Susan Warner (1849-1885), The Wide Wide World (1850),
Tauchnitz edition 1854
Produced by Daniel FROMONT
The Wide, Wide World as seen by The North American Review, January1853'Miss Warner makes her young girl passionate, thoughamiable, in her temper; fond of admiration, although withheldby innate delicacy from seeking it unduly. She places her incircumstances of peculiar trial to her peculiar traits, andbrings her, by careful gradations, to the state of self-governed and stable virtue which fits woman for her greatoffice in the world; a fitness which would be impaired by thesacrifice of a single grace, or the loss of one sentiment oftenderness. To build such a character on any basis other thana religious one, would have been to fix a palace upon theshifting sands . . . Ellen and Fleda are reared, by theirtruly feminine and natural experiences, into any thing but"strong-minded women," at least if we accept Mr. Dickens'snotion of that dreadful order. They are both of velvetsoftness; of delicate, downcast beauty; of flitting butabundant smiles, and of even too many and ready tears Theylive in the affections, as the true woman must; yet theycultivate and prize the understanding, and feel it to be theguardian of goodness, as all wise women should They areconscious of having a power and place in the world, and theyclaim it without assumption or affectation, and fill it with aquiet self-respect, not inconsistent with modesty and duehumility. Such is the ideal presented, and with such skillthat we seem at times to be reading a biography. There is asweetness in the conception and execution that makes the heartand the temper better as we read. So much for the charm of thebooks. But, on the other hand, we are compelled to say thatsuch magisterial lovers as Mr. Carleton and John Humphreys arenot at all to our taste, nor do we believe they would inactual presence be very fascinating to most young ladies'
1854.
"Here at the portal thou dost stand,
And with thy little hand
Thou openest the mysterious gate,
Into the future's undiscovered land
I see its valves expand,
As at the touch of FATE!
Into those realms of Love and Hate."
Breaking the News.
"Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morningabout his lawsuit?"
"I cannot tell you just now. Ellen, pick up that shawl andspread it over me."
"Mamma! are you cold in this warm room?"
"A little, there, that will do. Now, my daughter, let me bequiet a while don't disturb me."
There was no one else in