Elizabeth Tollett (March 11, 1694 – February 1, 1754) was a British poet. Her surviving works are varied; she produced translations of classical themes, religious and philosophical poetry and poems arguing for women's involvement in education and intellectual pursuits such as natural philosophy.[1] Unusually, for a woman of her time, her poetry also includes Newtonian imagery and ideas.[1][2][3] Some of her poetry imitates the Latin verse of Horace, Ovid, and Virgil.[3] In some of her poems, Tollett paraphrases the Psalms.[4]
She was the daughter of George Tollett who, observing her intelligence, gave her a thorough education in languages, history, poetry and mathematics. Tollett was fluent in Italian, and French and she achieved a proficiency in Latin that was unconventional for women of her time.[1] The Tolletts' social circle included Isaac Newton, who also encouraged her to pursue her education.[3][4]
Tollett grew up in the Tower of London where her father lived as a commissioner of the British Navy.[4] She refers to the Tower in several of her poems and expresses her confinement and frustration with it.[1][4] Tollett remained unmarried her whole life.[1][3] Her mother likely died while she was young and Tollett, being the eldest daughter, would have been expected to stay at home and care for her siblings.[1]
In 1724 she published Poems on Several Occasions, which included her Hypatia, now seen as a feminist protest poem.[4]
On Newton's death in 1727 Tollett produced an elegy, On the Death of Sir Isaac Newton.[1]
She died in 1754 in the village of Westham, Essex (now known as West Ham) and is buried at All Saints church there.[3]
- ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference
farawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
orlando1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
oxdnbwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
backswas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search