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    Notices of booKs. 339

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    ¦ ^* Reprin Sail Ts . . B Mrs Y Acton . ...

    tions on some master-theme whichhas filled the ear of the time , to becoming tlie key - facetious -note of that or reli theme gious . , fashionable Here , is at or all -metap events hysical a _strugg , according le after

    objectivity . The upshot of the struggle is that they lose themselves and gain nothing in return . On the pilfered ware of these copyists

    it is not to be supposed one should find tlie sign-manual of the thiefnorif it were discoverablewould it be worth the trouble of

    _deci know p , hering anything , : In save the their second books p ; lace we , , know of the not few one ori personall ginals we y , and rarely but

    One or two by means of memoir or biography . Their life history is doubtless in their books , but it is written in an unknown character 1

    and tongue . Somethingmay be guessed through our common knowledof " the one primeval _lang-uage" of human nature ; we may

    ge inay _decip even her some catch of a the glimpse writer of ' s broad his peculi and arities general in some convictions rare turn , and of

    . thoug mysteries _-lit singular to the solving and either new of ; underrate but Which further we or have we overrate cannot no key go or , . and There totall -whose are significance we may y

    misinterpret . The may indulgence tlien of this pleasant , study of tracing the writer in his writing is not often allowed us ; and so when it

    is allowed , us ( even in small degree ) we must be specially thankful . become Biograp acquainted hy is to with most a of writ us er . the The onl scarcity y means of b good y which biograp we hies call ,

    and the characteristics requisite to the constituting of a good bioneed grapher not are be subjects considered of here which . An the other discussion question is we rife may , and allude which to

    biograp in passing her ; extend this is ? : How How far shall may he the draw lic the ense line granted between to the the

    private phase and the public phase of tlie " biographical perfor sonage information ? " How can and he hold at sacred once satisf privat y e the feelings craving ? of It the is easy public fco

    answer that in , the biography of a writer those _circumstances only are to be told which bear upon his writings ; To define what

    circumstances do not bear upon his writings is the difficulty ; and in the case of a writer of fiction above all . To what extent is it

    meet doings and of a ri John ght sou that ? a How Bos well far shall { shall note a " 3 down oitng Grub the say Street ings " and be

    suffered to scrutinise each individual hair of a " Lion of _Judali " like a Thackery ? The author lias equally as much right to Ms

    privacy another , man whether ; and in thoug his h club he sometimes or in the chooses domestic himself sanctuary to make , as and to

    advertise this privacy his public happinesses , to ming or le linhapp the sacred ihesses with marital the profane or individual , ,

    , to other a wondering men to respect nation that ., none privacy the . less To draw for this this is lin it e of incumbent demarcation on .

    is a difficulty whicli we do not pretend to solve here . We _liave one glanced onl at that it only we to show tha our t the testimony biographer ( sm ' s all task in is valu a perp e and lexing late ay g

    v , ox . iv y . 2 a . 2

    Notices Of Books. 339

    _Notices of _booKs . 339

• Citation
  • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), Jan. 1, 1860, page 339, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01011860/page/51/