FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162  
163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   >>   >|  
. Mademoiselle de Scudery has so well treated them, and so aptly introduced a variety of beautiful passages, that nothing in this kind is comparable to her productions. Some expressions, and certain turns, have become somewhat obsolete; all the rest will last for ever, and outlive the criticisms they have undergone." Menage has here certainly uttered a false prophecy. The curious only look over her romances. They contain doubtless many beautiful inventions; the misfortune is, that _time_ and _patience_ are rare requisites for the enjoyment of these Iliads in prose. "The misfortune of her having written too abundantly has occasioned an unjust contempt," says a French critic. "We confess there are many heavy and tedious passages in her voluminous romances; but if we consider that in the Clelia and the Artamene are to be found inimitable delicate touches, and many splendid parts, which would do honour to some of our living writers, we must acknowledge that the great defects of all her works arise from her not writing in an age when taste had reached the _acme_ of cultivation. Such is her erudition, that the French place her next to the celebrated Madame Dacier. Her works, containing many secret intrigues of the court and city, her readers must have keenly relished on their early publication." Her Artamene, or the Great Cyrus, and principally her Clelia, are representations of what then passed at the court of France. The _Map_ of the _Kingdom of Tenderness_, in Clelia, appeared, at the time, as one of the happiest inventions. This once celebrated _map_ is an allegory which distinguishes the different kinds of TENDERNESS, which are reduced to _Esteem_, _Gratitude_, and _Inclination_. The map represents three rivers, which have these three names, and on which are situated three towns called Tenderness: Tenderness on _Inclination_; Tenderness on _Esteem_; and Tenderness on _Gratitude_. _Pleasing Attentions_, or, _Petits Soins_, is a _village_ very beautifully situated. Mademoiselle de Scudery was extremely proud of this little allegorical map; and had a terrible controversy with another writer about its originality. GEORGE SCUDERY, her brother, and inferior in genius, had a striking singularity of character:--he was one of the most complete votaries to the universal divinity, Vanity. With a heated imagination, entirely destitute of judgment, his military character was continually exhibiting itself by that peaceful instr
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162  
163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Tenderness
 

Clelia

 

romances

 
inventions
 
misfortune
 
French
 

Gratitude

 

Esteem

 

Inclination

 

situated


character
 
celebrated
 

Artamene

 

beautiful

 

passages

 

Mademoiselle

 

Scudery

 

TENDERNESS

 

distinguishes

 

allegory


treated
 

called

 

Pleasing

 
rivers
 

represents

 
reduced
 
publication
 

principally

 

keenly

 

relished


representations

 

variety

 
appeared
 
Attentions
 

introduced

 
Kingdom
 

passed

 

France

 

happiest

 

village


Vanity

 

heated

 
imagination
 

divinity

 
universal
 
complete
 

votaries

 

destitute

 
peaceful
 

exhibiting