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Hannah Cowley (1743–1809) was a very successful dramatist, and something of an eighteenth-century celebrity. New critical interest in the drama of this period has meant a resurgence of interest in Cowley’s writing and in the performance of her plays. This is the first substantial monograph study to examine Cowley’s life and work.
Hannah Cowley was born Hannah Parkhouse on March 14th, 1743, the daughter of Hannah (nee Richards) and Philip Parkhouse, a bookseller in Tiverton, Devon. As one might expect details of much of her life are scant and that of her early life almost non-existent. However, we do know that she married Thomas Cowley and that the couple moved to London where Thomas worked as an official in the Stamp Office and as a part-time journalist. Her career in the literary world seemed to happen rather late. It was whilst the couple were attending a play, thought to be sometime in late 1775, that Cowley was struck by a sudden necessity to write. Her first play, a comedy called The Runaway was sent to the fame...