The New York herald., 1877-10-08
LITERATURE.
swmBunxz's zuIosr OF oHAa1orr. snoxrx.

sw1NBUnNE's xuLoor OF CHARLOTTE sRoxrx
Just what good Mr. Swinburnes IA Note Char
iotss Bronte' (scribner, welfora Armstrong; will
do It's author or The memory OF it, subject Il would
hard to tell. BY II learn that Mr. Swinburno ad-
mrcs Charlotte Bronte above oil writing English
women her sister Emily TO hcr ana George Eliot
little enough in comparison. IL 10 easy matter to
pick out this plain statement from the labyrntho
sentences that compose the "Note" Think OF ten
and half llnes in opening sentence and tha, so
involved that only several readings bring out its
meaning MI swinburnc's style In this note
cited and extravagant and at all elegant. For
stance he says that "Jane Eyrep and ssWutherng
Heghts" viii live .'when oven 'Danle Deronda' has
gone the OF all waxwork. when Miss Brough-
ton no longer cometh up . flower, and oven Mrs
ophan. Is At length cut down like she grass" That
does NOT sound like the writing Of one OF Eng
lands most celebrated poets Indeed, there Is
nothing In the little volume 10 lead ono
TO think u tho work Of man Of lettoSs
AS o criticism has very lttle value, for II reads
though the author simply wished you to understand
that such and such are his opinions without giving
tho reason why. We quite agreo with his opinion OF
Charlotte Brope but do not think that he does justice
TO George Eliot. "rhat Charlotte Bronse," woman
OF tho arst order OF genius, says Mr. Swnburne,
"could 20 very wrong indeed there whole scenes
than ample proof But George Elio. awoman Of the
first order OF ntelect. and again shown how
much further and more steadily and moro hopeless
and more irrelrievabiy ana more intoIerably wrong
1t Is possible Tor intellect 70 60 than Il ever
be possible for moro genius Having NO taste for the
dissection oil dolls shall Daniel Dcronda In his
natural place above the rag shop door (whatever that
may meanl and having no ear tor the melodies OF
Jewsharp, shall leave the Spanish gypsy perform
on that instrument such audience as she may col.
aectn In this connection Mr.. Swinburne speaks OF
..the pitlful and unsecmly spectacle OF an Amazon
thrown sprawling over the crupper OF her spawned
ana pur-galled Pegasus" What sort Of language
this from gentleman or LADY, or from poet Of =
sister writer?
Our critic says that, TO his mind. the ngure OF Ed
ward Rochester, in "Jane Eyre" ''remains, and seems
likely remain, OF the only two malo ngures OF
wholly truthful Workmanship and vitally heroic mould
ever carved colored by womsn's nand. Tho
other II superuous to mention; all possible readers
will have uttered before can transcribc, the OF
Paul Emanuel" doing back 70 George Eliot Mr.
swiuburno pronounces the "Mll on the Floss" tho
best OF works. but declares the character OF ste
phen Guest 'sthe hagrant biemish which defaoes and
degrades the very and nower Of George Eiiors
wonderful and most noble work-no rent or splash
the raiment no speck the skin Of IL, but
Aesh.n Here tho critic pauses, but only because no
has exhausted hts vocabulary OF Hlshy diseases In
the course of hts note Mr. Swinburne pecks few
times the Quarterly, but toward the end he punges
the knife boldly into the hoart Of that magazine by
saying that fom the earlier days Of Shelley, onward
these latter days OF Tennyson whatsoever things
are truo, whatsoever things are honcst, whatsoever
things JUST whatsoever things are puro, whatso
ever things lovely, whatsoever things OF good
report become untrue dishonest, unjust impure.
lovely and il-famed when passed through tho critical
crucbe Of the Quarterly Reuiew." This note does
raise our estimate OF Mr.. Swinburne as . critic. He
speaks plainly AID calls names when he eels iike IL
and seems to take profound pleasure in hurting the
javons Of his hatred out those be hates II seems
to us as though the writer had said to ef:"Most
every literary Of any position has had something
10 say about Charlotte Bront6 My opinion is yet
unheard, give ear, o 70 peoplel and listen to what
Swnburno has to say"