Frances Brooke, The Old Maid

Laura Moss (University of British Columbia)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.1.1: Canadian Writing and Culture (Anglophone): Colonial and The Nineteenth Century, 1783-1900.
Vol. editors: Glen Nichols (Mount Allison University), Wendy Roy (University of Saskatchewan), Denis Salter (McGill University), Karis Shearer (University of British Columbia), Cynthia Sugars (University of Ottawa)

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Periodicals

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First circulation or publication 1755 - 1756

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England (Country of Origin)

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The Old Maid

appeared weekly from 1755 to 1756 and addressed topics ranging from marriage, to politics and theatre. Although, Brooke claimed to have had the assistance of a loyal group of correspondents, including a nobleman and others who wished to remain anonymous, it is evident that most of the voices represented in the periodical belong to “Mary Singleton, Spinster,” the pseudonym under which she wrote. In the first issue, “Mary Singleton, Spinster” describes herself as an old maid (almost 50) who was once secretly engaged to a man but who had her heart broken when he chose to marry someone else. Although not a mother herself, and therefore not “fulfilling her patriotic duty”, she has looked after her niece, Julia, since her sister died in childbirth. Although she and the…

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864 words

Citation: Moss, Laura. "The Old Maid". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=17, accessed 25 November 2024.]

Frances Brooke, The Old Maid

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