1747 in literature

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1747. Events March 31 – Laurence Sterne preaches the Good Friday sermon at St Helen Stonegate; The Case of Elijah and the Widow of Zerephath is later printed and published. April 9 – David Garrick becomes joint patentee and manager of the Drury Lane Theatre in London. June 21 – Licensing Act transfers responsibility for pre-production censorship of plays in Britain from the Master of the Revels to the Lord Chamberlain and restricts serious drama to the patent theatres. December 1 – Samuel Richardson's two-volume epistolary novel Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady ("by the Editor of Pamela") begins publication in London from his own print shop, dated 1748. unknown date – The Załuski Library in Warsaw is opened to the public. New books Prose William Blackstone (attributed) – The Pantheon Thomas Carte – A General History of England Juan de Iriarte – Discurso sobre la imperfección de los diccionarios Diego de Torres Villarroel – Desengaños razonables para sacudir el polvo del espanto Denis Diderot – La Promenade du sceptique (completed; not published until 1830) William Dunkin – Boetia Thomas Edward – A Supplement to Mr. Warburton's Edition of Shakespear Henry Fielding, as "John Trott Plaid" – The Jacobite's Journal (periodical) Sarah Fielding – Familiar Letters Between the Principal Characters in David Simple (a defense against unauthorized continuations) Samuel Foote – The Roman and English Comedy Consider'd Hannah Glasse, as "A Lady" – The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy Madame de Graffigny – Letters from a Peruvian Woman Henry Home, Lord Kames – Essays Upon Several Subjects Concerning British Antiquities Samuel Johnson – The Plan of a Dictionary of the English Language Charlotte Lennox – Poems David Mallet – Amyntor and Theodora William Mason – Musaeus: A monody to the memory of Pope (an imitation of Milton's Lycidas) William Memoth, the younger – The Letters of Pliny the Consul Josiah Ralph – A Miscellany Samuel Richardson – Clarissa vol. i–ii William Shakespeare – The Works of Shakespear (edited by William Warburton) Tobias Smollett – Reproof Joseph Spence – Polymetis Voltaire – Zadig (in original form as Memnon) Horace Walpole – A Letter to the Whigs Joseph Warton – Ranelagh House Thomas Warton – The Pleasures of Melancholy