GHL to Thomas Adolphus Trollope, London, 5 July 1861
Title
GHL to Thomas Adolphus Trollope, London, 5 July 1861
Title
GHL to Thomas Adolphus Trollope, London, 5 July 1861
Sender
George Henry Lewes
Recipient
Thomas Adolphus Trollope
Date(s)
- 1861-07-05
Place
London
Letter Content
GHL to Thomas Adolphus Trollope, London, 5 July 1861
MS: The Johns Hopkins University.
6 Blandford Square N.W. | 5 July 1861.
My dear Trollope
We have now read [La Beata] 553 and must tell you how charmed we have been with it. Nina herself is perfectly exquisite and individual; and her story is full of poetry and pathos. Also one feels a breath from the Val d'Arno rustling amid the pages; and a sense of Florentine life, such as one rarely gets out of books. The critical objection I should make to it, apart from minor points, is that often you spoil the artistic effect by quitting the artistic attitude, and adopting a critical antagonistic attitude -- by which I mean that instead of painting the thing objectively, you present it critically, with an eye to the opinions likely to be formed by certain readers. Thus, instead of relying on the simple presentation of the fact of Nina's innocence, you call up the objection you desire to anticipate, by side glances at the worldly and [knowing] readers' opinions. In a word I feel as if you were not engrossed by your subject, but were sufficiently aloof from it to contemplate it as a spectator -- which is an error in art. Many of the remarks are delicately felt and finely written. The whole book comes from a noble nature, and so it impresses the reader.
But I may tell you what Mrs. Carlyle said last night which will in some sense corroborate what I have said. In her opinion you would have done better to make two books of it -- one the love story, and one a description of Florentine life. (She admires the book very much, I should add.) Now although I cannot by any means agree with that criticism of hers, I fancy the origin of it was some such feeling as I have endeavoured to indicate in saying you are often critical where you should be simply objective.
We had a pleasant journey home over the St. Gotthard, and found our boy very well and happy at Hofwyl, and our bigger boy ditto, awaiting us here. Polly is very well, and as you may imagine, talks daily of Florence and our delightful trip -- our closer acquaintance with you and yours being among the most delightful of our reminiscences.
Yesterday Anthony dined with us, and as he had never seen Carlyle, he was glad to go down with us to tea at Chelsea. Carlyle had read, and agreed with the West Indian book, 554 and the two got on very well together; both Carlyle and Mrs. Carlyle liking Anthony -- and I suppose it was reciprocal, though I didn't see him afterwards to hear what he thought. He had to run away to catch his train.
He told us of the sad news of Mrs. Browning's death. Poor Browning! that was my first, and remains my constant reflection. When people love each other, and have lived together any time, they ought to die together. For myself I should not care in the least &unknown;who&unknown; about dying; -- the dreadful thing to me would be to live after losing, if I ever should lose the one who has made life for me. Of course you who all knew and valued her will feel the loss, but I can't think of anybody's grief but his.
The next page must be left for Polly's postcript, so I shall only send my kindest regards and wishes to Mrs. Trollope, and the biggest of kisses to la cantatrice. 555
Ever faithfully yours
G. H. Lewes.
MS: The Johns Hopkins University.
6 Blandford Square N.W. | 5 July 1861.
My dear Trollope
We have now read [La Beata] 553 and must tell you how charmed we have been with it. Nina herself is perfectly exquisite and individual; and her story is full of poetry and pathos. Also one feels a breath from the Val d'Arno rustling amid the pages; and a sense of Florentine life, such as one rarely gets out of books. The critical objection I should make to it, apart from minor points, is that often you spoil the artistic effect by quitting the artistic attitude, and adopting a critical antagonistic attitude -- by which I mean that instead of painting the thing objectively, you present it critically, with an eye to the opinions likely to be formed by certain readers. Thus, instead of relying on the simple presentation of the fact of Nina's innocence, you call up the objection you desire to anticipate, by side glances at the worldly and [knowing] readers' opinions. In a word I feel as if you were not engrossed by your subject, but were sufficiently aloof from it to contemplate it as a spectator -- which is an error in art. Many of the remarks are delicately felt and finely written. The whole book comes from a noble nature, and so it impresses the reader.
But I may tell you what Mrs. Carlyle said last night which will in some sense corroborate what I have said. In her opinion you would have done better to make two books of it -- one the love story, and one a description of Florentine life. (She admires the book very much, I should add.) Now although I cannot by any means agree with that criticism of hers, I fancy the origin of it was some such feeling as I have endeavoured to indicate in saying you are often critical where you should be simply objective.
We had a pleasant journey home over the St. Gotthard, and found our boy very well and happy at Hofwyl, and our bigger boy ditto, awaiting us here. Polly is very well, and as you may imagine, talks daily of Florence and our delightful trip -- our closer acquaintance with you and yours being among the most delightful of our reminiscences.
Yesterday Anthony dined with us, and as he had never seen Carlyle, he was glad to go down with us to tea at Chelsea. Carlyle had read, and agreed with the West Indian book, 554 and the two got on very well together; both Carlyle and Mrs. Carlyle liking Anthony -- and I suppose it was reciprocal, though I didn't see him afterwards to hear what he thought. He had to run away to catch his train.
He told us of the sad news of Mrs. Browning's death. Poor Browning! that was my first, and remains my constant reflection. When people love each other, and have lived together any time, they ought to die together. For myself I should not care in the least &unknown;who&unknown; about dying; -- the dreadful thing to me would be to live after losing, if I ever should lose the one who has made life for me. Of course you who all knew and valued her will feel the loss, but I can't think of anybody's grief but his.
The next page must be left for Polly's postcript, so I shall only send my kindest regards and wishes to Mrs. Trollope, and the biggest of kisses to la cantatrice. 555
Ever faithfully yours
G. H. Lewes.
Signature
G. H. Lewes.
Citation
George Henry Lewes, GHL to Thomas Adolphus Trollope, London, 5 July 1861, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/95043