Eighteenth-century English drama

Eliza Haywood (née Elizabeth Fowler; c. 1693 – 25 February 1756), was an English writer, actress and publisher. An increase in interest and recognition of Haywood's literary works began in the 1980s. Described as "prolific even by the standards of a prolific age", Haywood wrote and published over 70 works in her lifetime, including fiction, drama, translations, poetry, conduct literature and periodicals. Haywood today is studied primarily as one of the 18th-century founders of the novel in English. She is especially famous for her novel Love in Excess (1719-20).