Worth Smith

Charlotte Smith, born in 1749, was an English writer recognized for her poetry and novels. Despite facing significant personal hardships, including financial struggles and an unhappy marriage, she pursued a literary career to support her family. Her "Elegiac Sonnets" (1784) were instrumental in reviving the sonnet form in England, imbuing it with emotional depth. Smith also contributed to the development of Gothic fiction and wrote "novels of sensibility" that often incorporated political commentary, particularly in support of the French Revolution.

Though she produced numerous novels, Smith primarily identified as a poet, believing it would bring her greater respectability. Her writing frequently drew on her own experiences, addressing themes of female suffering, legal injustices, and the desire for independence. Despite her literary output and the influence of her work, she faced poverty in her later years and died in 1806. Her posthumously published poem, "Beachy Head" (1807), solidified her legacy as an important precursor to the Romantic movement.

Born Charlotte Turner in London in 1749, she was the eldest child of a well-off family. Her upbringing included a standard education for girls of her era, marked by her mother's early death and her father's financial instability. She attended school in Chichester and later in London, where she received instruction in arts like drawing and music. A keen reader from a young age, she also began writing poetry, encouraged by her father, though early submissions to magazines were unsuccessful. Her father's financial troubles eventually led to her early marriage at fifteen.

Charlotte Turner married Benjamin Smith in 1765, a union she later described as a form of "legal prostitution" due to her father's arrangement and her husband's profligate and violent nature. The couple had twelve children, many of whom did not survive her. Her marriage was marked by unhappiness and financial strain, exacerbated by her husband's debts. This led to periods of imprisonment for Benjamin Smith, during which Charlotte lived with him. It was from debtor's prison that she published her first work, "Elegiac Sonnets" (1784), which achieved considerable success and helped secure their release.

Following her husband's financial failures and her departure from him in 1787, Smith dedicated herself to writing novels to support her children and fund a legal battle over her father-in-law's estate. Her novels, such as "Emmeline" (1788), "Desmond" (1792), and "The Old Manor House" (1793), often incorporated autobiographical elements and explored themes of female exploitation, legal and economic injustices, and the ideals of the French Revolution. She played a significant role in shaping the novel of sensibility and Gothic fiction, while also advocating for women's rights through her narratives. Despite her prolific prose output, Smith considered herself primarily a poet.

“legal prostitute”

“have been contented to reside in the same house with him”

“his temper been so capricious and often so cruel”

“life was not safe”

“a daring decision”