Page:Blanchard on L. E. L.pdf/242

242 by critic—though round her fair forehead is already wreathed the immortal laurel.

".—Her novel is brilliant.

".—Throughout.

"This morning gives us promise of a glorious day."

There was a critical observation in the "Athenæum" on the appearance of "Ethel Churchill," which should be added here:—

"We find in the prose writings of Miss Landon the same warmth of feeling as in her verse. The language only is changed; the genius that prompts it is the same. But the qualities that have established her fame as a poetess occasionally interfere with the full development of her powers as a writer of novels. In all, we admit there are fine and noble thoughts beautifully expressed; her personages think wisely, tenderly, or romantically, as suits her purpose; they speak eloquently and wittily, but they seldom act. Her novels, in fact, are more records of feelings, than narratives of events. Instead of giving her full attention to working out a character, or unravelling an artfully involved plot, she pours forth from the fulness of her own heart a profusion of deep and eloquent reflections, which, though excellent in themselves, do not assist in the progress of the story. But readers must be more critical than we are disposed to be if they find much fault with a habit from which they derive so much pleasure. These episodes are indeed the characteristics of Miss Landon's style; and we confess we would not change them for an improvement in the mere machinery of a novel."

The author of an article on the Female Novelists in the "Edinburgh Review." discussed L. E. L.'s pretensions to a distinguished place amongst them, in a spirit of liberal appreciation. Conscientiousness of judgment, accompanied by brilliancy of expression, gave value to this critic's praise; his objections were not prejudice, nor his acknowledgments flattery. There could be no risk in grounding upon the opinion of such writers, the assertion, that L. E. L.'s place in modern literature would have been no unelevated one had she never written a single poem.