Lady Mary Wortley Montagu: the Trapped \u27Other\u27

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu\u27s letters have been widely read and recognized for their early contribution to feminist literature; however, critics have also defined her masculine persona as contradictory to her overall feminist leanings. Using Mikhail Bahktin\u27s theories on the relationship between author and text, I examine Lady Mary\u27s pre-court poem written around 1712-1713 and her Eclogues. I argue that analyzing the development of her masculine persona in her early poems provides insights into why she chose that masculine persona. It gives her the freedom to subtly criticize eighteenth century conventions by allowing her to become one of the others and establish authority, agency, and autonomy. She thereby overcomes the typical obstacles related to her gender. Her poetry represents an early guide to her evolution as a woman courtier, poet, and critic