American literature -- History and criticism; Authors; English literature -- History and criticism
Carlyle's productions gave the printers much trouble, on account of the
many alterations he made, and his cramped penmanship. His changes were not
confined to his manuscripts; he revised his proofs to such an extent that
it was frequently found easier to reset the matter than to alter it. Miss
Martineau told a good story anent this subject. "One day," she said,
"while in my study, I heard a prodigious sound of laughter on the stairs,
and in came Carlyle, laughing aloud. He had been laughing in that manner
all the way from the printing office in Charing Cross. As soon as he
could, he told me what it was about. He had been to the office to urge the
printer, and the man said: 'Why, sir, you really are so very hard upon us
with your corrections; they take so much time, you see.' After some
remonstrance, Carlyle observed that he had been accustomed to do this sort
of thing; that he had got works printed in Scotland, and--'Yes, indeed,
sir,' interrupted the printer, 'we are aware of that. We have a man here
from Edinburgh, and when he took up a bit of your copy he dropped it as if
it had burnt his fingers, and cried out, 'Lord have mercy! Have you got
that man to print for? Lord knows when we shall get done all his
corrections.'"
Mrs. Gore was the author of many fashionable novels and other works, which
won much favourable notice in her day. She did not confine all her
attention to story-writing; she contributed very largely to the leading
magazines, and wrote successfully for the stage. The list of her works is
a long one, yet, in spite of all her tireless toil with the pen, she
entered very freely into the pleasures of society. Mr. Planché visited her
in Paris in 1837, and in course of a conversation she explained how she
managed to find time to write so much. Said Mrs. Gore: "I receive, as you
know, a few friends at dinner at five o'clock nearly every evening. They
leave me at ten or eleven, when I retire to my own room, and write till
seven or eight in the morning. I then go to bed till noon, when I
breakfast, after which I drive out, shop, pay visits, and return at four,
dress for dinner, and as soon as my friends have departed, go to work
again all night as before." Mrs. Gore died in 1861, at the age of
sixty-two years. Her first book was issued in 1823, and it was followed by
no less than seventy separate works. She lived for many years on the
Continent, and supported her family with her pen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account