Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 3 of 3), Essay 4: The Life of George Eliot

Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 3 of 3), Essay 4: The Life of George Eliot

On Literary Biography As a mere letter-writer will not rank among the famous masters Mr. Myers's Essay Letter to Mr. Harrison Hebrew her favourite study Limitless persistency in application Romola Mr. R.W. Mackay's Progress of the Intellect The period of her productions, 1856-1876 Mr. Browning An sthetic not a doctrinal teacher Disliked vehemence Conclusion The illustrious woman who is the subject of these volumes makes a remark to her publisher which is at least as relevant now as it was then. Can nothing be done, she asks, by dispassionate criticism towards the reform of our national habits in the matter of literary biography? 'Is it anything short of odious that as soon as a man is dead his desk should be raked, and every insignificant memorandum which he never meant for the public be printed for the gossiping amusement of people too idle to reread his books?' Autobiography, she says, at least saves a man or a woman that the world is curious about, from the publication of a string of mistakes called Memoirs. Even to autobiography, however, she confesses her deep repugnance unless it can be written so as to involve neither self-glorification nor impeachment of othersa condition, by the way, with which hardly any, save Mill's, can be said to comply. 'I like,' she proceeds, 'that He being dead yet speaketh should have quite another meaning than that' (iii. 226, 297, 307). She shows the same fastidious apprehension still more clearly in another way. 'I have destroyed almost all my friends' letters to me,' she says, 'because they were only intended for my eyes, and could only fall into the hands of persons who knew little of the writers if I allowed them to remain till after my death. In proportion as I love every form of pietywhich is venerating loveI hate hard curiosity; and, unhappily, my experience has impressed me with the sense that hard curiosity is the more common temper of mind' (ii. 286). There is probably little difference among us in respect of such experience as that. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 17954
Author: Morley, John
Release Date: Mar 9, 2006
Format: eBook
Language: English