Mary Barber’s volume

(1734) was one of the first collections of poetry written by a woman to be published by subscription. The subscription list to this volume, which comprised 918 names — including a number of illustrious literary, cultural and political figures — is a testament to her extensive involvement in the cultural and social circles of Dublin, Tunbridge Wells, Bath, and London during the decade spanning 1725-1735. Barber’s life and her literary endeavour cast useful light both on women’s writing and the circumstances of cultural production in the mid-eighteenth century. Her exemplary status as a female poet who published successfully by subscription shows how women could negotiate the complexities of traditional patronage ties together with…

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Citation: O'Flaherty, Emily . "Mary Barber". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 September 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14379, accessed 26 April 2024.]