Lady Holland's Note on GE, Witley, 7 October 1877
Title
Lady Holland's Note on GE, Witley, 7 October 1877
Title
Lady Holland's Note on GE, Witley, 7 October 1877
Sender
Lady Holland's Note on Ge
Recipient
U
Date(s)
- 1877-10-07
Place
Witley
Letter Content
Lady Holland's Note on GE, Witley, 7 October 1877
MS: Huntington Library.
Pinewood October 7th 1877.
Mr. Lewes came in to see me today. The conversation falling on Mrs. Lewes's writings he said, as far as I recollect, "The extraordinary thing is that I never discovered this power in her -- that she never should have written a line till her 35th year. Our friends -- Herbert Spencer -- and others used to say to me -- Why doesn't she write a novel? and I used to reply that she was without the creative power. At last -- we were very badly off -- I was writing for Blackwood -- I said to her [My dear -- try your hand at something. Do not attempt a novel -- but try a story. We may get 20 guineas for it from Blackwood and that will be something.]
"Well she did try, and she began and then she read me the first chapter of [Amos Barton] (Scenes of CL.) Well, this was all descriptive and I doubted. [We want something dramatic,] I said to her. She shook her head and seemed to say that was hopeless. The next thing she read to me was the scene in Widow Hackitt's cottage. [Come] said I [this will do. Now for the pathos -- unless you can manage that we shall not get on.] But she seemed to think that quite hopeless, that there was no power of pathos in her. However one day when I was going to town she said [I wish you would dine in London today.] I was all astonishment to hear such an extraordinary wish expressed as that we should be apart and eagerly enquired the reason -- but she would not answer. Presently she said again [I wish you would stay and dine in town today.] And then on my pressing for a reason, it came out. She said she felt she had something she must write that evening. And I always objected to her working at night. But so it was this time -- she said she felt she must. And that evening she produced the scene of Milly's death. Then I felt all was right -- no one could doubt success was secured.
"When it was finished I sent it to Blackwood saying it was written by a friend of mine who intended it to be one of a series -- and that the author must make the condition of retaining the copyright and of the whole series being published. Blackwood was enchanted -- carried away."
MS: Huntington Library.
Pinewood October 7th 1877.
Mr. Lewes came in to see me today. The conversation falling on Mrs. Lewes's writings he said, as far as I recollect, "The extraordinary thing is that I never discovered this power in her -- that she never should have written a line till her 35th year. Our friends -- Herbert Spencer -- and others used to say to me -- Why doesn't she write a novel? and I used to reply that she was without the creative power. At last -- we were very badly off -- I was writing for Blackwood -- I said to her [My dear -- try your hand at something. Do not attempt a novel -- but try a story. We may get 20 guineas for it from Blackwood and that will be something.]
"Well she did try, and she began and then she read me the first chapter of [Amos Barton] (Scenes of CL.) Well, this was all descriptive and I doubted. [We want something dramatic,] I said to her. She shook her head and seemed to say that was hopeless. The next thing she read to me was the scene in Widow Hackitt's cottage. [Come] said I [this will do. Now for the pathos -- unless you can manage that we shall not get on.] But she seemed to think that quite hopeless, that there was no power of pathos in her. However one day when I was going to town she said [I wish you would dine in London today.] I was all astonishment to hear such an extraordinary wish expressed as that we should be apart and eagerly enquired the reason -- but she would not answer. Presently she said again [I wish you would stay and dine in town today.] And then on my pressing for a reason, it came out. She said she felt she had something she must write that evening. And I always objected to her working at night. But so it was this time -- she said she felt she must. And that evening she produced the scene of Milly's death. Then I felt all was right -- no one could doubt success was secured.
"When it was finished I sent it to Blackwood saying it was written by a friend of mine who intended it to be one of a series -- and that the author must make the condition of retaining the copyright and of the whole series being published. Blackwood was enchanted -- carried away."
Citation
Lady Holland's Note on Ge, Lady Holland's Note on GE, Witley, 7 October 1877, 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/95523