Olivia Elder

Olivia Elder (21 January 1735 - 1780) was an Irish poet.

Early life and family Olivia Elder was born on 21 January in probably 1735, or maybe 1739. and was a parody of an Allan Ramsay's verse as a six-line standard Burns stanza written in strong Scots. Her use of direct speech offers a glimpse of relationships and social occasions in rural communities in the early 18th century from a woman's perspective. She is scathing of marriage with vivid and unflattering descriptions, like in works such as "Matrimony at the throne", presenting a spouse as drunken, with a domineering and critical tyrant brother, as an appalling matrimonial option for an intelligent woman. "To Mrs A. C. H. an account of the Authors manner of spending her time" is regarded as one of her best works. In this poem she relays the distractions of everyday tasks and responsibilities, themes which later women writers invoke strongly. Elder is humorous and rueful at her life as a woman artist, while also taking pride in her homemaking skills.

Later life and legacy Elder died in 1780 after suffering with ill health for a long period. The family preserved her notebook, which was passed to James Henry, who may have been a grand-nephew. Her works remained only available in manuscript in the National Library of Ireland. They were published as a volume of poetry in 2017.