The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. YellowplushThackeray, William Makepeace
General
The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Didactic fiction; England -- Fiction; Household employees -- Fiction; Humorous stories; Master and servant -- Fiction
“I have now only to add my thanks to the actors for the zeal and talent
with which they have embodied the characters entrusted to them. The
sweetness and grace with which Miss Faucit embellished the part of
Violet, which, though only a sketch, is most necessary to the coloring
and harmony of the play, were perhaps the more pleasing to the audience
from the generosity, rare with actors, which induced her to take a
part so far inferior to her powers. The applause which attends the
performance of Mrs. Warner and Mr. Strickland attests their success
in characters of unusual difficulty; while the singular beauty and
nobleness, whether of conception or execution, with which the greatest
of living actors has elevated the part of Norman (so totally different
from his ordinary range of character), is a new proof of his versatility
and accomplishment in all that belongs to his art. It would be scarcely
gracious to conclude these remarks without expressing my acknowledgment
of that generous and indulgent sense of justice which, forgetting all
political differences in a literary arena, has enabled me to appeal to
approving audiences--from hostile critics. And it is this which alone
encourages me to hope that, sooner or later, I may add to the dramatic
literature of my country something that may find, perhaps, almost as
many friends in the next age as it has been the fate of the author to
find enemies in this.”
See, now, what a good comfrabble vanaty is! Pepple have quarld with the
dramatic characters of your play. “No,” says you; “if I AM remarkabble
for anythink, it's for my study and delineation of character; THAT is
presizely the pint to which my littery purshuits have led me.” Have you
read “Jil Blaw,” my dear sir? Have you pirouzed that exlent tragady, the
“Critic?” There's something so like this in Sir Fretful Plaguy, and the
Archbishop of Granadiers, that I'm blest if I can't laff till my sides
ake. Think of the critix fixing on the very pint for which you are
famus!--the roags! And spose they had said the plot was absudd, or the
langwitch absudder still, don't you think you would have had a word in
defens of them too--you who hope to find frends for your dramatic wux
in the nex age? Poo! I tell thee, Barnet, that the nex age will be
wiser and better than this; and do you think that it will imply itself a
reading of your trajadies? This is misantrofy, Barnet--reglar Byronism;
and you ot to have a better apinian of human natur.
Your apinion about the actors I shan't here meddle with. They all acted
exlently as far as my humbile judgement goes, and your write in giving
them all possible prays. But let's consider the last sentence of the
prefiz, my dear Barnet, and see what a pretty set of apiniuns you lay
down.
1. The critix are your inymies in this age.
2. In the nex, however, you hope to find newmrous frends.
3. And it's a satisfackshn to think that, in spite of politticle
diffrances, you have found frendly aujences here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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