The 18th century in Britain was a time of great intellectual expansion. Enlightenment ideals spread across Europe, bringing with them renewed interest in reason, education, and the arts. Within this landscape, Elizabeth Carter emerged as a remarkable figure. Born in 1717, Carter distinguished herself as a British poet, translator, classicist, and member of the famed Bluestocking Circle. She gained renown for her erudition and moral clarity during an age when learned women were rare and often discouraged. This article explores Carter’s life, literary output, and legacy, placing her within the broader context of 18th Century British poets, and highlighting her unique contributions to British poetry.
Life and Background
Elizabeth Carter was born in Deal, Kent, in 1717. Her father, the Reverend Nicolas Carter, was a learned clergyman who believed in the importance of education. Although Elizabeth struggled with her early studies, she eventually became proficient in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and Italian—a rare accomplishment for a woman of her time.
Unlike many of her contemporaries, Carter did not marry. Her intellectual pursuits and independence shaped her life. She lived a long and productive life, passing away in 1806 at the age of 89. During her lifetime, she became known not only for her British poetry, but also for her philosophical translations and essays.
The Bluestocking Circle
To fully understand Carter’s place in 18th Century British poetry, one must consider her association with the Bluestocking Circle—a group of learned women and their male supporters who gathered for intellectual conversation and literary pursuits. Founded in opposition to the more frivolous culture of courtly society, the Bluestockings emphasized reason, education, and virtue.
Carter was one of the most esteemed members of this circle. Alongside other prominent women such as Hannah More, Hester Chapone, and Elizabeth Montagu, she helped redefine women’s roles in British intellectual life. The respect she commanded in this elite circle is evident in the praise she received from male contemporaries, including Samuel Johnson and Horace Walpole.
Literary Contributions
Poetry
Carter’s poems reflect a strong moral sensibility. They are characterized by clarity of expression, restraint, and an underlying Christian ethos. Her verses often touch upon themes such as the transience of life, the importance of virtue, the wonders of nature, and the dignity of the soul.
Her “Poems on Several Occasions”, published in 1762, remains her most well-known poetic work. This collection established her as a serious British poet, capable of philosophical depth and poetic elegance. In poems like Ode to Wisdom and A Night-Piece, Carter exhibits a reflective tone and classical form that align her with Enlightenment ideals.
Ode to Wisdom is perhaps her most admired piece. In it, she praises wisdom as a divine attribute and moral guide:
“Come, sacred Wisdom! Here display
Thy sweetly awful form;
Teach me to love thy chasten’d ray,
And shelter in thy storm.”
This ode illustrates her tendency to moralize through poetry—a trait that aligns her with earlier Christian poets such as Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, and anticipates the moral didacticism of later Victorian writers.
Translation of Epictetus
Carter’s greatest intellectual feat was her translation of the Discourses of Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Greece. Published in 1758, this work brought Stoic ideas into the English-speaking world and further demonstrated Carter’s intellectual capacity. While not British poetry, this work exemplifies the philosophical underpinnings of her poetic voice.
Carter’s translation was admired for its elegance and clarity. She did not merely translate; she interpreted and transmitted the ethical spirit of Stoicism. Her work had lasting influence on moral philosophy in Britain and contributed to the popularity of classical ideals in the 18th century.
Style and Themes
Carter’s poetic style is deeply rooted in neoclassical conventions. Her language is refined, her metaphors are measured, and her rhythm is formal. Like many of her contemporaries, she favored heroic couplets and odes. Yet her poetry is never cold or purely intellectual; rather, it is imbued with emotional sincerity and moral purpose.
Wisdom and Reason: Carter consistently emphasizes the role of reason as a guiding force in life. This aligns her with Enlightenment values and Stoic philosophy.
Faith and Morality: Her Christian faith informs much of her poetry. Unlike more satirical writers such as Alexander Pope, Carter avoids irony and instead embraces moral seriousness.
Transience and Mortality: Carter’s reflections on time and death are contemplative rather than tragic. She encourages acceptance rather than despair.
Nature and the Sublime: She sees in nature the hand of the Creator and the beauty of divine order.
Comparisons with Contemporary Poets
To appreciate Carter’s significance in British poetry, it is useful to compare her with other poets of her time. The 18th century was dominated by male writers such as Alexander Pope, Thomas Gray, and James Thomson, and female writers such as Anne Finch, Charlotte Smith, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
Alexander Pope (1688–1744)
Pope was the towering poetic figure of early 18th century Britain. His command of satire, form, and wit remains unmatched. While Carter admired Pope’s intellect, her tone and content differ markedly. Whereas Pope’s poetry critiques society through irony and satire, Carter’s aims to uplift and instruct.
Pope’s “Essay on Man” and Carter’s “Ode to Wisdom” share a philosophical intent, yet differ in their emotional and rhetorical registers. Carter avoids the sarcasm that pervades Pope’s work. Her tone is gentler, more meditative, and more explicitly religious.
Thomas Gray (1716–1771)
Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” resonates with Carter’s contemplative tone. Both poets reflect on mortality and the human condition. However, while Gray’s verse leans toward melancholy and introspection, Carter’s writing offers consolation through moral and religious insight.
Charlotte Smith (1749–1806)
Though a younger contemporary, Charlotte Smith offers an illuminating contrast. Her Elegiac Sonnets helped revive the sonnet form in English poetry and introduced themes of nature, solitude, and emotional turmoil. Unlike Carter, whose poetry is restrained and rational, Smith’s verse expresses personal grief and Romantic longing.
Both poets engage with nature and transience, but Smith’s style anticipates the emotional intensity of Wordsworth and Coleridge, while Carter remains grounded in Enlightenment poise and classical balance.
Anne Finch (1661–1720)
Finch, like Carter, was one of the few early modern English women who wrote serious poetry. Her verse, like Carter’s, grapples with gender constraints, religious belief, and philosophical reflection. While Finch’s work is often darker and more introspective, both poets exemplify the intellectual and moral strengths of early female authorship in British poetry.
Gender, Education, and the Poet’s Role
Elizabeth Carter’s life and work challenge assumptions about gender in 18th century Britain. At a time when women were expected to be silent or ornamental, Carter proved that women could be both deeply intellectual and morally authoritative.
Carter’s education was central to her achievements. She mastered classical languages and engaged with philosophical thought, positioning herself as an equal among men. Her success inspired later generations of women, including Mary Wollstonecraft and Jane Austen.
Her poetry is not overtly feminist by modern standards. However, her life was a quiet but powerful assertion of women’s intellectual equality. In this way, Carter’s career prefigures the growing women’s rights movement that would emerge in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Reception and Legacy
During her lifetime, Elizabeth Carter was widely respected. Samuel Johnson praised her as “the best Greek scholar in England,” and she maintained friendships with other luminaries of the age. Her translations and poetry were published, republished, and read by a wide audience.
Carter’s legacy has, at times, been overshadowed by more flamboyant figures of the Romantic period. Nevertheless, in recent decades, scholars have renewed interest in her as part of the recovery of women’s voices in literary history. Her moral clarity, intellectual rigor, and literary elegance continue to command attention.
Her role as an 18th Century British poet was unique. She did not seek fame through innovation or controversy, but through intellectual excellence and moral depth. In doing so, she carved out a place in the literary canon that endures.
Conclusion
Elizabeth Carter stands as a significant figure in the history of British poetry. As an 18th Century British poet, she brought clarity, wisdom, and dignity to her verse. Her intellectual breadth, poetic skill, and personal integrity set her apart not only from many women of her time but from many of her male counterparts as well.
In comparing Carter with other poets of the 18th century, we see a woman who neither imitated nor rebelled, but who instead followed her own path. Her poems reflect the ideals of Enlightenment Britain: reason, virtue, and order. Yet they also reveal a deep emotional sensitivity and spiritual insight that resonate beyond her era.
For students of British poetry, Carter offers an essential perspective—one that blends classical learning with Christian ethics, female agency with poetic grace. She deserves a place not only in the study of women’s writing but in the broader canon of 18th century literature.
