Miss J. Austen to the Countess of Morley.

’MADAM,—­Accept my thanks for the honour of your note, and for your kind disposition in favour of “Emma.”  In my present state of doubt as to her reception in the world, it is particularly gratifying to me to receive so early an assurance of your Ladyship’s approbation.  It encourages me to depend on the same share of general good opinion which “Emma’s” predecessors have experienced, and to believe that I have not yet, as almost every writer of fancy does sooner or later, overwritten myself.

   ’I am, Madam,

   ’Your obliged and faithful Servt. 
   ‘J.  AUSTEN.’

   ‘December 31, 1815.’

CHAPTER VIII.

Slow growth of her fame—­Ill success of first attempts at publication—­Two Reviews of her works contrasted.

Seldom has any literary reputation been of such slow growth as that of Jane Austen.  Readers of the present day know the rank that is generally assigned to her.  They have been told by Archbishop Whately, in his review of her works, and by Lord Macaulay, in his review of Madame D’Arblay’s, the reason why the highest place is to be awarded to Jane Austen, as a truthful drawer of character, and why she is to be classed with those who have approached nearest, in that respect, to the great master Shakspeare.  They see her safely placed, by such authorities, in her niche, not indeed amongst the highest orders of genius, but in one confessedly her own, in our British temple of literary fame; and it may be difficult to make them believe how coldly her works were at first received, and how few readers had any appreciation of their peculiar merits.  Sometimes a friend or neighbour, who chanced to know of our connection with the author, would condescend to speak with moderate approbation of ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ or ‘Pride and Prejudice’; but if they had known that we, in our secret thoughts, classed her with Madame D’Arblay or Miss Edgeworth, or even with some other novel writers of the day whose names are now scarcely remembered, they would have considered it an amusing instance of family conceit.  To the multitude her works appeared tame and commonplace, {136a} poor in colouring, and sadly deficient in incident and interest.  It is true that we were sometimes cheered by hearing that a different verdict had been pronounced by more competent judges:  we were told how some great statesman or distinguished poet held these works in high estimation; we had the satisfaction of believing that they were most admired by the best judges, and comforted ourselves with Horace’s ‘satis est Equitem mihi plaudere.’  So much was this the case, that one of the ablest men of my acquaintance {136b} said, in that kind of jest which has much earnest in it, that he had established it in his own mind, as a new test of ability, whether people could or could not appreciate Miss Austen’s merits.