Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1880-12-24
0e0vxe Eii"s DEAD.

Inc uehtu VI GeeIko G'ao'j INV
great English novelist, reported
elsew here in our Geographic col.
umnP, calls to mind the prominent
part women Of late years have
taken in literature. George Eliot,
Charlotte Bronte and George Sand
have, in our later days, equnled or
eclipsed Madame de Stael, who, at
the beginning Of this century, oc-
cuplsd a position which might be
described as "grand, gloomy and
peculiar" In literary circles. In
qualities of rich and creative
genius, leaving out the more es-
thetic aptitudes, they were really,
all of them, the superiors OF the
gifted French woman OF the Con-
sulate and tho Empire. Two OF
these prodlgally endowed ladies of
our later days, who have demon
strated that woman is capable Of
achieving the highest triumphs In
literature, voluntarily wrote under
q male nom de plume. or those
named Charlotte Bronte was the
only one who did not meet the
world with a sort of masculine de-
| fiance. 1t is somewhat singular
that George Eliot, George Sand.
and, at a great remove of merit,
"Ouida" and Mrs. Braddon, have
all been women who trampled
upon the canons of society and re-
Iigion and treated the decalogue as
Of no avail. This coincidence Is SC
| striking as to lead to the inquiry
whether genius and sexual vir.
tue are incompatible in women
and the investigation would carry
Us back to the Aspssia of old. Even
Madame de Stael did not come
through the ordeal unscathed
Bourrienne, in his Memoirs, telli
the story of the fierce love The
daughter of Nsckar made to tht
young Conqueror of Italy. On ons
occasion Napoleon, desiring TO gs
: was in his BATH. "wbatihat h'
! Madame do Stael, edo such trifs
, amount to with people of genius?'
Though they were nothing to her
to Napoleon they signified goo,
deal, and to the fierce and impetu
Gus love she made to him cal
probably be attributed Bona
parties distaste for women of tai,
ent. To the same cause can doubt
less be ascribed Mamame de Stael'i
hatred for the man she once sc
highly admired, on the principle
suggested by the poet that "hsl
hath no fury like woman
scorned."
/ The late Mrs. Cross who, under
the name of George Eliot, achieved
such a genuine triumph in fiction,
did her best work years ago. Hel
"Adam Bede," written in a style
of inimitably terse and pure Eng
lish, contrasts with some of her
later and metaphy steal works as a
violet would with a dahlia. Her
liaison with Professor Lewes, a
man Of real mediocrity and turgid
method of writing undoubtedly did
much to corrupt her original Wig
orous and exquisite ST. le. So strong
hold, however, had she obtained
over the reading world that her
works were always in demand at
extravagant prices. It lie doubtful
whether even Dickens, Bulwer or
D'Israeli, in their palmy days,
could dictate terms more peremp.
torily to their publishers than
could Mrs. Cross. Her career,
though 1t was by no means hap
py one, illustrates the immense
possibilities which are opening up
before her sex. With the beacon
lights of Madame de Stael, Char
lotte Bronte, George Sand and
George Eliot before her, no woman
of genius need, in this age, despair
of forcing recognition from the
world.