or the little they might
individually contribute. The reason of this is that the woman
herself, who must give the tone to her own society, and influence
its character, is ignorant, vulgar, and commonplace.[20] Nothing
can be more dull and uninteresting than her conversation, which
is never enriched by a particle of knowledge, or enlivened by a
ray of genius or imagination. The fact of her existence as an
authoress is an enigma, poor as her pretensions are; for while it
is very difficult to write good books, it is not easy to compose
even bad ones, and volumes have come forth under her name for
which hundreds of pounds have been paid, because (Heaven only can
tell how) thousands are found who will read them. Her 'Works'
have been published in America, in one huge folio, where it seems
they meet with peculiar success; and this trash goes down,
because it is written by a Countess, in a country where rank is
eschewed, and equality is the universal passion. They have (or
some of them) been likewise translated into German; and if all
this is not proof of literary merit, or at least of success, what
is? It would be not uninteresting to trace this current of
success to its source, and to lay bare all the springs of the
machinery which sustains her artificial character as an
authoress. The details of course form the mystery of her craft,
but the general causes are apparent enough. First and foremost,
her magnificent house and luxurious dinners; then the alliance
offensive and defensive which she has contrived (principally
through the means of said house and dinners) to establish with a
host of authors, booksellers, and publishers, and above all with
journalists. The first lend her their assistance in composition,
correction, or addition; with the second she manages to establish
an interest and an interchange of services; and the last
everlastingly puff her performances. Her name is eternally before
the public; she produces those gorgeous inanities, called 'Books
of Beauty,' and other trashy things of the same description, to
get up which all the fashion and beauty, the taste and talent, of
London are laid under contribution. The most distinguished
artists and the best engravers supply the portraits of the
prettiest women in London; and these are illustrated with
poetical effusions of the smallest possible merit, but exciting
interest and curiosity from the notoriety of their authors; and
so, by all this puffing and stuffing,