Jane Taylor

Infobox Writer
name = Jane Taylor
birthdate = birth date|1783|9|23|mf=y
birthplace = London, England
deathdate = death date and age|1824|4|13|1783|9|23|mf=y
occupation = Poet
movement = Romanticism

Jane Taylor (September 23, 1783 - April 13, 1824), was an English poet and novelist. She wrote the words for the song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in 1806 at age 23, while living in Shilling Street, Lavenham, Suffolk.

The poem is now known worldwide, but its authorship is generally forgotten. It was first published under the title "The Star" in "Rhymes for the Nursery", a collection of poems by Taylor and her older sister Ann (later Mrs. Gilbert). The sisters, and their authorship of various works, have often been confused, in part because their early works were published together.

Ann Taylor's son, Josiah Gilbert, wrote in her biography,"two little poems–'My Mother,' and 'Twinkle, twinkle, little Star,' are perhaps, more frequently quoted than any; the first, a lyric of life, was by Ann, the second, of nature, by Jane; and they illustrate this difference between the sisters." [cite web | url=http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/taylor/autobiography/autobiography-I.html | title=The Autobiography and Other Memorials of Mrs Gilbert, Formerly Ann Taylor | accessdate=2007-04-17]

Early life

Born in London, Jane Taylor and her family later lived in Lavenham, Suffolk; Colchester [ [http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk/dutchquarter.html Dutch Quarter] ] , and Ongar. The Taylor sisters were part of an extensive literary family. Their father, Isaac Taylor, was an engraver and later a dissenting minister. Their mother, Mrs. (Anne Martin) Taylor (1757-1830) wrote seven works of moral and religious advice, two of them fictionalized. Taylor's brothers also wrote.

Works

The poem, "Original Poems for Infant Minds by several young persons" (i.e. Ann and Jane Taylor and others) was first issued in two volumes in 1804 and 1805. "Rhymes for the Nursery" followed in 1806, and "Hymns for Infant Minds" in 1808. In "Original Poems for Infant Minds" (1805) primarily written by Ann and Jane Taylor and Adelaide O'Keeffe, the authors were identified for each poem. In "Rhymes for the Nursery" (1806) poems were not identified by author.

Christina Duff Stewart identifies authorship of "Rhymes for the Nursery", based on a copy belonging to Canon Isaac Taylor, which was annotated to indicate the respective authorship of Ann and Jane Taylor. [cite book
last =Stewart
first =Christina Duff
title =The Taylors of Ongar: An Analytical Bio-Bibliography
publisher =Garland Publishing
date =1975
location =New York & London
pages =
isbn = ] Canon Isaac was Taylor's nephew, a son of her brother Isaac Taylor of Stanford Rivers. Stewart also confirms attributions of "Original Poems" based on the publisher's records.

Taylor's novel "Display" (1814) is reminiscent of Maria Edgeworth, or perhaps even Jane Austen. Her "Essays in Rhyme" appeared in 1816, and contained some significant poetry. In the fictional "Correspondence between a mother and her daughter at school" (1817) Taylor collaborated with her mother. Throughout her life, Taylor wrote many essays, plays, stories, poems, and letters which were never published.sp

Death

Jane Taylor died of breast cancer at the age of 40, her mind still "teeming with unfulfilled projects".Fact|date=April 2007 She was buried at Ongar churchyard.

After her death, her brother Isaac collected many of her works, and included a biography of her, in "The Writings of Jane Taylor, In Five Volumes" (1832).

Legacy in popular culture

* Taylor's most famous work, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," is almost always uncredited; "its opening stanza persists as if it were folklore, the name of its creator almost entirely forgotten." [cite book
last =Feldman
first =Paula R.
title =British Women Poets of the Romantic Era: An Anthology
publisher =Johns Hopkins University Press
date =1997
location =Baltimore & London
pages =712
isbn = 080185430X ] Alternate versions, pastiches, and parodies have abounded for centuries. See main article.
* A character named Jane Taylor, who suffered a tragic death in space at a young age, appeared in an episode of "". It is speculated that the character was named for Taylor.

ee also

* Ann Taylor

Notes

References

* Feldman, Paula R. (1997). "British Women Poets of the Romantic Era: An Anthology," Baltimore & London: Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Stewart, Christina Duff. (1975). "The Taylors of Ongar: An Analytical Bio-Bibliography," New York & London: Garland Publishing.
* Taylor, Ann. Isaac Taylor, Jr., editor. (1832). " [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/taylor/memoirs/memoirs.html Memoirs, Correspondence and Poetical Remains of Jane Taylor] ," Volume I of "The Writings of Jane Taylor, In Five Volumes," Boston: Perkins & Marvin.
* Taylor, Ann. Josiah Gilbert, editor. (1874). " [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/taylor/autobiography/autobiography-I.html The Autobiography and Other Memorials of Mrs Gilbert, Formerly Ann Taylor] ," London: Henry S. King & Co.