Moore, John, 1729-1802

Scottish physician and author. Titles by the author include his most popular novel Zeluco (1789), A View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland, and Germany (1779), Medical Sketches (1786), A View of Society and Manners in Italy (1787), A Journal during a Residence in France, from the Beginning of August to the Middle of December (1792), An Account of the most remarkable Events that happened at Paris, from that Time to the Death of the late King of France, Edward (1796), and Mordaunt (1800).

Moody, Elizabeth, 1737-1814

Elizabeth Moody (1737-1814) Born Elizabeth Greenly, Elizabeth Moody grew up in fashionable circles in the outskirts of London. She was an avid reader and an apt scholar in modern languages, acquiring unusual fluency in French and Italian, skills that are evident in her literary criticism. As a young woman, she circulated her verse compositions within a small literary coterie until shortly after her 1777 marriage to Dissenting clergyman Christopher Lake Moody, a versatile literary professional. Soon after the wedding and probably with Dr.

Moody, Christopher Lake, 1743-1815 (Benjamin Christie Nangle,TheMonthly Review, First Series, 1749-1789)

Dissenting clergyman Christopher Lake Moody was a hard-working literary professional who served for many years as one of the most productive reviewer at Ralph Griffiths's Monthly Review. He was so integral to the periodical's operation that there has been speculation that he may have taken on editorial responsibilities in addition to his reviewing duties. Moody also operated with Griffiths the St. James’s Chronicle and contributed to other periodicals as well.

Montolieu, Isabelle de, 1751-1832

Swiss novelist and translator, Montolieu was the author of Caroline de Lichtfield, ou Mémoires d'une Famille Prussienne (1786). She was a close friend of Madame de Genlis, whose encouragement was crucial to Montolieu's decision to publish. In addition, Montolieu produced over 100 volumes of translations and is cited as the first translator of Jane Austen's work into French. She married Benjamin de Crouzas in 1769, but the marriage lasted only a few years before Crouzas died in 1775. In 1786 she married Baron Louis de Montolieu, who also pre-deceased her in 1800.

Monti, Vincenzo, 1754-1828

Italian poet and man of letters. He authored a substantial body of poetry, including several significant translations, but is best remembered for his translation of Homer's Illiad. Initially opposed to the French Revolution, he switched to admiring Napoleon during his ascendancy and empire, converting again to supporting the Austrian Empire after Napoleon's fall. Monti's poetry is criticized by some as emphasizing formal precision while reflecting obsequious political inconsistency.

Monthly Review, 1749-1845

The first true literary review, the Monthly Review was founded by dissenting bookseller Ralph Griffiths in 1749. Griffiths aimed for comprehensive coverage of the entire range of new publications, aspiring “to register all the new Things in general, without exception to any, on account of their lowness of rank, or price” (The Monthly Review, vol. 1, 1749, p. 238). The leading review for the half century when Griffiths served as editor, the Monthly Review provided summary and extract of all but the most specialized publications.

Montagu, Mary Wortley, Lady, 1689-1762

Though the subject of lampoon in the verse of Alexander Pope, Lady Montagu was respected by many of her contemporaries for her poetry, which she circulated among a coterie that included a number of the period's notable literary figures. She is best remembered today, however, for her letters, particularly the vivid accounts of her travels in Turkey after her husband's appointment as ambassador to Constantinople. In addition, after being introduced to Turkish methods of smallpox inoculation, she worked to introduce the practice in England.

Montagu, Mrs. (Elizabeth), 1720-1800

Wealthy literary hostess, critic, patron of the literary arts, and head of the Bluestocking Circle of women intellectuals, Montagu presided for many years over salon-style parties famed for their intellectual vivacity. A landmark in literary criticism by women, her Essay on the Writing and Genius of Shakespeare (1769) refuted Voltaire's critique of the poet. As a literary patron, she was especially generous to Elizabeth Carter, on whom she bestowed an annuity.