RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 “I mourn their nature, but admire their art”: Anna Seward’s Assertion of Critical Authority in Maturity and Old Age A1 Blanch Serrat, Francesca A2 Ediciones Universidad de Valladolid K1 AB In 1786 an anonymous correspondent appealed to Samuel Johnson’s biographer James Boswell in the pages of the Gentleman’s Magazine. Behind the pseudonym Benvolio was Anna Seward (1742‒1809), one of the prominent poetical voices of Britain at the time. From 1786‒87 and 1793‒94, Seward and Boswell engaged in a public and gradually acrimonious dispute over Johnson’s reputation. This article argues that at the core of the debates was Seward’s assertion of her literary and critical authority, and I contend that age and gender played key roles in Boswell’s dismissal of Seward’s claim. SN 2531-1654 YR 2019 FD 2019 LK http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/44023 UL http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/44023 LA eng NO ES Review. Spanish Journal of English Studies; No 40 (2019) pags. 11-31 DS UVaDOC RD 12-sep-2024