Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-30
HER VIEWS OF LIFE.
MISS ELLEN GLASGOW TALKS OF
HER TWO NOVELS.
BRILLIANT YOUNG WOMAN.
hcr Literary Work Has Attracted
widespread Acknowledgement
""'"' "The Descendant" and
"Phnscs OF an Ipferior p,,n.,,
virginia IffeO

virginia Iife)
- year or so ago, when cosby Rich
! 'noHoers whispered that Ellen Glaspov,
'aO written a book, many people asked
VINO sho was, while others. who knew
inc Well-known family from which sbo
came exclaimed; mo. II can't he GO.
1t must be mistake: she's nothing b,t
siri' But 1t was not a mistake Mice
"iaSsow' though still girl is an
! "u'horess OF wonderful power. and she
mas acquired widespread celebrity AL
most before the Richmond peoplo have
awakened to the fact that this ouiet
reuring young woman is literary
genius OF exceptional ability.
me whole brief story OF her ror,,r,,
10y successful career is n puzzling one
,'r3o. heT accuaintances can hardly
understand Indeed Miss Glaeeov,,e
whose origin no one can troco w .
writings contain ideas and tbouehts
whose force md wisdom seem truIv as9
eUunulhs Tor one of her years The
philosophical, pessimistic strain which
perVades her entire writings IS almost
4 uhaccountable, though she saws she writes
OF me- and that life at best Is very
gloomy. very
me public when they adopt nm author
% 'I,ir IaVorlte. love TO learn what man
no' OF creature he or she may be and TO
read or the mode OF life which fashioned
the ideas that enchant them TN ,,oi ~,
aelhe that at the hearthside of the ro-
mancer they will find the germ OF the
inspiration which generates great books
anu that In the study of the novelist
the world will detect the origin Of mighty
thoughts. peep into Miss Glosgov.'s
nome produces no such fruitful results
nor can she. In her easy. graceful con.
Versauon tell just why she writes and
thinks as she does. 81 like a good story
she toid me some days ago. land I try
~ "i''e OF me- That is all I can say"
THE DESCENDANT.
MISS Glasgow made her bow as novel;
ISL when. withog previous notice IN the
world. she put 1.-THE Descendant on the
market and calmly awaited Its recepnon
Inc work was at first published anonv-
nously by the Harpers, though II of
course leaked out from friends of the
FANNY That Miss Glasgow was the author.
IL was then that people refused TO believe
that she was It's creator. and were in
clined TO attribute its authorship 10 her
oder sisters. But all the same thew
bought the book, and then they We're still
more astonished. Possibly they had ex-
pected the himsy, sentimental ideas Of a
gushing maid. who used adiectives un-
sparlngly and cleared ali obstacles from
the pathway Of true love. Instead they
found a strong-wonderfully strong
story, with ruggy thoughts and powerful
IDEAS. Sentiment, If there was any. was
crushed in the gloom of melancholy. and
rsas- Of III. 1
the way Of the characters portrayed. The
book was morbid, plain-spoken. and blunt.
and did not seek TO mince matters nor
10 conceal what the author thought
Her@dity was perhaps the fundamental
ldea OF the mover, a,nd there was in the
story sprinkling of love and selfishness
and some very human emotions. and no
little display of mundane weakness. The
hero-or rather the man who stands out
in vivid colors in the foreRround-was
strong, vindictive, and pitTful. and the
woman he loved was no less so. The
story ends badly" and the reader laws
it aside with no little indignation; pos
sibly some even feel that they have a
grievance against the author. And why
is the reader dissatisfied? Certainly, not
because THE Descendant" is weak but
rather because of its strength. the at |
tractive qualities of the persons involved |
and the mastery way I'm which the au-
thoress has presented them. The scenes |
are laid in New York and the coloring |
is drawn from Bohemian life, which, as |
all the world knows, is unconventional, |
and above all things independent.
"The Descendant" was widely com |
mented upon, and many sought to guess |
the object of the authOress. Some criti-
cised the morbid style and others COM
mented on the deep philosophy the book |
displayed, but all conceded that a mas
ter mind had produced the work. No one
said it was weak; many described ii as
irritating, and not few who would fain
fight any break from the mornings of pre-
cedent declared that young girl should |
not have written it," To make a long
story short Miss Glasgow soon found that
she was a much-discussed woman, and
that people unwittingly paid homage to
her wisdom and ability
HER RETIRING NATURE.
Many in the face of such success,
would have come forth and ridden TO
heir hearts delight the popular wave
hus created, but Miss Glasgow, whose
whole life has been spent in retirement,
lid not allow her head 10 be turned Her
'eticence was remarkable-indeed she al
most appeared Indifferent TO public opin-
on. But her energies never tagged, and
almost before the printers ink was dried
IN "The Descendant" her pen was again
,usy. and now she presents a second
work TO her readers This novel bears
he puzzllng title phases Of an Inferior
'lanet" and the reader who first sees IL
wonders whether he must hear of science
n Of philosophy The story is of neither,
nd as the bookworm ploughs through it
he title become clear and its appropriate
less manifest. phases" as Miss Glas-
.ow in her practical way. calls the story.
! another tale Of Bohemian life. 1t is an
on its predecessor though
he style Of the authorizes is the same as
hat with which she made her debut in
he literary world
The Washington Post thus epitomizes {
he plot:
"The scene is New York, the time to-
av. the characters, New York Bohe-
mans. This is one of the rare novels
d which the hero and heroine engage
he readers attention in equal shares,
,otb are interesting persons, although
hey will be quite incomprehensible to