The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Absentee, by Maria Edgeworth

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Title: The Absentee

Author: Maria Edgeworth

Release Date: March 18, 2006 [EBook #1473]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ABSENTEE ***

Produced by An Anonymous Volunteer and David Widger

THE ABSENTEE

by Maria Edgeworth

[Footnotes have been inserted in the text in square ("[]")
brackets, close to the point where they were originally.

Characters printed in italics in the original text have been
written in capital letters in this etext.

The British Pound Sterling symbol has been written 'L'.]

NOTES ON 'THE ABSENTEE'

In August 1811, we are told, she wrote a little play about landlords
and tenants for the children of her sister, Mrs. Beddoes. Mr. Edgeworth
tried to get the play produced on the London boards. Writing to her
aunt, Mrs. Ruxton, Maria says, 'Sheridan has answered as I foresaw he
must, that in the present state of this country the Lord Chamberlain
would not license THE ABSENTEE; besides there would be a difficulty in
finding actors for so many Irish characters.' The little drama was then
turned into a story, by Mr. Edgeworth's advice. Patronage was laid aside
for the moment, and THE ABSENTEE appeared in its place in the second
part of TALES OF FASHIONABLE LIFE. We all know Lord Macaulay's verdict
upon this favourite story of his, the last scene of which he specially
admired and compared to the ODYSSEY. [Lord Macaulay was not the only
notable admirer of THE ABSENTEE. The present writer remembers hearing
Professor Ruskin on one occasion break out in praise and admiration of
the book. 'You can learn more by reading it of Irish politics,' he said,
'than from a thousand columns out of blue-books.'] Mrs. Edgeworth tells
us that much of it was written while Maria was suffering a misery of
toothache.

Miss Edgeworth's own letters all about this time are much more concerned
with sociabilities than with literature. We read of a pleasant dance at
Mrs. Burke's; of philosophers at sport in Connemara; of cribbage, and
company, and country houses, and Lord Longford's merry ane