Publisher's Synopsis
The poems of Mary Barber have been transcribed from the 1734 edition of "Poems on Several Occasions" in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. This is the quarto edition published by Samuel Richardson who was also a subscriber. The original spelling, punctuation and capitalization have been retained and, as far as possible, the emphases of the original. These poems enlarge for the 20th-century reader not only the body of 18th-century poetry, but also help balance the often frivolous and cynical view presented by the male poets of the period. In addition, for those interested in the complex personality of Jonathan Swift, Mary Barber and her poems throw new light on the Dean's supposed misogyny.
