By Michelle Hines , University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted: 4-17-07
Jennifer Keith.
GREENSBORO, NC – You’ve probably heard of Emily Dickinson, the secluded and eccentric “Belle of Amherst.” But the name of another great poet, Anne Finch, may escape you.
Dr. Jennifer Keith, an associate professor of English at UNCG, has won a $40,000 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to complete a critical edition of Finch’s poetry. She hopes to bring Finch to the attention of a wider audience.
Finch, a British writer who lived from 1661-1720, was an aristocrat, a court insider in the court of Mary of Modena (wife of James II). Finch married a courtier of James II only to follow her husband into exile when James abdicated and William and Mary took the throne.
Before this “Glorious Revolution,” Keith said, “it seemed like [Finch and her husband] had the world as their oyster.” Afterwards, as “non-jurors” who refused to swear allegiance to the new monarchs, they encountered financial hardships as he was banned from official appointment.
“She had the luxury of maintaining a leisured life, but it certainly changed abruptly,” Keith said.
Remarkably for the 18th century, Finch’s husband often acted as her secretary, transcribing many of her poems. Despite her estrangement from London court society, she wrote prolifically, producing about 250 poems. All of those poems, including many alternate versions, will be included in Keith’s edition.
“We can say that her life is quite extraordinary.”
Finch and her husband oversaw publication of a volume of her poetry that appeared in 1713. By necessity she left out any politically dangerous material.
“Some of the overt critiques she makes from her position as outsider, so they don’t appear in published versions of her poems,” Keith said.
Finch, who read French and probably knew Italian, was admired by Wordsworth, Pope and Swift.
“Wordsworth admired her depiction of nature,” Keith said. “And her poems also offer considerations of gender informing poetry and attend to the challenges facing a woman writer.”
Finch’s poems began to find their way into major anthologies such as Norton over the last decade.
“She’s certainly gotten a lot of critical attention. Most would say she’s the best woman poet for the 18th century in England.”
The NEH grant will help to replace a portion of Keith’s salary during the 2007-2008 academic year, allowing her to write and research. Keith, who came to UNCG in 1997, expects the book to appear around 2010.
