Elizabeth Carter

Elizabeth Carter
Elizabeth Carter as Minerva, goddess of wisdom, by John Fayram (painted between 1735 and 1741), NPG
Elizabeth Carter as Minerva, goddess of wisdom, by John Fayram (painted between 1735 and 1741), NPG
Born16 December 1717
Deal, Kent, England
Died19 February 1806(1806-02-19) (aged 88)
London, England
Pen nameEliza
OccupationPoet, classicist, writer, translator
LanguageEnglish
NationalityEnglish
Literary movementBluestocking Circle
Notable worksAll the Works of Epictetus, Which are Now Extant

Elizabeth Carter (pen name Eliza; 16 December 1717 – 19 February 1806) was an English poet, classicist, writer, translator, and linguist. As one of the Bluestocking Circle that surrounded Elizabeth Montagu,[1] she earned respect for the first English translation of the 2nd-century Discourses of Epictetus.[2] She also published poems and translated from French and Italian, and corresponded profusely.[3] Among her many eminent friends were Elizabeth Montagu, Hannah More, Hester Chapone and other Bluestocking members. Also close friends were Anne Hunter, a poet and socialite, and Mary Delany.[4] She befriended Samuel Johnson, editing some editions of his periodical The Rambler.

  1. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 13 July 2016. Archived 5 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Barbauld 2001, p. 186.
  3. ^ Williams 1861, p. 213.
  4. ^ Bettany, George Thomas (1891). "Anne Hunter" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 28. London: Smith, Elder & Co.