1744 in literature

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This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1744.

Events

February 6 – Samuel Foote makes his debut as an actor as Othello at the Haymarket Theatre, London, England.^[1]
February 15 – Spranger Barry makes his debut as an actor at the Theatre Royal, Dublin.^[2]
April – The Female Spectator (a monthly) is founded by Eliza Haywood in England, the first periodical written for women by a woman.^[3]
April 14 – The Physico-Historical Society is formed in Dublin for the preservation of 'manuscripts, rare printed books, and natural curiosities relating to Ireland'.^[4]
May 29 – Alexander Pope is received into the Catholic Church, a day before his death.

Robert Dodsley – A Select Collection of Old Plays
William Havard – Regulus
James Miller
- Joseph and his Brethren (music by Handel)
- Mahomet the Imposter (adapted from Voltaire's Mahomet; completed by John Hoadly)
James Ralph – The Astrologer (adapted from Thomas Tomkis's Albumazar, itself adapted from Giambattista della Porta's L'astrologo)
Antonio de Zamora – No hay deuda que no se pague y convidado de piedra

John Armstrong – The Art of Preserving Health
George Berkeley – Siris
Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix – Histoire et Description Generale de la Nouvelle France (History and General Description of New France)
Émilie de Breteuil, marquise du Chatelet -Dissertation sur la nature et la propagation du feu
Colley Cibber – Another Occasional Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope
David Garrick – An Essay on Acting (attrib.)
Samuel Johnson
- Life of Mr Richard Savage
- An Account of the Life of John Philip Barretier
Francis Moore – A Voyage to Georgia
Alexander Pope – Essay on Man, volume 4: "Epistle: Of the Nature and State of Man, with Respect to" (4) "Happiness" (the first 2 epistles were written in 1732 and the third in 1733).
John Ranby – The Method of Treating Gunshot Wounds
Emanuel Swedenborg – The Animal Kingdom (Soul's Domain) (1744–45)
Jonathan Swift – Three Sermons

January 29 – Catharina Charlotta Swedenmarck, Swedish writer (died 1813)
February 10 – William Mitford, English historian (died 1827)
April 11 (baptised) – Elizabeth Bonhôte, English novelist, essayist and poet (died 1818)
August 25 – Johann Gottfried Herder, German poet (died 1803)
December – Elsa Fougt, Swedish editor and publisher (died 1826)

^ Elizabeth N. Chatten (1980). Samuel Foote. Twayne Publishers. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8057-6779-7.
^ Philip H. Highfill; Kalman A. Burnim; Edward A. Langhans (1991). A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800. SIU Press. p. 340. ISBN 978-0-8093-1525-3.
^ Lynn Marie Wright; Donald J. Newman (2006). Fair Philosopher: Eliza Haywood and The Female Spectator. Bucknell University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-8387-5636-2.
^ Moody, T. W.; et al., eds. (1989). A New History of Ireland. 8: A Chronology of Irish History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-821744-2.
^ Catherine Laura Johnstone; F. R. GRAHAME (pseud. [i.e. Catherine Laura Johnstone.]) (1865). The progress of science, art, and literature in Russia, by F.R. Grahame. James Blackwood & Company. p. 28.
^ Paul Baines (4 January 2002). Alexander Pope. Routledge. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-134-63263-3.