COLLIER, Jane.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting; First edition of this prose satire, among the earliest written by a woman. Partially modelled after Jonathan Swift's satirical essays Directions to Servants (1745), the text "stands out as a courageous social satire published at a time when satires were usually written by and for men" (Craik, p. xi). It was composed in collaboration with Sarah Fielding.The first part of the work addresses the abuse of power by masters, husbands, and parents, and the second the abuse of affection by lovers, wives, and friends. The Art of Ingeniously Tormenting was a critical and commercial success. The satire influenced Samuel Johnson's essay on the cruelty of parents and was hardly ever out of print before the early 19th century.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.