Lucy Hutchinson has been known for two centuries as the author of one of the best seventeenth-century biographies, her

of her husband, the regicide John Hutchinson. Only recently, however, has the full range of her activites as a writer been recognized. She was an accomplished poet, who was not only a pioneer in translating the Latin poet Lucretius, but also composed a major Biblical poem on a parallel subject to

and wrote a significant body of personal and satirical verse. Unusually for a woman writer in this period, she was ready to engage directly in theological polemic, in translated and original treatises.

The Tower of London was the sombre setting for Lucy Hutchinson’s birth and later for her husband’s imprisonment. In her youth, admittedly, the Tower was a

1161 words

Citation: Norbrook, David. "Lucy Hutchinson". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 September 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2277, accessed 25 November 2024.]

• View recommended reading for this article