Miscellany Poems, On Several Occasions

1713

De Beer Eb 1713 W

London: Printed for J.B.

Although most of her works were published anonymously, Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (1661–1720) was encouraged by friends Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope to voice her writing in her own name. The first edition of Miscellany Poems was advertised as ‘Written by a Lady’. In later printings, like this scarce edition, Finch bucked the anonymity trend; her name was emblazoned on the title-page. Topics touched on were wide-ranging: marriage, fortune, depression, political events, and spiritual beliefs. Many of her poems are laced with feelings on how hard it was for a woman writer to gain respect in a man’s world. And, like many others before and after, she mused on the temporality of life. Finch is an important female poet of the Restoration era.