GE to William Macilwaine, London, 30 July 1868
Title
GE to William Macilwaine, London, 30 July 1868
Title
GE to William Macilwaine, London, 30 July 1868
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
William Macilwaine
Date(s)
- 1868-07-30
Place
London
Letter Content
GE to William Macilwaine, London, 30 July 1868
Text: Cross, New Edition, p. 433.
The author of [The Spanish Gypsy] begs to thank the Rev. W. MacIlwaine 798 for the care he has kindly shown in sending her a list of errata, which would have been acknowledged long ago but for her absence on the Continent.
Some of the passages marked by Mr MacIlwaine for revision were deliberately-chosen irregularities, but others are real oversights in the correction of the press. These will be thankfully attended to in the immediate reprint, and the suggestion of them is the more acceptable because the author is at present unable to give the work any close revision.
George Eliot adheres strongly to the principles, -- 1, That metrical time must be frequently determined in despite of syllable-counting; and 2, That redundant lines are a power in blank verse. But the principles may be true, while her particular application of them is often mistaken. She hopes always to keep in mind that distinction between strong theory and feeble practice.
Text: Cross, New Edition, p. 433.
The author of [The Spanish Gypsy] begs to thank the Rev. W. MacIlwaine 798 for the care he has kindly shown in sending her a list of errata, which would have been acknowledged long ago but for her absence on the Continent.
Some of the passages marked by Mr MacIlwaine for revision were deliberately-chosen irregularities, but others are real oversights in the correction of the press. These will be thankfully attended to in the immediate reprint, and the suggestion of them is the more acceptable because the author is at present unable to give the work any close revision.
George Eliot adheres strongly to the principles, -- 1, That metrical time must be frequently determined in despite of syllable-counting; and 2, That redundant lines are a power in blank verse. But the principles may be true, while her particular application of them is often mistaken. She hopes always to keep in mind that distinction between strong theory and feeble practice.
Citation
George Eliot, GE to William Macilwaine, London, 30 July 1868, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/94228