revolution and describes relationships between Native Americans and the British, primarily Mohawks and Hurons. Lennox had two children who survived infancy: Harriot Holles Lennox (1765–1782/3) and George Lewis Lennox (born 1771), who emigrated to America in 1793. In that same year, she and her husband, with whom she had been estranged for many years, separated. Charlotte then lived in "solitary penury" for
5005-402: The true author of the pamphlet remains uncertain, it was believed at the time to be Fielding's work; later critics, such as Martin and Ruthe Battestin, cite a letter written on behalf of the Duke of Richmond that was used as evidence of Fielding's involvement. Dated 7 December 1749, the letter states: "The enclosed is a paper generally given to Mr. Fielding, as the author. The humor that is in it
5082-678: The women of Johnson's circle were not fond of Lennox. Hester Thrale , Elizabeth Carter, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu , all members of the Bluestocking Society , faulted her either for her housekeeping (which even Lennox joked about), for her ostensibly unpleasant personality, or for her bad temper. They saw her specifically as an incendiary. Samuel Richardson and Samuel Johnson both favourably reviewed Lennox's second, most successful novel, The Female Quixote, or, The Adventures of Arabella (1752). Henry Fielding praised it in his Covent Garden Journal and it gained popularity. It
5159-470: The work; Thornton wrote satires of Amelia in the Drury-Lane Journal . Thornton's satires were first published on 16 January 1752 and included a fake advertisement for a parody novel called "Shamelia", playing off of title of Fielding's parody Shamela . He later parodied Amelia again on 13 February 1752 in a piece called "A New Chapter in Amelia ." Tobias Smollett joined in and published
5236-445: The world often joins with the philosopher in laughing at the insensibility and obstinancy that make him prick his lips with thistles." The work was published anonymously. Some tried to claim that Samuel Johnson was the author and Hill tried to hide his authorship by attacking the essay in the 25 August 1752 "The Inspector" (No. 464). However, he was soon exposed and it became commonly known that Hill produced both and he soon followed up
5313-678: The writers of Grub Street, which brought a quick response. Hill responded twice and claimed that Fielding was planning a fake dispute on 9 January 1752, Smollet attacked Hill's piece on 15 January 1752, and Thornton soon responded against Fielding in Have At You All: or, The Drury Lane Journal on 16 January 1752. During this time, personal works, such as Fielding's Amelia , became targets. On 11 January 1752, Fielding responded to Hill and those who supported his view of Amelia in The Covent-Garden Journal by stating:
5390-457: Was based on Fielding's life. Fielding had a noted tendency to be prejudiced toward certain authors too – Rabelais and Aristophanes were always met harshly, while Jonathan Swift , Miguel de Cervantes , and Lucian were praised as a "great Triumvirate". Samuel Richardson 's Clarissa – published in 1748 and one of the longest novels in the English language – is a noted exception: it was received well, even though Fielding considered Richardson
5467-505: Was deteriorating and his inclination to continue the periodical had declined. The 72nd and final number of The Covent-Garden Journal was published on 25 November 1752; Fielding there confirmed his lack of interest: "I shall here lay down a paper which I have neither inclination nor leisure to carry on any longer." He also directed readers to turn their attention to The Public Advertiser , a new periodical to be released on 1 December and to replace The Daily Advertiser . His final statement in
5544-414: Was frequently praised for her genius and literary skill. As a result, Sir Joshua Reynolds painted her portrait and she was featured in " The Nine Living Muses of Great Britain " in 1778. Samuel Johnson declared her superior to all other female writers, and Henry Fielding said that she "excelled Cervantes ." Her pioneering study of Shakespeare's source material is still cited and her magazine (1760–1761)
5621-480: Was not fluent in English and had only translated into Spanish a previous French translation, which was already censored. In the preface, de Calzada also warns the reader of the questionable quality of the text, as good British texts were only written by "Fyelding" [ sic ] and Richardson, the two authors of international fame. Lennox cultivated friendships that assisted her in her publishing efforts. For her translation of The Greek Theatre of Father Brumoy ,
5698-480: Was printed in a supplement of the December issue of the Gentleman's Journal . On 1 February 1753, Smart published The Hilliad , an attack upon Hill that one critic, Lance Bertelsen, describes as the "loudest broadside" of the war. The response to The Hilliad was swift: Samuel Derrick responded directly with his The Smartiad , Arthur Murphy criticized Smart for his personally attacking Hill, and Rules for Being
5775-408: Was published. Although it is quite possible that the first work in the "war" was produced by Smart on 29 April 1751, it is also possible that the origins of the dispute could be traced even further back to Hill's publications between February and March 1751. Fielding's first paper in the "war" was also the first issue of The Covent-Garden Journal on 4 January 1752. In it, Fielding attacked all of
5852-456: Was reprinted and packaged in a series of great novels in 1783, 1799, and 1810, and translated into German in 1754, French in 1773 and 1801, and Spanish in 1808. The novel formally inverts Don Quixote : as the Don mistakes himself for the knightly hero of a romance. Arabella, also informed by earnest reading, mistakes herself for the maiden love of a romance. While the Don thinks it his duty to praise
5929-526: Was seen as an endorsement of the letter in the 22 June issue strengthened this feeling: "The following Letter which was sent to the Justice by an unknown Hand, hath been transmitted to us; and tho' perhaps some Points are carried a little too far, upon the whole I think it a very sensible Performance, and worthy the Attention of the Public." The text of the letter itself followed this note and was published in
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