The Romantic period is often dominated by famous male poets, but many remarkable female writers were equally active during the Industrial Revolution, offering their powerful reflections on nature, emotion, social injustice, and the changing world around them.

Poets like Charlotte Smith, Mary Robinson, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, and Felicia Hemans wrote with a unique voice, often highlighting issues of gender, class, and the human cost of industrial progress.

Suggested Reading:

• Charlotte Smith – Elegiac Sonnets (1784): credited with reviving the sonnet form, Smith’s poems blend natural beauty with reflections on personal hardship and political injustice.
• Anna Laetitia Barbauld – The Works of Anna Laetitia Barbauld includes her poems and essays, many of which critique war, industrialisation, and social inequality.
• Mary Robinson – Selected Poems Robinson’s poetry explores love, power, and the limited roles available to women in her era.
• Felicia Hemans – a moving collection of poems focused on women’s experiences, nationalism, and quiet heroism in turbulent times.

During an age when factories replaced fields and cities swallowed countryside, these poets used their words to defend the natural world, question social norms, and express the emotional toll of industrialisation.

Their poetry offers a richer, more complex understanding of Romanticism, reminding us of the female voices who resisted being silenced during a time of rapid change. These works remain just as relevant and moving today.

References:

Images:

[CharlotteSmith]. Image featured on the Poetry Foundation website. Accessed [July, 2025], https://www.poetryfoundation.org.

[MaryRobinson]. Image featured on the Poetry Foundation website. Accessed [July, 2025], https://www.poetryfoundation.org.

[Anna Laetitia Barbauld]. Image featured on the Poetry Foundation website. Accessed [July, 2025], https://www.poetryfoundation.org.

[Felicia Hemans]. Image featured on the Poetry Foundation website. Accessed [July, 2025], https://www.poetryfoundation.org.

Website:

Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive

Disclaimer: Images sourced from the Poetry Foundation website. Used solely for reference and educational purposes. Copyright remains with the original owner.

Content sourced from the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA). Used for educational and reference purposes only. All rights remain with the original contributors and institutions.