Charlotte Lennox

Amanda Gilroy (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)
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Charlotte Lennox's literary career spanned the second half of the eighteenth century, from her first volume of poetry published in 1747 to her final novel,

Euphemia

, published in 1790. Her most successful publication was

The Female Quixote

(1752), a novel which in recent years has regained something of its original popularity and cultural importance. The novel was much admired by Samuel Johnson and Samuel Richardson, both of whom actively promoted Lennox's work, by Henry Fielding, and later by Jane Austen. She seems to have charmed men more than women, counting Garrick, Goldsmith, and Reynolds (who painted her portrait) amongst her supporters, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Hester Thrale and Letitia Matilda Hawkins amongst her detractors. That she ranked with the leading literary women of…

2642 words

Citation: Gilroy, Amanda. "Charlotte Lennox". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 October 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2691, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2691 Charlotte Lennox 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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