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.