The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-03-29
READY MADE CRITICS OF OLD
Amused by the Pretentions of By
ron, Wadsworth and Tennyson.
SHELLY'S WORK A SEALED BOOK
The Icy Reception Given the Early Ef-
forts of the Men Who Lived to See
Themselves World Famous and
Their ScornfuI Critics
Chagrined.

With the poems of tho youthful Byron
Che Edinburgh reviewer made fine sport,
littlo dreaming he had caught Tartar
in the presumably foolish young lord
ling, In cutting up the "Hours of lido
ness the critic was better justified than
upon other ocoasi ons when no used the
knife. Still it is just rs we'll that Byruu
did not take to heart tho advice to forth
with abandon poetry and turn his talents
and opportunities to better account The
sting contained in tho remark that "tho
poesy of this young lord belongs to tho
class which neither tho gods nor mon
are said to permit" was returned with
interest in the lines:
A man must servo his time to every trade
Save censure; critics are all ready made
And again:
Believe n woman or Nh cpitaph
Or any other thing that's false bororo
( Sou trust in critics, who themselves are sore.
Tho appearance of a Volume of poems
by Wordsworth in 1907 was tho signal
Tor savage onslaught in Tho Edin-
bursh The peouliaritics OF diction of
Che disciples of the new school of poetry
were enough, in the critics opinion, to
render them ridiculous but Mr.. Words
worth, he added, REALLY seems anxious
to court this literary martyrdom by ad.
wee still moro infallible-wom mean TINT
OF connecting his most lofty, tender or
impassionod conceptions with objects
and Incidents which tho greater part of
his readers will probably persist in
thinking low, silly or unintorestiuV. "
After denying to Wordsworth any urc.
tensions to elegance, dignity or correct
ness OF versiiicatiOn tho reviewer con.
cludes with tho following Significant
paSagc: 1--WE venture to hope that thoro
is now an end of this folly, and that,
like other follics, it will lie found to
have cured itself by tho oxtravaganco
resulting from its unbridlod indulgence.
Rndwe think there is reason to hone
that the lamentablo consequences which
have resulted from Mr. Wordsvorth's
open violation of the established laws
OF poetry will operate MS Il wholesome
warning to those who might otherwise
have been seduced by his example and
be tlis means of restoring to that an
Client and venerable code it's due honor
and authority"
immortality apart, the reviewers ap.
pear to have been totally unable 10 com.
prehend Shelley's poetry, tho beauties
OF which seemed to them but the tricks
OF 'poetical harlequin. In the cri-
tlque on "Promethens Unbound" and
other poems that appeared in Tho Quar-.
terly IN 1921, tho writer complains that
the predominating characteristic of Mr..
Sheiley's poetry is its frequent and to.
tai want OF meaning and declares his
INABILITY to discover tho "object" Of the
poem called "A Sensitive Plant" He
is astonlshed that such volume should
meet with readers and admirers. mn
til he recollects the numerous congre-
cations which the incoherencies of tho
1tlnerant Methodist preacher attract
and concludes: "Poetical power can
only be shown by writing good poetry.
ana this Mr. Shelley has not yet done.
TAKE away from him the unintelliuible.
the confused, the inCoherent, the BON
oastlc, the affected, the extravagant. the
hldeonsiy gorgeous and 'Promethcus'
and tho poems which accompany it vii!
sink at once into nothingness -
Tennyson's volume of poems which
appeared in 1888 met with the usual
reception from the critics, whose custom
1T was to "heavo half brick" at the
poetical stranger. The Quarterly, incor
rigiole as ever, though protesting to be
warned by former mishaps, begins in
tone of labored sarcasm: eve gladly
seize the opportunity of introducing to
the notice Of our moro sequestered read
ers q prodigy Of genius, another and a
brighter star of that galaxy or milky
way of poetry of which the lamentcd
Keats was the harbinger, and let us
take this occasion to sing our palinods
on the subject of 'Endymion. We GER
talnly did not discover in that poem
the came degree of merit that its more
clear sighted and prophetic admirers
did Warned by our former mishaps.
wiser by experience and improved, wo
hope. in taste, we have to offer to Mr..
Iennyson our tribute of unminRIed
praise. F" This tribute consists of several
pages OF critical horseplay at the OK
ponse of such poems as the ''Hesper
ldes, "Gnone" and the Dream of
Fair Women. "--Cornhill Magazine.