Anonymously Beautiful

Writing is something that can be many things. Funny, sad, angry, and every other feeling anyone might feel while their pen hits the paper. Writing is and always will be a beautiful arrangement of words and sounds that paints a picture that allows the reader to feel a glimpse of what the author is feeling. Writing is a beautiful art. 

I have found that each period of time has its own unique writing style. Each period also comes with critics that have a sense of elitism that rules and decides if different writings are good or bad. In the 18th-century writers such as Joesph Addison, Sir Richard Steele, and Alexander Pope all commanded great respect and set the tone for what writing should be and how authors should write. Pope would come out with his famous writing "An Essay on Criticism," which would show what he largely considered to be good writing. Pope would set a standard for what writing should be but is there really only one correct way to write? I believe the answer is no. 

Unfortunately, the author's ability to freely express themselves was not always as simple as just writing. The author's critics are always quick to point out the faults in what they believe is good, bad, or appropriate. This is what drove many women of the 18th century to remain anonymous when writing. 

One such author is The Amorous Lady who was a popular poet at a time that women were expected to write a certain way. In "On Being Charged with Writing Incorrectly,"  The Amorous Lady is calling out her critics by saying she does not care what they say. She knows her writing is good and more importantly does not need to abide by their unwritten rules of writing. In the first two lines of the poem "I'm incorrect: the learned say. / That I write well, but not their way." The Amorous Lady would continue to show how her writing was never written for her critics and she really does not care about their opinions. Her writing is essential for her time as it proves that writing is not set to be just one style or one method but like every form of art can be done in infinite ways. 

I believe that the most important aspect or hidden theme that should be taken away from The Amorous Lady is that there is not one single way to write. We all need to strive to be more like her as she dared to do what few others would and show that art can come in many forms. Her art was just more unique. 

Works Cited 

Essay On Poetic Theory. "An Essay on Criticism," Alexander Pope. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69379/an-essay-on-criticism

Poetry Nook. 2020. 26 October 2020. https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/being-charged-writing-incorrectly