Mary Wortley Montagu, The Nonsense of Common-Sense

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The Nonsense of Common-Sense

was a short-lived periodical, published in London between December 1737 and March 1738. Thanks to the efforts of twentieth-century scholars, Robert Halsband and Isobel Grundy, its anonymous author is now known to have been Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762). She, unlike her husband Edward, was a loyal supporter of prime minister Robert Walpole and his government.

Nonsense

represents her most forthright engagement with the partisan debates of her day, though it frequently claims for itself a degree of political neutrality.

The periodical, which ran to nine numbers, was published most regularly – at times weekly – during January 1738; however, its appearances became increasingly sporadic in advance of its eventual demise, with three whole weeks lapsing

1763 words

Citation: Jones, Emrys Daniel Blakelee. "The Nonsense of Common-Sense". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 April 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=52, accessed 19 March 2024.]

52 The Nonsense of Common-Sense 3 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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