Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-01-31
.0UIDA, NOVELIST,
DIES IN POVERTY
ONCE FAMOUS AND WEALTHY
WRITER EXPIRES AT AN
ADVANCED AGE.
DOGS WITH HER TO THE END.
Grange Life of Brilliant and Eccentric
Woman, Who Hated Americans
and Society.
sQUANDERED A GREAT FORTUNE.

ROME, Jan. 27.-"Ouida," the novel
list, died Saturday night in the home Of
! her faithful maid, Isolina Cervella, near
Florence. Her death was mainly due 10
old age, although it was FASTENED by
the priyatiions which she had been
compelled to undergo III recent years and
which had brought on heart disease.
| Until the very end she shared her food
with her faithful dogs. Her real name
was Louise de la Rance.
The novelist was blind of one eye and
the other eye was badly affected through
her having suffered so much from ex-
pure and privation. During the last few
months Of her life she was compelled 1T
times to sleep in the open air when I'M
able to pay for a nights lodging. The
immediate cause Of death is set down
as asthma, complicated by heart disease.
The minister of instruction had sent
her on several occasions recently con-
siderable contributions which had been
subscribed for her aid.
Sneered at Responsibility.
Louise de la Rance was the founder
Of that school of romance known as
heroic criticism: and though generally
throughout her rocks there is the ever
present sheer az all things that are re-
spected. she possessed the power of rem
dering her pages charming, and some
times fascinating, added to which was
a marvellous descriptive ability.
| She was born at Bury st. Edmunds,
England, in 1910, and doubt exists as to
her, real name. 1t is known that her
father was Frenchman, while her
mother was English, and it is alleged
that her proper name was Rame At
least. that is the name she was known
by years ago in Florence; and it is de-
clared that with her first literary sue
cess she changed her name to Rance.
AS her novels became more popular this
became DE Rance and De 10 Rance;
Out she always wrote under the pictur-
esque pen name of "Ouida," and pre-
ferred to be known by that cognomen.
"Ouida." it is said, was the way in
which little girl relative of the famous
novelist tried to pronounce her christian
name, Louise.
''Ouida" began to write stories when
she was years old. Her father, man
Of great intelligence, who wasted his
talents in utopian dreams, trained her
N masculine modes of thought. From
Der earliest girlhood she had been a
keen student of various lteratures, and
also dabbled in art, painting pretty pic
cures in oil and water colors that always
sad in them cat dog or horse.
Work Well Paid For.
She began her literary career by writ
ing short stories for English magazines
rose to the eminence of receiving from
$1,000 to $4,000 for every book she
wrote. Many Of her novels are too Ions,
tedious from diffuseness and endless
iteration, but this is due in a measure to
the delight of "Ouida" in arraigning
society, exposing what she called its hol-
loWness, sordidness, Injustice and in"
Equity. At times she frequently seems to
forget her story and regard it as SUBJ
ordinate to the utterance Of her vim
dictive indignation.
| She also was very severe on her own
sex. At one time, commenting on love
and women, she exclaimed that women
are the exact antipodes of olives; the
one begins in salt and leaves US pleased
with the delicious aroma, the other is
nectar to begin with, but soon turns to
bltterest gall. Nine times out Of ten,
she added, a woman does not care Il
rush for man that is dying at her
feet, while she is crazy about some ugly
brute who takes no more notice of her
than he does Of his miry boots.
Her first successful romance, Held in
Bondage" might be called the keynote
to all her subsequent productions. It is
an attack on the marriage state, a satire
on chaste marital life. Her ideal life,
as pictured in her books, would appear
to be an existence of mingled poetry and
passion, with blending of every refine
ment of mind and sense-in fact, a life
of love such as the widest dreams of
fancy never expected to realize.
FaithIess Lover Made Hero.
"Moths, ''Under Two Flags" "strath-
more, or Wrought by His Own Hand"
'Tricotrin'' and Friendship" might be
considered her best works, and yet
Friendship is practically but the biog-
raphy of the man who cast aside
"Ouida's" love for that of a younger and
more beautiful woman, and in revenge
she made him the hero of her noval, but
a very weak, wavering and unromantic
hero at that.
One unexplainable trait of "Ouida's"
character was her general dislike of
Americans. They were voracious read
ers Of her books, and thus helped her
income materially, but that she hated
them intensely was obvious, and she sell
dom missed a chance to caricature and
hold up to ridicule the people of the
United States.
In general "Ouida's'' style is verbose
and declamatory, though it is often elo-
uuent and vigorous. A we'll known critic
Sd1u VI Lei SOIle lIlIc dSO LudL SIG pOS-
sessed remarkable talents, but impaired
them by injudicious usage and lack of
proper self-control.
"Ouida" lived for a long time in Flor
ence and wrote many of her books there.
She was an early riser-up at O'Clock
in winter and o'clock in su.nmer-but
most of her literary work was done in
the cold season. In later years fortune
and friends deserted her. She was COM
pelled to sell her Florence villa and was
almost reduced to penury. In July of
last year the British government con-
ferred on her an annual pension of $3.50.
TIM wAP AND PEACE