author
Hannah Cowley
1743–1809
A sharp, lively voice of the late 18th-century stage, this English playwright and poet was especially known for sparkling comedies and memorable female characters. Her best-known work, The Belle's Stratagem, helped secure her place among the most successful women dramatists of her time.
2 Audiobooks
The Belle's Stratagem
by Hannah Cowley
A Bold Stroke for a Husband: A Comedy in Five Acts
by Hannah Cowley
About the author
Born Hannah Parkhouse in Tiverton, Devon, in 1743, she was the daughter of a bookseller and grew up with enough literary encouragement to begin writing for the stage. She married Thomas Cowley, who worked in the East India Company's service, and later turned seriously to writing after family financial pressures pushed her toward a professional literary career.
She made her theatrical breakthrough in the 1770s and went on to write a series of popular plays, including The Runaway, A Bold Stroke for a Husband, and The Belle's Stratagem from 1780, which became her most celebrated comedy. Alongside her drama, she also wrote poetry and took part in the literary culture of her day, including the Della Cruscan circle under the name "Anna Matilda."
Although her reputation faded after the 19th century, Hannah Cowley is now widely remembered as an important English playwright and poet whose work brought wit, energy, and strong comic observation to the London stage. She died in 1809, leaving behind a body of work that still attracts readers and theatre historians today.