Anne Killigrew
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Anne Killigrew (1660–1685) was an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
and painter, described by contemporaries as "A Grace for beauty, and a Muse for wit." Born in London, she and her family were active in literary and court circles. Killigrew's poems were circulated in manuscript and collected and published posthumously in 1686 after she died from
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
at age 25. They have been reprinted several times by modern scholars, most recently and thoroughly by Margaret J. M. Ezell. Killigrew was eulogized by
John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...
in his poem ''To The Pious Memory of the Accomplish'd Young Lady Mrs. Anne Killigrew'' (1686). Dryden praised her accomplishments in both Poësie, and Painting, and compared her poetic abilities to the famous Greek woman poet of antiquity,
Sappho Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...
. Dryden's poem has received extensive critical analysis and a wide range of interpretations. Several paintings attributed to Killigrew are known. These include a self-portrait in
Berkeley Castle Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, being designated by English ...
, and a portrait of
James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
in the
Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...
(in 2019 on display in
Hillsborough Castle Hillsborough Castle is an official British government, government residence in Northern Ireland. It is the official residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,
). Both of these are about half life-size but full-length.


Early life and inspiration

Anne Killigrew was born in early 1660, before the Restoration, at
St Martin's Lane St Martin's Lane is a street in the City of Westminster, which runs from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it is named, near Trafalgar Square northwards to Long Acre. At its northern end, it becomes Monmouth Street, London, Mo ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Her mother Judith Killigrew was a talented musician who played the
lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...
and read
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
. Her father Dr. Henry Killigrew published several sermons and poems as well as a play called ''The Conspiracy''. Her two paternal uncles were also published playwrights. Sir William Killigrew (1606–1695) published two collections of plays.
Thomas Killigrew Thomas Killigrew (7 February 1612 – 19 March 1683) was an English dramatist and theatre manager. He was a witty, dissolute figure at the court of King Charles II of England. Life Killigrew was one of twelve children of Sir Robert Killigre ...
(1612–1683) not only wrote plays but held a royal patent for the
King's Company The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London, after the London theatre closure 1642, London theatre closure had been lifted at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 166 ...
, and built the theatre now known as
Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...
. Her family, including her uncles William and Thomas, had close connections with the
Stuart Stuart may refer to: People *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) * Clan Stuart of Bute, a Scottish clan *House of Stuart, a royal house of Scotland and England Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, ...
Court, serving
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
, Charles II, and his Queen,
Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza (; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to Charles II of England, King Charles II, which la ...
. Her grandfather,
Robert Killigrew Sir Robert Killigrew (1580–1633) was an English courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1629. He served as Ambassador to the United Provinces. Life Killgrew was born at Lothbury, London, t ...
, was knighted by
King James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334 ...
in 1603, and appointed Vice-Chamberlain to Queen
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
in 1630. Her father Henry Killigrew was a
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
to
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
, and chaplain and
almoner An almoner () is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. The title ''almoner'' has to some extent fallen out of use in English, but its equivalents in other languages are often used f ...
to James, Duke of York (the future James II). Following the Restoration, Henry Killigrew became
Master of the Savoy The Savoy Palace, considered the grandest Townhouse (Great Britain), nobleman's townhouse of Norman and Medieval London, medieval London, was the residence of prince John of Gaunt until it was destroyed during rioting in the Peasants' Revolt of ...
. One of her aunts, also named
Anne Killigrew Anne Killigrew (1660–1685) was an England, English poet and painter, described by contemporaries as "A Grace for beauty, and a Muse for wit." Born in London, she and her family were active in literary and court circles. Killigrew's poems we ...
(1607-1641), was appointed
Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
to Queen
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
beginning in 1631 and Dresser to the Queen beginning in April 1637. Another aunt, Elizabeth Boyle, served as a Lady-in-waiting to Queen
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
, and bore an illegitimate daughter to Charles I as of 1651, while he was still in exile. Anne Killigrew's mother, Judith Killigrew, was a lady-in-waiting to Charles II's queen
Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza (; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to Charles II of England, King Charles II, which la ...
. The younger Anne Killigrew is listed as one of six
Maids of Honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Tudors and Stuarts Traditi ...
to
Mary of Modena Mary of Modena (; ) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James VII and II. A devout Catholic, Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was t ...
, Duchess of York, as of 1683. Anne had two older sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, both of whom married outside of court circles. Their father, Henry Killigrew, held the living at
Wheathampstead Wheathampstead is a large village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, north of St Albans. Included within the parish is the small hamlet of Amwell. The built up area of Wheathampstead had an estimated population of 4,628 in 2022, whilst ...
,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
beginning in 1663. On 14 August 1665 Mary married Nicholas Only, a clerk at Wheathampstead. On 8 May 1673 Elizabeth married the Reverend
John Lambe John Lambe (or Lamb) (c. 1545 – 13 June 1628) was an English astrologer and quack physicianRumsey, Thomas R. (1984). ''Men and Women in Revolution and War, 1600-1815''. Longman Group. p. 20. "In 1628, John Lambe, charlatan, astrologer, quack ...
, who took up the position of rector at Wheathampstead, Henry Killigrew having resigned from the post. Anne also had two brothers: Henry Killigrew (1652-1712) and James Killigrew (1664-1695). Both joined the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
and held positions of responsibility. Henry rose to the rank of
admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
and became a member of the
Board of Admiralty The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...
. Little is recorded about Anne's education, but she received instruction in both poetry and painting and was encouraged to pursue her creative talents, options unusual for women in the 17th century. Themes and details of her poetry and painting indicate that she was well versed in the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
,
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
and
Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
, and
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
. Inspiration for Killigrew's poetry came as well as from other female poets who lived during the Restoration period:
Katherine Philips Katherine or Catherine Philips (; 1 January 1631/222 June 1664), also known as "The Matchless Orinda", was an Anglo-Welsh royalist poet, translator, and woman of letters. She achieved renown as a translator of Pierre Corneille's '' Pom ...
and Anne Finch (also a maid to
Mary of Modena Mary of Modena (; ) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James VII and II. A devout Catholic, Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was t ...
at the same time as Killigrew). Mary of Modena encouraged the French tradition of ''precieuses'' (patrician women intellectuals) and supported women's participation in theater, literature, and music. Residing at court, Killigrew was part of a milieu of poetic feminist inspiration on a daily basis; she was a companion of strong intelligent women who encouraged her writing career as much as their own. It was not unusual for poets, especially for women, not to see their work published in their lifetime. Before her death Anne Killigrew's poems were circulated in manuscript through selected networks of "social authorship", in which participants were often identified by pennames. Some of Killigrew's poems, like "To my Lord Colrane", were complimentary verses written according to "conventions of compliment and courtly exchange". Since Killigrew died at the young age of 25 she was only able to produce a small corpus of poetry. Compared to Philips, Finch, and others, Killigrew was an early and developing writer. Her contemporaries had many more years to develop their voices and to refine and polish their works. Soon after Killigrew's death, a short book of thirty-three poems was published by her father as a memorial. It was suggested in the text that the last three poems might simply have been found among her papers, and not written by her. Others have argued that they are stylistically consistent with her works. Before 2009, none of her poems were known to exist in manuscript form; then a small number were found among the papers of the
John Evelyn John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diary, diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society. John Evelyn's Diary, ...
family at the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
.


The Poet and the Painter

Anne Killigrew excelled in multiple media, which was noted by contemporary poet, mentor, and family friend, John Dryden in his dedicatory ode to her. He addresses her as "the Accomplisht Young LADY Mrs Anne Killigrew, Excellent in the two Sister-Arts of Poësie, and Painting." Indeed, Dryden uses Killigrew's accomplishments in the two sister arts as a major organizing feature of his Ode. Scholars believe that Killigrew painted a total of 15 paintings. Both her poems and her paintings emphasize women and nature, and many of her paintings display biblical and mythological imagery. Several of her poems reference her own paintings, including "St. John Baptist Painted by her self in the Wilderness, with Angels appearing to him, and with a Lamb by him", "HERODIAS Daughter presenting to her Mother St. JOHN's Head in a Charger, also Painted by her self", and "On a Picture Painted by her self, representing two Nimphs of DIANA's, one in a posture to Hunt, the other Batheing." A list of paintings, published for Admiral Killigrew's Sale in 1727, included "Venus and Adonis"; "Satyr Playing the Pipe"; "Judith and Holiferness"; "A Woman's Head"; and "Venus attired by the Graces". Killigrew was skilled at portraits. James Winn has suggested that the faces of the Graces in "Venus attired by the Graces" resemble those in portraits known to be of Anne Finch,
Mary of Modena Mary of Modena (; ) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James VII and II. A devout Catholic, Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was t ...
and Anne Killigrew. Today, as few as four of her paintings are known to exist. They include a self-portrait and a portrait of James, Duke of York.


Critical reception


Contemporaries

John Dryden's famous, extolling ode praises Killigrew for her beauty, virtue, and literary and artistic talent. Dryden was one of several contemporaries who wrote in praise of Killigrew after her death, and the posthumous collection of her work published in 1686 included additional poems commending her literary merit, irreproachable piety, and personal charm. Killigrew's virtue and poetic talent are also emphasized in poems by her contemporaries John Chatwin and Edmund Wodehouse.
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
considered Dryden's ode "the noblest our language has produced."
Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...
was less enthusiastic, describing Dryden's ode as "an harmonious hyperbole". Anthony Wood in his 1721 essay defends Dryden's praise of Killigrew, confirming that Killigrew "was equal to, if not superior" to any of the compliments lavished upon her. Furthermore, Wood asserts that Killigrew's poems must have been well received in her time, otherwise "her Father would never have suffered them to pass the Press" after her death.


Modern critiques of Dryden's Ode

The best known assessment of Killigrew's work, Dryden's ode, has received far more extensive literary analysis than Killigrew's own work. Critics have tended to assert that Dryden's praise is excessive. They have argued variously that Dryden's ode should be read as a formal exercise illustrative of Augustan sensibility, as irony, as a validation of poetry rather than of a person, or as political allegory. Robert Daly suggests that Dryden's ode should be read in the context of Dryden's beliefs about poetry as a moral force, and with an awareness of Dryden's involvement within a contemporary community of poets. Dryden viewed poets as teachers of moral truths, and repeatedly sought to celebrate and encourage other writers. Killigrew was significant to Dryden as a moral exemplar as well as a writer of poems, and is praised by him on both grounds and presented as a model for others. For Dryden, these are not separate issues but deeply connected: religion, morals, poetry and politics are fundamentally interrelated. Anne Killigrew may be a younger poet of lesser skill than Dryden, but she shares Dryden's "operative ethic". Seen in this light, as an "ethically sensitive poet", who was "a member of the community whose goals he sought to serve, she merited and received his best effort". In praising Killigrew and encouraging others to read her work, Dryden "serve the long cause of poetry." In terms of structure, Dryden's ode follows the forms of an
elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...
as well as being an
ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...
. Daly argues that Dryden's ode also should be read structurally as an implicit
dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...
with parallels to a
canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...
trial. In such a structure the author is able to raise and then respond to possible objections to his
apotheosis Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The origina ...
of Anne Killigrew. Within this reading, the opposition of ideas that others have interpreted as ironic becomes an understandable progression within an argument. Ann Messenger considers Daly's case to be "well argued".


Critiques of Killigrew's poetry

Killigrew's work includes religious and pastoral poems, as well as tributes to those in family and court circles, and intensely personal poems. It is not known who organized them for publication, but the order may be somewhat chronological. The poems are also grouped by poetic genre, which displays their variety and Killigrew's versatility as a poet. The first of Killigrew's poems is an unfinished
epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
, in which
Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...
is challenged by
Amazons The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...
!
Epigrams An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek (, "inscription", from [], "to write on, to inscribe"). This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia. ...
are grouped together, as are pastorals, philosophical poems, poems that reference her own paintings, and other personal poems. Occasional poems appear throughout. "The arrangement of her verse, then, reinforces the impression that she viewed herself ... as a serious beginning poet, exploring all the facets of her craft." Those who criticize Killigrew for focusing on conventional topics, such as death, love, and the human condition, ignore the social conventions of her time. "Women could not speak in the voices of bard, theologian, scholar, or courtly lover" but were largely limited to "tones of private life". Like
Katherine Philips Katherine or Catherine Philips (; 1 January 1631/222 June 1664), also known as "The Matchless Orinda", was an Anglo-Welsh royalist poet, translator, and woman of letters. She achieved renown as a translator of Pierre Corneille's '' Pom ...
and Anne Finch, Killigrew generally writes as if for a private audience, on private themes. This strategy was often adopted even when the underlying subject had implications for the public and for politics. The very poetic structures that women chose reflected this and helped them to avoid charges of inappropriate self-display. As Margaret Anne Doody has observed,
iambic tetrameter Iambic tetrameter is a meter (poetry), poetic meter in Ancient Greek poetry, ancient Greek and Latin poetry; as the name of ''a rhythm'', iambic tetrameter consists of four metra, each metron being of the form , x – u – , , consisting of a spo ...
was often used by Augustan women poets. Such a meter was not associated with male classical learning or intellectual dominance; rather it supported casualness, individuality, and originality. John Dryden's statement, in his "Ode To the Pious Memory of the accomplished young lady, Mrs. Anne Killigrew," that "Art she had none, yet wanted none, / For Nature did that want supply", may reflect such a distinction between "artificial" and "natural" poetic forms. Such qualities continue to connect Killigrew and other women poets of her time with modern readers. In many of her poems, she achieves a timeless quality. Similarly, the pastoral form was seen as less intellectual and thus "safe" for the use of women poets. It is important to recognize, then, that Killigrew overturns a number of the form's well-established conventions in her pastoral poems. Unlike male pastoral poets who tended to voice male characters, Killigrew divides her dialogue between males and females, giving women the chance to initiate and control the discourse. "Her female voices, often rhetorically powerful, become the dominant orators in her pastoral dialogues." Both the gender and the authority of the speaker are breaks with convention. Traditionally submissive, the female speakers in Killigrew's pastorals achieve a position of power and self-control vis-a-vis traditionally dominant male speakers. Finally Killigrew introduces darker themes into the pastoral form, using it to warn women of the dangerous potential of transient love affairs. All too often pastoral love is a matter of beauty or availability. The speaker lists the suffering nymphs who have given away their hearts only to be tossed aside. Killigrew's changes to the pastoral tradition suggest a commentary on both the moral tradition of the pastoral and the mores of the Stuart court, which has been described as both hedonistic and "notoriously libertine". In her pastoral poems, Killigrew suggests what it meant to her to be virtuous in a world of license. She creates poems in which chastity, emotional self-control, and constancy are all valued. "Anne Killigrew's poetry finds its value as an act of reflection and exploration of courtly life and morality." Dryden emphasized Killigrew's importance as a voice for virtue and order in a world where license and sin were prevalent. Velez-Nunez sees Killigrew's choice of virtue as a rebellion against the licentiousness of the court in which she lived. In "To the Queen", Killigrew turns the heroic mode of her opening poem, "Alexandreis", on its head and uses it to critique the Stuart court. Alexander's "Frantic Might" is contrasted with the queen's "Grace and Goodness." Through her poems, Killigrew foregrounds and praises women for strength and heroic power ("Alexandreis", "To the Queen", "Herodias") as well as for virtue. She encourages her readers to lead a virtuous life while she acknowledges the ongoing experience of temptation and "gilded nothings" which mislead the soul ("A Farewell to Worldly Joys"). Regarding virtue, Anne Killigrew may be more accurately characterized as a self-deprecating and witty observer rather than as a didactic moralist. "Upon the Saying That My Verses Were Made by Another" has been described as "a cornerstone for women's literary history" due to its frequent reprinting in anthologies and its discussion in women's studies. In it, Killigrew describes her experiences as a woman and a writer. Her tone is "forthright and direct". "The poem narrates her personal history as a poet, her desire to write, her ambition to be recognized, and, finally, her feelings of being badly treated by an audience who refused to believe her the author of her own work." Through a shifting series of metaphors reminiscent of a love affair, Killigrew describes her changing relationship with the god of poetry and with her audience. After deciding to vow herself to the muse of poetry, "pleasing Raptures fill'd my Ravisht Sense"; but when she reveals herself, "What ought t'have brought me Honour, brought me shame!" In a twisting of
Aesop Aesop ( ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE; formerly rendered as Æsop) was a Greeks, Greek wikt:fabulist, fabulist and Oral storytelling, storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence re ...
's Painted Jay, her readers tear off her feathers to give them away to others. Kristina Straub suggests that the metaphors of violation, domination, and submission within the poem are similar to those of rape. Nonetheless, Killigrew converts "the experience of victimization into the energy of anger". She finds a new locus of power by choosng to rebel against what is said against her and to continue writing despite the difficulties this involves.


Authorship question

In the 1686 edition of Killigrew's ''Poems'', the last three poems are proceeded by a note: "These Three following ODES being found among Mrs Killigrews Papers, I was willing to Print though none of hers." The poems in question are: * Cloris Charmes, Dissolved by EUDORA. * Upon a Little Lady Under the Discipline of an Excellent Person. * On the Soft and Gentle Motions of Eudora. Some have argued that these three poems are stylistically consistent with Killigrew's other works. However, as Carol Barash states, "there is no archival evidence to establish who actually wrote them."


An early death

Killigrew died of smallpox in 1685, when she was only 25 years old. She was buried in the chancel of the
Savoy Chapel The King's Chapel of St John the Baptist in the Precinct of the Savoy, also known as the King's Chapel of the Savoy (called The Queen's Chapel during much of modern history in the reigns of Victoria and Elizabeth II), is a church in the City of ...
(dedicated to
St John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
) on 15 June 1685. A monument was built in her honour but later destroyed by a fire. Her mother, Judith Killigrew, was also buried there, as of 2 February 1683.


Writing


Editions

* * * *


Poems

# Alexandreis # To the Queen # A Pastoral Dialogue # On Death # Upon Being Contented with a Little # On Billinda # On an Atheist # On Galla # A Farewell to Worldly Joys # The Complaint of a Lover # Love, the Soul of Poetry # To my Lady Berkeley # St. John the Baptist # Herodias # Nimphs of Diana's # An Invective against Gold # The Miseries of Man # Verses # Queen Katherine # My Lord Colrane # The Discontent # A Pastoral Dialogue # A Pastoral Dialogue # On my Aunt Mrs. A. K. # On a Young Lady # On the Duchess of Grafton # Penelope to Ulysses # An Epitaph on Herself # An Ode # Young Gallant # Cloris Charmes # Upon a Little Lady # Motions of Eudora


References


Further reading

* Ezell, Margaret J.M. ''The Patriarch's Wife.'' (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1987) pp. 70, 124. * Hester, M. Thomas (Ed.), Hurley, Ann. ''Dictionary of Literary Biography,'' Volume 131: Seventeenth Century British Nondramatic Poets (North Carolina State University. The Gale Group, 1993) pp. 112–119. {{DEFAULTSORT:Killigrew, Anne 1660 births 1685 deaths Deaths from smallpox in England English women poets English women painters
Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...
17th-century English painters 17th-century women painters 17th-century English women writers 17th-century English writers 17th-century English women artists Painters from London