Bluestocking
A "bluestocking" refers to an intellectual or literary woman involved in the Bluestocking Society, a group founded in mid-eighteenth century England by Elizabeth Montagu, Elizabeth Vesey, and Frances Boscawen. The society aimed to foster intellectual discussions among both men and women, primarily focusing on the education of women. The gatherings, which took place in the hostesses' homes, were structured to promote meaningful conversation, often emphasizing tea over more frivolous activities like drinking or dancing. The term originally emerged in the seventeenth century but evolved to specifically refer to women as they became the majority at these meetings. Notable attendees included writers, politicians, and artists of the time, reflecting a diverse array of perspectives and ideas. Over time, the focus of the meetings shifted toward advocating for women's education and encouraging women to publish their work. However, the society declined by the end of the eighteenth century and faded out with the passing of its founders. Subsequently, the term "bluestocking" took on a pejorative connotation, signifying women perceived as too educated for traditional marriage roles.
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Bluestocking
A bluestocking is an intellectual or literary woman from the mid-eighteenth century who belonged to a group known as the Bluestocking Society. Three wealthy English women began the Bluestocking Society to encourage groups of intellectuals to come together and discuss ideas. Both men and women attended these gatherings, which eventually focused on women's education. The main purpose of the meetings was to give women an opportunity to expand their knowledge by conversing with intellectuals.
Overview
Elizabeth Montagu, Elizabeth Vesey, and Frances Boscawen formed the Bluestocking Society in London, England, during the mid-eighteenth century. The wealthy women used their influence to entice intellects—both women and men—to their homes. However, since the group focused on expanding and supporting education for women, the society became mostly a women's group by the 1770s.
Montagu, Vesey, and Boscawen began meeting in the 1750s, but the exact date of the society's origins is unknown. The women opened their homes to host the meetings. They each had a different style for the gatherings. For example, Montagu arranged her guests in a semicircle to encourage a unified discussion, while Vesey set up scattered groups of seats for her guests and sometimes placed them seated back to back. Alcohol, dancing, and card playing were not allowed at the meetings. Instead, the women served tea and encouraged intellectual conversation.
The word bluestocking was first used in 1653 as a derogatory term to describe Oliver Cromwell's supporters. The following century, a man named Benjamin Stillingfleet attended one of Montagu's meetings. He was not a wealthy man and wore informal blue wool stockings instead of the preferred formal silk stockings. Stillingfleet became known for his deep conversations. When he did not attend the meetings, guests would remark that they could not converse without the bluestockings. The people who attended the gatherings adopted the term to describe themselves. Eventually, as the women outnumbered the men at the meetings, the term was applied to only women.
The hostesses of the meetings encouraged guests to exchange ideas in a comfortable setting. They mirrored these meetings after the French salons popular during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They encouraged guests of all social standings to attend as a way to diversify the ideas discussed. Actors, artists, authors, intellects, musicians, and politicians were among the attendees and included famed people of the time such as translator Elizabeth Carter, essayist Hester Chapone, actor and theater manager David Garrick, lexicographer Samuel Johnson, author Hannah More, and diarist James Boswell. More published the poem "Le bas bleu" in praise of the bluestockings.
As time passed, the subject of many of these meetings turned to the education of women. Some of the group members began to encourage other members—mostly women—to publish their work. Some hostesses even financially backed these women writers. The bluestocking meetings declined near the end of the eighteenth century and ceased to exist after the deaths of Vesey in 1791, Montagu in 1800, and Boscawen in 1805. After this time, the term bluestocking became a derogatory term used for women who were too educated to be considered marriage material.
Bibliography
"The Bluestockings Circle." National Portrait Gallery, www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2008/brilliant-women/the-bluestockings-circle. Accessed 13 Sept. 2017.
Boyle, Laura. "Elizabeth Montague: Queen of the Bluestockings." Jane Austen Centre, 17 July 2011, www.janeausten.co.uk/elizabeth-montague-queen-of-the-bluestockings. Accessed 13 Sept. 2017.
Eger, Elizabeth. "Bluestocking Circle." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, www.oxforddnb.com/public/themes/63/63013.html. Accessed 13 Sept. 2017.
Eger, Elizabeth. Bluestockings: Women of Reason from Enlightenment to Romanticism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
Knowles, Rachel. "The Bluestocking Circle." Regency History, 9 Feb. 2014, www.regencyhistory.net/2014/02/the-bluestocking-circle.html. Accessed 13 Sept. 2017.
Melikian, Souren. "The 'Bluestocking Circle' and the Fight for Women's Rights in Literary Salons." New York Times, 29 May 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/arts/31iht-melik31.1.13311827.html?mcubz=0. Accessed 13 Sept. 2017.
Myers, Sylvia Harcstark. The Bluestocking Circle: Women, Friendship, and the Life of the Mind in Eighteenth-Century England. Clarendon, 1990.
Robinson, Jane. Bluestockings: The Remarkable Story of the First Women to Fight for an Education. Viking, 2009.