1709 - Literature

Literature

Poetry: "January and May" by English poet Alexander Pope, 21, who writes, "All other goods by fortune's hand are given:/ a wife is the peculiar gift of Heav'n" and "To please a wife when her occasions call,/ Would busy the most vigorous of us all./ And trust me, sir, the chastest you can choose/ Will ask observance, and exact her dues." The Ladies Defence: or, The Bride-Woman's Counsellor Answered: A Poem in a Dialogue between Sir John Brute, Sir Wm. Loveall, Melissa, and a Parson by English author Lady Mary Chudleigh, 53, says that marriage is virtual slavery, that "wife and servant are the same, but only differ in the Name," and argues for women's education.