Anne Rice Hughes (fl. 1784-1795) was a British poet, novelist, and dramatist.Listed in Dale Spender's Mothers of the novel: 100 good women writers before Jane Austen. Pandora, 1986, p. 127. (Internet Archive)Listed in Janet Todd's A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660-1800. Rowman & Allanheld, 1985, 167-168. (Internet Archive) She is one of the many women writers of the eighteenth century, long out of print, who were recuperated in the late twentieth century by literary scholars, including Dale Spender and Janet Todd.
According to at least one twentieth-century commentator, Hughes' work was "typically high-principled" and "unremarkable."Jarvis, Robin. "HUGHES, Anne (fl. 1784-1790)." Janet Todd. ed. A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660-1800. Rowman & Allanheld, 1985, 167-168. (Internet Archive) While she may not appeal to most contemporary readers, however, she would seem to have had a steady career during her lifetime. Her books must have sold tolerably well for her to have maintained a working relationship with the publisher William Lane at the highly commercial Minerva Press. Caroline seems to have been particularly successful: second and third editions came out within a year of the initial publication. Her novels were simultaneously published in London and Ireland,"Hughes, Anne." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2553, https://womensprinthistoryproject.com/person/2553. Accessed 2026-07-13. and at least two of her works, Zoraida and Henry and Isabella, were translated into French.Zoraïde ou annales d'un village. Traduit de l'anglois. 1787. Available for free at the Internet Archive: vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3.Isabella et Henri, traduit de l'Anglois par M. de Cantwel. 4 vols. Paris: Chez Letellier, Libraire, Quai de, Augustins, No. 50, 1789. Available online through the Folger Shakespeare Library; registration required. Her poem "The Wish of Zara, The Sultaness" was anthologized in 1807Hughes, Anne. "The Wish of Zara, The Sultaness." The Parnassian Garland; or, beauties of modern poetry: consisting of upwards of two hundred pieces, selected from the works of the most distinguished poets of the present age. With introductory lines to each article. Designed for the use of schools and the admirers of poetry in general. By John Evans, A. M. Master of a seminary for a limited number of pupils, Pullin's Row, Islington. London: Albion Press, 1807, 88-89. The Women's Print History Project, 2019, title ID 13511, https://womensprinthistoryproject.com/title/13511. Accessed 2026-07-13. and the Jackson Bibliography of Romantic Poetry notes that "the Critical Review treated her poetical works with respect."
Her novels were either published anonymously or "by the author of," although she published both her Poems and her Moral Dramas under her own name.
Next to nothing is known of Hughes' life, and some credible commentators have questioned her authorship of all the titles usually attributed to her."HUGHES, Anne (fl 1784-1816)." Jackson Bibliography of Romantic Poetry, University of Toronto."Anne Hughes." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Accessed 16 July 2026. Most, however, would seem to have achieved a consensus about her oeuvre:
Works Poems. London: J. Dodsley, 1784.Available for free at the Internet Archive. "The Wish of Zara, The Sultaness." The Parnassian Garland; or, beauties of modern poetry: consisting of upwards of two hundred pieces, selected from the works of the most distinguished poets of the present age. John Evans, Editor. London: Albion Press, 1907, 88-89.Available at Google Books.
Novels Caroline; or, the Diversities of Fortune, 3 vols. London: William Lane, 1787.Chawton House has a PDF of the London edition of Caroline; or, the Diversities of Fortune (1787).Irish edition at the Internet Archive: vol. 1, vol. 2 Henry and Isabella; or, a traite through life. London: William Lane, 1788.Available for free at the Internet Archive: vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4. Jemima, 2 vols. London: William Lane, 1795.Available for free at the Internet Archive: vol. 1, vol. 2. Zoraida; or, Village annals. A Novel, 3 vols. London: Thomas Axtell, 1786. Hughes, Anne. Zoriada: or, Village annals. A novel. In three volumes. The Women's Print History Project, 2019, title ID 2051, https://womensprinthistoryproject.com/title/2051. Accessed 2026-07-13.
Drama Moral Dramas. Intended for Private Representation. London: William Lane, 1790. (Consists of three plays: Cordelia, Constantia, and Aspacia.)Available for free at the Internet Archive.
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