Sarah Pogson Smith
Sarah Pogson Smith was a 19th-century British author known for her diverse literary contributions, including a novel, plays, and poetry. Born in 1774 in Essex, England, she came from a family involved in plantation ownership in the West Indies. In 1793, she emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, with her brother, though she maintained her British identity throughout her life, despite returning to England only once. Smith's literary focus encompassed anthropology, theology, and history, with a notable interest in the dynamics between different cultures and religions, particularly Christianity and Islam.
Her first major works included "On Gratitude" and the play "The Female Enthusiast," which explores the life of Charlotte Corday, the assassin of French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat. Although her play was never staged, it garnered significant interest. In 1818, she published a collection of essays and poetry aimed at youth. After a brief marriage to Peter Smith, which ended in separation, she settled in New York City, where she continued to write and travel. Her notable works also include her novel "Zerah, the Believing Jew," released in 1837, which offers a Jewish perspective on the life of Jesus. In her later years, Smith dedicated much of her literary earnings to charitable causes, reflecting her commitment to social betterment.
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Subject Terms
Sarah Pogson Smith
Writer
- Born: September 17, 1774
- Birthplace: Essex, England
- Died: July 24, 1870
- Place of death: Charleston, South Carolina
Biography
Sarah Pogson Smith, a nineteenth century author, produced a variety of works, including a novel, plays, and poetry. Much of her writing focused on the subjects of anthropology, theology, and history. She was especially interested in relationships among people of different cultures and religions, particularly in the relationship between Christians and Muslims.
Smith was born in 1774 in Essex, England, to a family who owned plantations in the West Indies. She lived in Essex and later in Surrey, attending school in nearby Hampton. In 1793, she and her brother, the Reverend Milward Pogson, immigrated to America, where they settled in Charleston, South Carolina. Despite the fact that Smith returned to England only once for a brief visit, she identified herself as British for the rest of her life.
In 1807, Smith published her first work, a long poem, “On Gratitude,” and a play, The Female Enthusiast. The Female Enthusiast was written in blank verse and its plot follows the events in the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, a radical French revolutionary. The protagonist is the assassin, Charlotte Corday, who bravely acts upon her political convictions. Corday’s crime destroys all of the men whom she loves, but she has no remorse when she is executed. Although there is no evidence that the play was ever presented on stage, it generated the most interest of all of Smith’s works.
In 1818, Smith published Essays, Religious, Moral, Dramatic, and Poetical: Addressed to Youth and Published for a Benevolent Purpose, a collection of essays, plays, and poetry. By 1823, Smith had moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she married widower Peter Smith after a brief courtship. However, the relationship was short-lived, and the Smiths separated after only three years. Smith then moved to New York City, traveling often to visit her friends and family in other parts of the United States.
Following the death of her estranged husband in 1836, Smith released her first and only novel, Zerah, the Believing Jew (1837). The novel, which met with moderate success, recounts the life of Jesus through the eyes of a Jewish observer. Smith also published a long poem, The Power of Christianity: Or, Abdallah and Sabat (1814), and a collection of thirteen poems, Daughters of Eve (1826). In her later years, Smith contributed most of the proceeds from her writing to the various charities she supported.