Ann Yearsley and the London Newspapers in 1787

Abstract

In 1787, after the bitter, public break with her patron Hannah More, Ann Yearsley not only published her second volume of verse, Poems, on Various Subjects, but also published four poems in newspapers. This article argues that Yearsley's choice to simultaneously publish in two mediums, as well as her decisions regarding the subjects of the poems she published in the newspapers, was calculated to answer claims that her literary success was due to More's editing, rather than Yearsley's own talents.. To recover her poetic reputation, Yearsley turned to the periodical press, whose rapid publication and ephemeral existence precluded editorial interference. The article also argues that newspapers provided Yearsley with the opportunity to display her talents to a larger audience than she would with her published volume. The subjects of her newspaper poems were also designed to prove that she was a poet of national relevance, that she had made new literary connections, and that her argument with More was partly precipitated by her maternal concern for her children's financial future. The poems demonstrated her versatility, as well as maintained continuity with her previous work, as part of a well-managed effort to restore her reputation as a poet of genuine and substantial talent.In the summer of 1787, Ann Yearsley was preparing to publish her second volume of verse, Poems, on Various Subjects. It was to be her first new publication since the very publicand extremely bitter-breakdown of her patronage relationship with Hannah More. In this new volume, Yearsley would include her defence against the charges of ingratitude and poor behavior levelled at her, as well as a copy of the deed of trust over which Yearsley and More had quarrelled in 1785 with such unfortunate consequences. Poems, on Various Subjects would prove