This studyargues that female networks of conversation, correspondenceand patronage formed the foundation for women's work in the 'higher' realms of Shakespeare criticism and poetry. Eger traces the transition between Enlightenment and Romantic culture, arguing for the relevance of rational argument in the history of women's writing.

ELIZABETH EGER is Senior Lecturer in English at King's College London. She co-curated an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in 2008, Brilliant Women: 18th-Century Bluestockings. She has published widely in the field of eighteenth-century literary and cultural history, including work on the topics of luxury, the public sphere and actresses.