October 2, 1718
The Woman Who Gave English a Language of Female Wit and Intellectual Fellowship
On October 2, 1718, Elizabeth Montagu was born in York, England. A writer, social reformer, and celebrated patron of the arts, Montagu became the leading figure of the Bluestocking Circle, an intellectual movement that championed women’s education, conversation, and cultural authority in eighteenth-century England.
As hostess of salons that drew together philosophers, poets, and thinkers, she gave English society — and its language — a new idiom of learned female wit. Her critical writing, especially her Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespeare (1769), helped secure Shakespeare’s central place in the English canon. Through her salons, patronage, and prose, Montagu gave English not only new literary judgments, but also a vocabulary of intellectual equality that still echoes in modern cultural discourse.
1. Bluestocking English – A Language of Women’s Wit
Montagu was called the “Queen of the Bluestockings”, and her circle redefined what conversation in English could mean.
- The term “Bluestocking” entered English as a marker of female learning and intellectual sociability.
- Her salons cultivated a style of witty, polished, and learned English conversation that contrasted with both courtly frivolity and dry scholasticism.
- Through her, English gained a tradition where women’s voices mattered in cultural debate.
2. Shakespeare and Critical Authority
Montagu’s Essay on Shakespeare (1769) was one of the first major defenses of the playwright in English criticism.
- She argued for Shakespeare’s moral depth and genius, helping to elevate him above French neoclassical critics like Voltaire.
- Her work introduced into English discourse the idea of Shakespeare as the national poet, the center of cultural identity.
- The essay gave English criticism a female voice of authority, unusual in her time but enduring in influence.
3. The Vocabulary of Patronage and Reform
Montagu used her wealth and position to support writers and reform society.
- In English letters, her name became synonymous with patronage and encouragement — particularly of female and marginalized voices.
- Her philanthropy and advocacy for education expanded English cultural discourse toward inclusion and improvement.
- The “Montagu salon” became shorthand in English cultural history for enlightened, reformist conversation.
4. Legacy in English and Beyond
Elizabeth Montagu’s legacy lies in how she altered the tone and inclusivity of English intellectual life.
- She gave English the term “Bluestocking”, still used (sometimes pejoratively, sometimes proudly) to describe intellectual women.
- She reinforced Shakespeare’s canonical supremacy in English literature.
- She showed how female learning and cultural leadership could shape the very language of English wit, conversation, and criticism.
Glossary of Enduring Expressions from Montagu
- Bluestocking — idiom for learned women and female intellectual circles.
- Queen of the Bluestockings — Montagu herself, emblem of women’s cultural authority.
- Montagu salon — symbol of enlightened conversation and reformist wit.
- Essay on Shakespeare — foundational female contribution to English literary criticism.
- Bluestocking wit — elegant, intellectual, and socially transformative speech.
Montagu’s Intellectual Gift
Born on October 2, 1718, Elizabeth Montagu helped English discover a new register of cultural authority — where women’s voices, Shakespeare’s genius, and conversation itself could be elevated into enduring influence.
One salon, one essay, one Queen of wit — Montagu gave English its language of Bluestocking brilliance.
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