John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 22 April 1868
Title
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 22 April 1868
Title
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 22 April 1868
Sender
John Blackwood
Recipient
George Eliot
Date(s)
- 1868-04-22
Place
Edinburgh
Letter Content
John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 22 April 1868
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
Edinburgh | April 22/68.
My Dear Madam
It gave me much pleasure to hear from you today and also to receive Book IV of The Poem, which will speedily be returned to you in type. Along with this I send by Book post the three first books put into pages.
I have been reading them a good deal and the dirty state of the outer pages is owing to frequent transits between this and my dressing room, as I always brought them back here thinking I might hear from you any day of your return.
It is a grand poem and one cannot dip into any page without being arrested by the beauty and power of thoughts and lines. I like books 2 and 3 greatly better than I did on the perusal in M.S. I feel too more reconciled to Don Silva's fearful bolt off the course, as I do see you had from the first drawn his character so mixed
"that each today May seem a maniac to its morrow." 743
"A lion's whelp" but "unstable as water." 744
There is difficulty in getting over his character so as to keep up the interest of the story.
Fidalma's
"What the Zincala may not quit for you I cannot joy that you should quit for her" 745 puts the thing beautifully.
I am sorry to hear that you have brought back headaches with you but I hope soon to hear from you that they are gone and to see part of their absence in the shape of M.S.
With best regards to Lewes I am
always yours truly
John Blackwood.
Mrs. Lewes.
I have of course been looking into Book 4 today and I see Silva and Fedalma are left in a terrible climax. Zarca's death and dismissal of Silva to misery are fine.
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
Edinburgh | April 22/68.
My Dear Madam
It gave me much pleasure to hear from you today and also to receive Book IV of The Poem, which will speedily be returned to you in type. Along with this I send by Book post the three first books put into pages.
I have been reading them a good deal and the dirty state of the outer pages is owing to frequent transits between this and my dressing room, as I always brought them back here thinking I might hear from you any day of your return.
It is a grand poem and one cannot dip into any page without being arrested by the beauty and power of thoughts and lines. I like books 2 and 3 greatly better than I did on the perusal in M.S. I feel too more reconciled to Don Silva's fearful bolt off the course, as I do see you had from the first drawn his character so mixed
"that each today May seem a maniac to its morrow." 743
"A lion's whelp" but "unstable as water." 744
There is difficulty in getting over his character so as to keep up the interest of the story.
Fidalma's
"What the Zincala may not quit for you I cannot joy that you should quit for her" 745 puts the thing beautifully.
I am sorry to hear that you have brought back headaches with you but I hope soon to hear from you that they are gone and to see part of their absence in the shape of M.S.
With best regards to Lewes I am
always yours truly
John Blackwood.
Mrs. Lewes.
I have of course been looking into Book 4 today and I see Silva and Fedalma are left in a terrible climax. Zarca's death and dismissal of Silva to misery are fine.
Signature
John Blackwood.
Citation
John Blackwood, John Blackwood to GE, Edinburgh, 22 April 1868, 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/95226