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Literary Works

The Art of Ingeniously Tormenting (1753)

An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting, Collier’s most popular book, was published in 1753. Collier uses a mock form of anti-etiquette in her novel, known for its satirical comedy in which the author advises her audience to torment spouses, acquaintances, and to raise children in which they will be a torment to each other. An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting provides a glimpse of the eighteenth century daily dramas. Written for women and men, it highlights the injustices women faced and exposes absurd views placed on middle class women. Jane Collier encourages readers to laugh at domestic torture and emotional abuse, while raising awareness of prejudice.

The Cry (1754)

The Cry is a dramatic fable that was written Sarah Fielding and co-written by Jane Collier.

Reception History

Jane Collier was eloquently witty and wise beyond her years. Many of Collier’s peers have complimented her work and only spoke great things about her writing style. Sarah Fielding proclaimed that she had “an understanding more than female.” Collier was so intelligently educated that many of her contemporaries were impressed by her courage to challenge societal norms. Astonished by her unheralded significance, Arthur Collier believed his sister “possessed such amiable manners, and such abilities should only be known to the literary world by a satirical work." As stated by Paula R. Backshieder, a Philpott-Stevens Eminent Scholar, women writers, like Jane Collier, “helped teach us to look for suffering, strife, and even tragedy in ordinary people’s lives.” In addition to this glowing praise, Jane paved the way for many female writers during the eighteenth century. Lisa M. Wilson wrote, “An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting provided a safe venue for women’s satirical observation as a genre that could contain subversive elements that would be more exposed in a free-standing satire.” Her satirical works were not common among her gender. Female writers who attempted satire were seen as masculine and unfeminine. Men criticized Collier’s style of writing but it did not limit her from producing outstanding work.