Record Number: 28559

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Charlotte Bronte (as Currer Bell) to her publisher, W. S. Williams, 26 April 1848:

'I have now read "Rose, Blanche, and Violet," and I will tell you, as well as I can, what I think of it.
'Whether it is an improvement on "Ranthorpe' [G. H. Lewes's previous novel] I do not know, for I liked "Ranthorpe" much, but any any rate it contains more of a good thing; I find in it the same powers but more fully developed.
The author's character is seen on every page, which makes the book interesting, far more interesting than any story could do; indeed the story appears to me slight; the dialogues are animated and good, but it is what the writer himself says that attracts far more than what he puts into the mouths of his characters [...] The didactic passages seem to me the best — far the best — in the work — very acute, very profound are some of the views there given, and very clearly they are offered to the reader [comments further]

[...]

His emotional scenes are somewhat too uniformly vehement [...] Now and then, Mr Lewes takes a French pen into his hand, wherein he differs from Mr Thackeray, who always uses an English quill. However, the French pen does not far mislead Mr Lewes; he guides it with British muscles [...]

He gives no charming picture of London Literary Society, and especially the female part of it: but all coteries [...] must, it seems to me, have a tendency to change truth into affectation. When people belong to a clique, they must, I suppose, in some measure, write, talk, think, and live for that clique; a harassing and narrowing necessity.

'I trust the Press and Public show themselves disposed to give the book the reception it merits, and that is a very cordial one.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1848 and 26 Apr 1848

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Charlotte Brontë

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

21 Mar 1816

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

Religion:

Church of England

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

G. H. Lewes

Title:

Rose, Blanche, and Violet

Genre:

Fiction

Form of Text:

Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

28559

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

James Wise and John Alexander Symington

Title:

The Brontes: Their Lives, Friendships and Correspondence

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1980

Vol:

2

Page:

206-207

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

James Wise and John Alexander Symington (ed.), The Brontes: Their Lives, Friendships and Correspondence, (Oxford, 1980), 2, p. 206-207, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=28559, accessed: 26 April 2025

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Additional Comments:

None