Volume VII - Modernist Magazines Project

From "The Yellow Dwarf" 143addressing you. And surely a style ought to be personal, or elsestyle's not the man.The question of style apart, however, what makes Celibates animpressive book, very nearly a great book, is its insight, its sincerity,its vividness, its sympathy. If Mildred Law son were onlydecently written—if only some kind soul would do us a decentrendering of it into English—Mildred Lawson would be a storythat one could speak of in the same breath with Madame Bovary.Yes. The assertion is startling, but the assertion is an assertionmy prize-critic must boldly hazard and proceed to justify. MildredLawson is one of the most interesting and one of the most complexwomen I have ever met in fiction. Her selfishness, herweakness, her strength, her vanity, her coldness, her hundred andone qualities, traits, moods, are analysed with a minuteness that isscientific, but synthesised with a vividness that is entirely artistic,and therefore convincing, moving, memorable. John Norton^structurally, is not quite so faultless as Mildred Lawson^ but it isstill a very notable achievement, a very important contribution tothe English fiction of our day; and I don't know whether, on thewhole, Agnes La hens isn't the best piece of work in the volume.However, these are questions for my prize-critics to discuss atlength—Mr. Moore's execrable, excellent style ; how, as it were,one would imagine he wrote with his boot, not with his pen ; hissubtle lack of «grace, of humour ; his deep, true, sympatheticinsight; his sincerity, his impressiveness ; and what his place isamong the four or five considerable writers of fiction now livingin England.—I, sir, have already too far trespassed upon yourvaluable space.I have the honour to be,Your obedient servant,THE YELLOW DWARF.