Mary, Lady Chudleigh

Lady Mary Chudleigh was an English poet who was part of an intellectual circle which included Mary Astell, Elizabeth Thomas, Judith Drake, Elizabeth Elstob, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and John Norris. In her later years she published a volume of poetry and two volumes of essays, all dealing with feminist themes. Her work includes subjects such as "the negative attitudes of males and their demeaning expectations of women and the role of the church in propagating pernicious ideas about women. Her writings are evidently dismissing towards men and marriage and somtimes are considered to be satirical , as she was a wife and a mother herself. The poem "To the Ladies" clearly depicts her feminist theme. The first two lines of the poem, "Wife and servant are the same , But only differ in the name" indicate that the poet views marriage as a form of slavery for women.