The Express.
London, England, 1868-07-30 00:00:00

" CLARISSA HARLOWE."

SAMUEL RICHARDSON, who, in some respects at
least, may be accounted the greatest of English
novelists, is at the same time the least popular.
Everybody knows the reason. The worthy but
somewhat finical bookseller had a faculty peculiar
to himself of making more than half the charm of
his narrative dependent on its prolixity. If
RICHARDSON were not almost interminable, if he
did not add word to word and description to de-
scription in a manner which no other writer can
achieve, if he did not weld into his story with
curious felicity a thousand artless incidents
which appear at first sight worthless, but
are in reality essential, his peculiar great-
ness as a novelist would be compara-
tively dwarfed. Iticiwinsort lived before the
age of railroads and penny posts ; he wrote
at leisure for those who had ample leisure to
read—he wrote, too, for people who, wonderful
to relate, when he took up the pen were almost
wholly ignorant of fiction and managed to exist
notwithstanding. This great master of the art
had, therefore, the field to himself, and made good
use of his vantage ground. Never was any
writer more flattered. He lived, as has been well
said, in a " flower-garden of ladies." His
" Pamela " was recommended from the
pulpit by Dr. SHERLOCK, and the greatest
poet of the day declared, perhaps with
irony, that it would do more good than
volumes of sermons. The fine ladies
of the day carried it with them to R►.Nsr.eon,
and, just as RAMON the artist used to say that
if he were restricted to two books he would choose
the Bible and " Vasari," so on the appearance of
RICIIARDRON'S first novel it was said that if all
other books were to be burnt " Pamela" and the
Bible should be preserved. Yet " Pamela," such
is the change of manners or of morals, could not
now be read aloud with propriety in any family
circle, and apart from the coarseness of particular
scenes it mast be allowed that although written

with the best intentions the moraine it ineuleatess iu
of a miserably low Sax*. irrobsAss eiandiaon"
and " Clarissa Marlowe," are novels of a far
higher stamp, and the latter is beyond question
the noblest prose tragedy in the language. Never-
theless of these two great fictions—groat in two
SIMMS—we believe that for many years no now
edition has appeared, and that the best edition
now to be obtained was published at tho begin-
iiiLg of the century.
Of " Clarissa," which it is said Lord MACAULAY
knew almost by heart, Mr. E. 8. DALLAS now pro-
poses to publish a now and revised edition, be-
cause, ho says " for the honour of our literature I
" lament that the noblest of all novels, the most
" pathetio and the most sublime, should be un-
" read and well nigh unknown among us, and
" because I agree with the French critics in
" thinking that the prolixity which has boon its
" bane may be diminished with an advantage
"to which there is no serious drawback."
The task, if practicable, will be ono of infinite
difficulty ; and we oonfees we do not see for
what class of readers the revision is designed.
Those of us who enjoy and appreciate
Ittelisitnsos, and regard " Marisa*" as the
greatcat of all romance, will continuo to
prefer the familiar seven volumes to Mr. DALLAS'S
three, and if it be proposed to adapt the story to
the taste of what may be termed the Mudie public
many of the most passionate and pathetic scow*
will require to be curtailed and some of them to
be omitted. When wo remember that the whole
plot of this wonderful story hangs upon the
attempt of a heartless man of the world to debauch
an innocent and confiding girl it is not easy to
ace how it can be made palateable to readers who
are accustomed to have vice presented to them
" elegantly dressed." Even Clarissa herself,
pure and lovely though she be, is apt to say and
do things which might possibly offend the readers
of Miss BRADDON'S novels, or the admirers of
Mdlle. SCHNEIDER.