Elizabeth Tollet

Elizabeth Tollet (1694—1754) was a British poet. Her surviving works are varied; she produced translations of classical themes, religious and philosophical poetry and poems arguing for better education for women. Unusually, for a woman of her time, her poetry also includes scientific imagery.[1][2][3]

She was the daughter of George Tollet who, observing her intelligence, gave her a thorough education in languages, history, poetry and mathematics. The Tollets' social circle included Isaac Newton, who also encouraged her to pursue her education.[3][4]

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 Tollet 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]

References

  1. ^ a b Fara, Patricia (June 2002). "Elizabeth Tollet: A New Newtonian Woman". History of science (Science History Publications Ltd) Volume 40, part 2 (No. 128): 169–187. http://www.shpltd.co.uk/fara-elizabeth-tollet.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-18. 
  2. ^ Brown, Susan; Patricia Clements, Isobel Grundy. "Elizabeth Tollet; Overview screen". The Orlando Project. http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=tollel. Retrieved 2009-10-18. 
  3. ^ a b c Londry, Michael (September 2004). Tollet, Elizabeth (1694–1754). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27502. Retrieved 2009-10-17.  (library card access). The first edition of this text is available as an article on Wikisource:  "Tollet, Elizabeth". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. 
  4. ^ a b Backscheider, Paula R. (2005). Eighteenth-century women poets and their poetry: inventing agency, inventing genre. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 411. ISBN 0801881692. http://books.google.com/?id=kRVSnAqeKBoC&pg=PA411&lpg=PA411&dq=%2Bhypatia+%2Btollet&q=%2Bhypatia%20%2Btollet.