Elizabeth Cooper (dramatist) facts for kids

Elizabeth Cooper (also known as Elizabeth Price) was an English actress, writer, and editor who lived from about 1698 to 1761. She is famous for putting together one of the first collections of English poems.

Elizabeth Cooper's Life Story

Elizabeth Price was likely born around 1698 or even earlier. She grew up in Westminster, a part of London. Her father passed away, and her mother was left very poor, so Elizabeth had a tough start.

Early Life and Marriage

On February 25, 1722, Elizabeth married John Cooper. He worked as an auctioneer in Covent Garden, selling art and books. Sadly, her husband died in 1729. After his death, Elizabeth began a new career.

Career in Theatre and Writing

Elizabeth first became an actress. Later, she started writing plays herself. When acting became less popular, she decided to focus on other types of writing.

The Muses' Library

Elizabeth Cooper created an important book called The Muses' Library in 1737. This book was a collection of English poems from the 11th century all the way to the 16th century. It included works from famous figures like Edward the Confessor and Samuel Daniel.

To gather these poems, Elizabeth reached out to the families of artists. She also got help from a kind person named William Oldys. Even though her book was easy to read and included interesting facts about the poets, it didn't sell very well. She had hoped to publish a second book about poetry, but she couldn't afford to.

Despite not being a big seller, The Muses' Library was still important. Some people believe that the fake poems created by Thomas Chatterton were inspired by Cooper's book. Also, a famous writer named Samuel Johnson is thought to have used Cooper's book as a guide for his own well-known work, Lives of the Poets.

Later Years

Reports say that Elizabeth Price died in 1761. However, some sources suggest she might have been alive even later than that.

Elizabeth Cooper's Works

Here are some of the works Elizabeth Cooper created:

• The Rival Widows: or, Fair Libertine (a play performed in 1735 at Covent Garden)
• The Nobleman (a play performed in 1736 at Haymarket)
• The Muses' library (a collection of poems she edited, published in 1737)