Joseph Munt Langford to John Blackwood, London, 28 October 1871
Title
Joseph Munt Langford to John Blackwood, London, 28 October 1871
Title
Joseph Munt Langford to John Blackwood, London, 28 October 1871
Sender
Joseph Munt Langford
Recipient
John Blackwood
Date(s)
- 1871-10-28
Place
London
Letter Content
Joseph Munt Langford to John Blackwood, London, 28 October 1871
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
. . . I am greatly obliged to you for sending me [Middlemarch.] I do not think she has ever displayed more strikingly her deep insight into character and human nature generally and the ease with which she uses it is perfectly marvellous whilst her style is more clear and incisive than ever -- you could not change or displace a word. There is too the starting point of a good story. I think she has made a mistake in construction -- the part should have ended with Miss Brooke's marriage, whereas after the marriage has been announced she diverts the interest just when it might have been concentrated. She might easily have brought the new people in earlier. I do not like the [Prelude,] and if I had my way I would omit it. . . .
MS: National Library of Scotland. Hitherto unpublished.
. . . I am greatly obliged to you for sending me [Middlemarch.] I do not think she has ever displayed more strikingly her deep insight into character and human nature generally and the ease with which she uses it is perfectly marvellous whilst her style is more clear and incisive than ever -- you could not change or displace a word. There is too the starting point of a good story. I think she has made a mistake in construction -- the part should have ended with Miss Brooke's marriage, whereas after the marriage has been announced she diverts the interest just when it might have been concentrated. She might easily have brought the new people in earlier. I do not like the [Prelude,] and if I had my way I would omit it. . . .
Citation
Joseph Munt Langford, Joseph Munt Langford to John Blackwood, London, 28 October 1871, 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/95520