[Vwoolf] Better late than never

[Stuart N. Clarke]

“Small Talk About Meredith”, “The Essays”, Vol. III (1988), unidentified quotation, p. 7 (& p. 9, n.11): “When Meredith was told that George Eliot did not take her characters from life, he replied emphatically, ‘Oh, I do; but’ he added, ‘never till I know them by heart." 

 It is from: “GEORGE FREDERIC WATTS: THE ANNALS OF AN ARTIST'S LIFE”, by M. S. WATTS (London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1912), Vol. II, p. 232: “Talking of Mrs. Leslie Stephen—for whom they had an equally great admiration—Mr. Meredith said, ‘I want to make a portrait of her when I get her more by heart.’  Signor [i.e. Watts] mentioned that ‘George Eliot’ had said that she did not draw from life.  ‘Oh, I do!’ Mr. Meredith answered emphatically, ‘but never till I know them by heart.’”



Stuart


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osu.edu/pipermail/vwoolf/attachments/20121010/404558b2/attachment.html>