Evidence: | Letter H 32 - 11/1/1857 - "Here is a little bit of criticism at last by way of example on your beginning of the Butterfly. "I am going to tell you." This is familiar - as if to a child. But half way down page, you becomes thee - with inverted heroic phrase "Despise not" as if it were some very grand person whom you were talking to; this is a dramatic flaw.
?Loveliest creatures that draw food? ? Why not ?feed?. Weak, because too long. If you mean to limit the phrase to proboscidian feeding ? your compliment to the butterflies is weak ? For it is not much to be fairer than Gnats & midges and such like ? who literally draw food.
?Heart of fairest cloud? is pretty.
?Through many of the daylight hours? ? Very long ? but I see it won?t contract.?
?Is it you have sent? ? ?Who have?, I think ? is necessary. I don?t see anything else to snap at for a long way. The fable is very pretty ? if only you will make your caterpillar dramatically correct - & not so much like one of Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton?s best heroes. ?Make him full of caterpillar faults ? like a poor mortal ? cold blooded ? also ? as he is - & without a heart... The essence of a good fable is that every beast should have his own proper nature.? |
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Century: | 1850-1899 | ||||||||||
Date: | Between 1 Aug 1856 and 11 Jan 1857 | ||||||||||
Country: | Probably Britain, but the reader did travel to Europe on extended tours | ||||||||||
Time: | n/a | ||||||||||
Place: | other location: England | ||||||||||
Type of Experience (Reader): |
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Type of Experience (Listener): |
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Reader: | John Ruskin |
Age | Adult (18-100+) |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | 8 Feb 1819 |
Socio-economic group: | Professional / academic / merchant / farmer |
Occupation: | writer and art critic |
Religion: | Christian |
Country of origin: | England |
Country of experience: | Probably Britain, but the reader did travel to Europe on extended tours |
Listeners present if any: (e.g. family, servants,
friends, workmates) |
n/a |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Author: | Ellen Heaton |
Title: | Tales |
Genre: | Fiction, Fables |
Form of Text: | Manuscript: Unpublished short tales |
Publication details: | Unpublished, sent to reader probably to ask for his opinion |
Provenance: | borrowed (other) |
Record ID: | 3674 | |
Source - | ||
Author: | John Ruskin | |
Editor: | Virginia Surtees | |
Title: | Sublime and Instructive. Letters from John Ruskin to Louisa, Marchioness of Waterford, Anna Blunden and Ellen Heaton | |
Place of Publication: | London | |
Date of Publication: | 1972 | |
Vol: | n/a | |
Page: | 196-7 | |
Additional comments: | Letter from John Ruskin to Ellen Heaton (11/1/1857). |
Citation: | John Ruskin, Virginia Surtees (ed.), Sublime and Instructive. Letters from John Ruskin to Louisa, Marchioness of Waterford, Anna Blunden and Ellen Heaton (London, 1972), p. 196-7, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=3674, accessed: 08 May 2024 |
Reading Experience Database version 2.0. Page updated: 27th Apr 2016 3:15pm (GMT)