3970. EBB to Jane Wills-Sandford
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 24, 16–18.
Florence.
March 2. [1857] [1]
Do you indeed “miss” me, dearest Jane? Yet the thoughts and loves have been faithful– It is only this pen, these fingers, against which we may both rail–
I mean to write today—and if what is written will be brief, you may rely for the future on more frequent letters at least. Indeed I reproach this silence bitterly. Not only is it an unkind silence, but it is a false one,—lying against my heart & my gratitude.
Dearest Jane, let me say now, how deep a pleasure it gave me that you should like my poor Aurora so much. The pleasure was deep both to me and to the second me called Robert, and we read your notes together, & agreed that you had fixed on the best passages with an unfailing instinct. We have had letters from such critics as Ruskin & Leigh Hunt,—& you & they, for the most part, point to the same things– There were two letters from Ruskin, [2] and one of twenty pages from Leigh Hunt. [3] From Alfred Tennyson I have not heard, but I hear that he read the poem to his wife .. which pleased me. The reviews have been very numerous, & generally most favorable—and we had to go to press for the second edition a fortnight after publication, so unusual was the sale. I wish I could give you the dates of reviews,—but really I cant. Some were lent to me & I returned them; & some I only heard of. There was one in the Daily News, in the Globe, in the Leader, in the Literary Gazette, .. oh, I forget. The Westminster Review &c &c– [4] In Blackwood, there’s a review not ungenerous considering that it came from the camp of the enemy .. (Mr Aytoun) from a different school in art, politics & social questions. I think the writer perfectly wrong, but certainly I dont complain of him. In the North British, it is otherwise. [5] The criticism there is depreciatory & grudging, it seems to me, & when I remember it is probably written by another poet, Patmore, (the Angel in the house) [6] I am sorry more for him than for me. What is curious in the reception of this poem is the violence on both sides about it. I could’nt repeat the great things, the extravagant things, said in its praise by men & women,—while, on the other hand, I hear of ladies of sixty who complain of the “risk to their character & morals” in reading it! [7] Yes, seriously. In fact, it has given great offence to conventional persons who hate plain speaking, & prefer to ignore a subject through what is called delicacy, rather than help to better the world by dealing with it. For me, I hate giving offence—you know me & that I am not, in life or word, fond of <…> [8] thing. But for the truth & for conscience’ sake, & for the hope of doing some good, I was quite ready to dare and bear a few hard & most unjust imputations. After all, too, I hear women like yourself approve me– Thank you: it is very pleasant. Thank you too, for the words from your friends. Say how much I thank the sayers of such. In America, the success is great, they say. Ruskin wrote me two letters, enough to have lived for.
Oh, but all things connected with this book were saddened as you may suppose, by the loss of our beloved friend– [9] He just read it, read the dedication– I just had a few words from that hand, & it dropped. Such a sad, sad Christmas we lived through. It disinclined me to all sorts of writing. Otherwise your first letter would never have waited so long unanswered, in spite of the corruption of my human nature, especially as to letter-writing.
We have had a very quiet winter, & I have been doing idleness, just as I threatened, with novels & things as light. I have no remorse though– It was, & perhaps is still, necessary to me. Have you seen, ‘Never too late to mend’– [10] Mind, you wont like it,—& I think I dont, much. The style is as bad & bald as possible, but there’s great power– Then I have read some books of Mrs Marsh, [11] who, except in passion sometimes, wants power altogether. In french, About’s ‘Mariages de Paris’—good. You read ‘Tolla’ of course. [12] George Sand’s last books, do not please me. [13]
So glad I am that your desires may fly forward to Brighton & find a home, [14] —& that in April I may think of you as happy—or happier. Do write to me, & I will behave better. Penini has been running wild this carnival in a blue domino & blue satin mask (his own choice) poor Wilson out of breath with trying to keep up with him, & losing sight of him at moments in the masked crowd. Robert is well, full of his drawing– I take his love & give it to you. The sun shines gloriously & I see it against the old brown wall. [15] Dearest Jane’s
ever affecte friend
EBB–
My kindest regards to your sisters, & your father, if I may say so. I am very well & have had a good unsuffering winter, as far as health goes.
The letter was not overweight. Use an envelope of course– ‘Counterparts’ [16] has beautiful things, thoughts .. but as a book its all confusion to me & scarcely readable.
Address: Angleterre viâ France / Miss Wills Sandford / 13. Gloucester Square / Hyde Park Gate / London– W.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library.
1. Year provided by postmark.
4. Reviews of Aurora Leigh appeared in The Daily News (26 November 1856), The Globe and Traveller (20 November 1856), The Leader (29 November and 6 December 1856), The Literary Gazette (22 November 1856), The Westminster Review (January 1857), and Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine (January 1857). For the full text of these reviews, see vol. 23, Appendix III.
6. The title of two works by Patmore: The Angel in the House: The Betrothal (1854) and The Angel in the House: The Espousals (1856); see letter 3488, note 7.
7. EBB refers to Julia Martin’s friend; see the sixth paragraph in letter 3965.
8. Two or three words have been obliterated after receipt.
9. John Kenyon, to whom Aurora Leigh was dedicated (see letter 3892, note 1).
10. “It Is Never Too Late to Mend” (1856), a novel by Charles Reade (1814–84), is set primarily in an English prison and the Australian gold fields. Reade attacks the prison system for its degrading and sadistic practices. A review of the work in The Athenæum of 9 August 1856 praised the content but lamented the style, observing that Reade fell into “the fashion of the day—which is to prefer those ejaculations, broken sentences, replies and rejoinders, neat and regular as anvil strokes—good enough for actors on the stage, which are theatrical and not romantic … so trying to readers aloud … so fatiguing to the solitary student” (no. 1502, p. 991). Despite the negative criticism, the review predicted (correctly) “readers by the thousand.”
11. Anne Marsh (née Caldwell, afterwards Marsh-Caldwell, 1791–1874). EBB had read and disliked Mrs. Marsh’s Angela (1848); see letter 2772, note 3. Her most recent novel, Evelyn Marston (1856) was dismissed by The Athenæum as “diffuse, wearisome, flat, and unprofitable” (28 June 1856, no. 1496, p. 808).
12. Les Mariages de Paris (1856), a novel by Edmond François Valentin About (1828–85). EBB had enjoyed reading his Tolla (1855) the year before (see letter 3736).
13. George Sand had recently published Les amours de l’âge d’or: Evenor et Leucippe (1856). La Daniella (1857) was serialized in La Presse from 6 January to 25 March 1857.
14. The Brownings’ address book of this period lists Jane Wills-Sandford at Hove Place, Duke Road, Brighton; see Appendix IV.
15. EBB refers to the north wall of the church of San Felice, which Miss Wills-Sandford evidently disliked. In letter 4098 EBB writes to her of a lemon tree and daturas in flower “between us and the dear brown wall you hate so”; that is, on the terrace of Casa Guidi facing the church across Via Mazzetta.
16. Elizabeth Sara Sheppard (1830–62) published her second novel, Counterparts, or the Cross of Love in 1854. The subject of the romance was music and philosophy (see John Sutherland, The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction, Stanford, California, 1989, pp. 571–572).
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