Charlotte Turner Smith was a writer of the
Romantic period (roughly 1750 - 1830) who lived in England. Her works include "Elegiac Sonnets," published in at least seven editions, to each of which she added new poems; "The Emigrants," written about a group of French
Catholics who had escaped persecution in France after the
Revolution; and "
Beachy Head," one of her last works, which was influenced by the
geological discoveries being made at the time as well as the
death of a daughter.
Smith underwent much hardship in her life, the most notable of which is the almost life-long
legal battle that she endured over her father-in-law's will. Her
marriage had been arranged mostly for her personal and
financial security, but her husband
Benjamin turned out to be a gambler who quickly ran through the
money of his father's estate. His father
Richard took pity on Charlotte and left her and the children money in his will; however, a relative contested the will and it was tied up in courts for most of Charlotte's life.
Charlotte's
poetry reflects her attitudes and thoughts during the political changes of the
French Revolution and the changes in her own life that caused her to reevaluate
the human condition. She is newly being recognized as one of the
Romantic period's more
talented writers.