"Dorothy Osborne, Lady Temple (1627?1695) was a British writer of letters and wife of Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet ... After refusing a long string of suitors put forth by her family, including her cousin Thomas Osborne, Henry Cromwell (son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell) and Sir Justinian Isham, in 1654 Dorothy Osborne married Sir William Temple, a man with whom she had carried on a lengthy clandestine courtship that was largely epistolary in nature. It is for her letters to Temple, which were witty, progressive and socially illuminating, that Osborne is remembered. Only Osborne's side of the correspondence survived and comprises a collection of 77 letters held in the British Library (ADD. MSS. 33975)."--Wikipedia.

Combining historical and biographical research with feminist theory, Carrie Hintz considers Osborne's vision of letter writing, her literary achievement, and her literary influences.

Seventy-seven letters from an upper-class English woman to her paramour offer a window in to a courtship that, the editor argues, are marked by the intelligence of the writer and her insistence of being treated as an intellectual equal. Explanatory notes and an introduction discussing the importance of the letters for understanding gender politics in 17th century England accompany the letters. Appendices present letters from after the marriage, genealogies, and other contextual information. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.