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Breaking the Silence: Agency and Autonomy in Lady Mary Wortley’s “Wednesday: The Tęte ŕ Tęte” Lisa Wellinghoff,
Doctoral Student, English Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s letters have
been widely read and recognized for their early feminist contribution to
literature; however, critics have also questioned her masculine persona as a
contradictory to her overall feministic leanings while ignoring her poetry. Using
Mikhail Bahktin’s theories on the relationship between author and text, I
examine Lady Mary’s poem “Wednesday: The Tęte ŕ Tęte” arguing that the
development of her masculine persona in her early poems provides insights into
why she chose a masculine persona. Lady Mary’s masculine persona gives her the
freedom to subtly criticize eighteenth century conventions by allowing her to
become one of the ‘others’ and to establish authority, agency, and autonomy
thereby overcoming the typical obstacles related to her gender. Her poetry
represents an early guide to her evolution as a women courtier, poet, and
critic. ©
Lisa Wellinghoff 2000. Send Comments and Questions to: The University of
Tulsa Graduate Review |
