Contents
| [CHAPTER I] THE HEROINE OF THE STORY | |
|---|---|
| A Bentley Letter—The Effect of a Publisher’s Advice on aWriter’s Career—The Success of “A Romance of TwoWorlds” without help from the Press—The Unfairness ofappointing Novelists to Criticise Novels or act as Publishers’“Readers”—Marie Corelli’s Universality, and theReason for it—Her Endeavors to Promote Holy Living—HerUnequaled Boldness—Which is her Best Book?—“Thelma”most Popular as a Love-story—Her ShortWorks—The Difficulty of awarding her a Definite Placein Letters | [13] |
| [CHAPTER II] MARIE CORELLI’S CHILDHOOD, ETC. | |
| Marie Corelli, Adopted as an Infant, by Dr. Charles Mackay—Descriptionof Mackay’s Career—The “Rosebud” andher Fancies—Absence of Child Playmates—Marie Corelliat the Convent School—Her Musical Studies—Dr.Mackay’s Illness, and her Return Home for Good—MissBertha Vyver—George Eric Mackay: his ChequeredCareer—“Love-Letters of a Violinist”: their Publicationand Reception | [26] |
| [CHAPTER III] “A ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS” | |
| Its Original Title—The MS. Accepted by Bentleys—ItsName Suggested by Dr. Mackay—The Press and the“Romance”—Its Reception by the Public, and its Effecton Readers—Marie Corelli and the Supernatural—Synopsisof Plot—Heliobas and his “Electric Creed”—X-Raysand Wireless Telegraphy foretold in this Book | [48] |
| [CHAPTER IV] “VENDETTA” AND “THELMA” | |
| Mr. Bentley’s Opinion of “Vendetta”—Practically a TrueStory of Naples during the Cholera Epidemic of 1884—TheRemarkable Ingenuity of its Construction—TheNovelist’s Habit of Creating a Pretty Picture only toDestroy it, as Exemplified by the Opening Chapters of“Vendetta” and After Events—The Appalling Ferocityof Count Fabio and the Culminating Scene of hisVengeance.Mr. Bentley’s Enthusiastic Comments on “Thelma”—TheStory Compared with “She,” to the Latter’s Disadvantage—ARomantic Setting—The Main Theme of the Book—Thelma’sBewilderment at the Hollowness of Society—HerHusband’s Alleged Unfaithfulness—Her Flight toNorway and the Sequel—Miss Corelli’s “UnsparingBrush”—The Weak Spot in the Book—Thelma’s WinningPersonality | [64] |
| [CHAPTER V] “ARDATH” | |
| Its Theme—Congratulations from Lord Tennyson—A suggestedCorelli City in Colorado—An Example of theNovelist’s Descriptive Powers—Theos Alwyn, Agnostic—HisInterview with Heliobas—The Dream and the Poem—TheField of Ardath—The City of Al-Kyris—Sah-Lûma,the Poet Laureate—The Religion of Al-Kyris—Lysia,High Priestess of the God-Serpent—The Prophet Khosrûland his Predictions—The Fall of Al-Kyris—The Awakeningof Alwyn and his Return to London—The ConvertedPoet—“Ardath” a Book for all who Doubt—Six Testsfor Spiritualists | [79] |
| [CHAPTER VI] “WORMWOOD” AND “THE SOUL OF LILITH” | |
| Pauline de Charmilles: a Character Sketch—Her Engagementto Beauvais and the Arrival of Silvion Guidèl—“FirstImpressions”—Pauline’s Confession and Beauvais’ FirstBout of Absinthe-drinking—The Exposure on the Wedding-Day—MoreAbsinthe, and the Murder of Guidèl—TheMeeting between Beauvais and Pauline, and theSuicide of the Latter—Pauline’s Corpse at the Morgue—ADenunciation of Absinthe—A Suggestion to MarieCorelli Concerning the Drink Question in this Country.“The Soul of Lilith” an Attempt to Prove the ApparentlyUnprovable—A Reason for Marie Corelli’s ImmensePopularity—El-Râmi and the Dead Egyptian Girl—HisExperiment—Heliobas again—“The Two GoverningForces of the Universe”—“Poets are often the BestScientists”—“The Why, Why, Why of Everything”—ASolution of Life’s Problems | [112] |
| [CHAPTER VII] MR. BENTLEY’S ENCOURAGEMENT | |
| The Thorny Path of the Literary Pilgrim—Old Publishers andNew—Mr. George Bentley an Honorable Example of theFormer Type—The Happy Relations that existed betweenMiss Corelli and her Publisher—A List of the Novelist’sWorks Published by Bentleys—Mr. Bentley’s Appreciationof “Ardath”—His Refusal to make Overtures to thePress—A Reference to Miss Rhoda Broughton and theTreatment dealt out to her by Critics—Mr. Gladstone’sVisit—Concerning “Wormwood”—Maarten Maartensand his Opinion of “Ardath”—Press Attacks on “TheSoul of Lilith”—The Late Queen Victoria and MarieCorelli’s Books—A Comment on the Chivalry of the Press—ACarlyle Anecdote—Mr. Bentley as Author—HisBook: “After Business”—The Inestimable Value of Mr.Bentley’s Advice to the Young Novelist | [134] |
| [CHAPTER VIII] “BARABBAS” | |
| Charles Kingsley and “Women’s Writings”—Marie Corelli’sIdea in Penning “Barabbas”—The Character of“Judith”—St. Peter’s Definition of a Lie—The Characterof Jesus of Nazareth—Melchior’s Speeches—The TreacherousCaiaphas—The Magdalen—The Scene of TheResurrection—The Tragedy of Love and Genius | [152] |
| [CHAPTER IX] “THE SORROWS OF SATAN” | |
| As a Book—How the Critics Missed the Allegorical Ideaof the Story—The Opinion of Father Ignatius: “Tensof Thousands will Bless the Author”—A Plea for moreWomanliness among modern Women—Geoffrey Tempest—£5,000,000from Satan—Prince Lucio Rimânez andhis Associations with Tempest—Lady Sibyl Elton—TheEffect of Perfect Beauty on a Man—The ModernGambling Mania—Viscount Lynton’s Last Wager—TheCharacter of Mavis Clare,—Lady Sibyl’s Bitter Descriptionof Herself—Her Marriage with Tempest, andthe Disillusionment—Her Passion for Prince Rimânezand Subsequent Suicide—The Conception of Satan,and an Explanation of his Position: “Satan becomeson Terms of Intimacy with Man only if Man showsthat he wishes to Travel an Evil Course”—The YachtingCruise and Tempest’s return to Christian Ways—Opinionof the Late Rev. H. R. Haweis.“The Sorrows of Satan” as a Play—How Miss Corelli hasSuffered from the Defective Law of Literary Copyright—ThePlay Written, and Read at the Shaftesbury Theatre—MissCorelli’s Opinion of it—Miss Evelyn Millard’s Attitudewith Regard to the part of “Lady Sibyl”—“TheGrosvenor Syndicate”—The Play Produced—Other Versions—Howthe Dramatic Rights of Novels have to beProtected | [164] |
| [CHAPTER X] “THE MIGHTY ATOM” AND “BOY” | |
| Novels with a Purpose—The Criminally Mistaken Up-bringingof Children—Lionel Valliscourt an Eleven-year-oldAtheist—The Cramming Process and its Effect on him—HisBreakdown and Holiday—His Return to find thatLittle Jessamine is Dead—His Grief and Pathetic End—ThePower of a Book like “The Mighty Atom” toTeach.“Boy”—A somewhat Similar Work—The Responsibilities ofParents—“Boy’s” Childhood—His Neglected Condition—MissLetty and the Major—“Boy” goes to School—TheChange Wrought in him—His Entirely blasé Demeanorat sixteen—“Boy” Guilty of Drunkenness and Fraud—HisFinal Reformation and Death | [192] |
| [CHAPTER XI] “THE MURDER OF DELICIA” AND “ZISKA” | |
| Modern Husbands—The Money Marriage—The Average Manand his Attitude in this Respect—Delicia Vaughan,Novelist and Beauty—Her foolish Infatuation for LordCarlyon and Consequent Misery—“The Rare and BeautifulBlindness of Perfect Love”—The Penalty Paid byDelicia.“Ziska”: A Cairean Romance—Ziska the Flesh-clad Ghostof a Long-ago Dancer—“The Mighty Araxes,” herFormer Lover, Presented in Modern Shape as ArmandGervase, a French Painter—The Renewal of his Passionfor Ziska—His Rival—“The Attraction we Call Love”a Preordained Destiny—Dr. Dean, savant, and his InterestingTheories—Beneath the Great Pyramid—Ziska’sTerrible Revenge | [207] |
| [CHAPTER XII] “THE MASTER CHRISTIAN” | |
| How it was Commenced and Interrupted—The Novelist’sSevere Illness—Death of George Eric Mackay—TheLiterary Dinner and the Critic—Sir Francis BurnandDescribes “Boy” as “a Work of Genius”—Mr. Steadand “The Master-Christian”—The Novelist’s Views onRoman Catholicism—Miss Corelli’s Open Letter toCardinal Vaughan—The Story of the “Master-Christian”—CardinalBonpré at Rouen—Paulism—The Discoveryof the Boy Manuel—The Miraculous Healing of theLame Fabien—The Cardinal and Manuel at Paris—AngelaSovrani—The Abbé Vergniaud, Atheist—AFlower Legend—Manuel and Angela | [222] |
| [CHAPTER XIII] “THE MASTER CHRISTIAN” (continued) | |
| The Abbé Vergniaud’s Sermon and the Attempt on his Life—HeConfesses that his Assailant is his Son—TheCardinal’s Leniency towards the Abbé and his Persecutionby the Vatican—Monsignor Moretti—Manuel and theCardinal at Rome—Manuel’s Extraordinary Address tothe Pope—“Come and Preach Christ as He Lived andDied”—The Effect of the Boy’s Exhortation on the Pope—OtherCharacters—Angela’s Picture—A Poem by Dr.Charles Mackay—The Death of Cardinal Bonpré | [246] |
| [CHAPTER XIV] “TEMPORAL POWER” | |
| An Unprecedented Sale—A Note on its Title—Reviewed byThree Hundred and Fifty Journals, although not sent outto the Press—Criticisms from Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaperand the Review of Reviews—A Reply to Mr. Stead’sSuggestion that Certain Royal and other Characters in theBook have Living Counterparts—The Novelist’s EmphaticDenial in this Respect—“Carl Perousse, Secretary ofState”—The European Statesman Miss Corelli had in herMind when Drawing this Character—The “King” of“Temporal Power”—Morganatic Marriages: theNovelist’s Denunciation—Attempts on the Part of BookTrade Journals to Quash the Success of the Novel, andtheir Retractations—The Rejection of the King’s Loveby Lotys, Woman of the People: a Quotation | [265] |
| [CHAPTER XV] SPEECHES AND LECTURES | |
| The Novelist’s First Public Speech: an Appeal for a WarwickshireChurch—An Address Delivered to StratfordWorking-men on “The Secret of Happiness”—HardWork the Best Tonic in the World—The Novelist atthe Edinburgh Philosophical Institution—“The VanishingGift”: an Address on the Decay of the Imagination—Artin the “Old World” Period and Art now—Imaginationan Artist’s First Necessary—Modern WondersImagined when the World was Young—The Novelist atGlasgow—An Address on “Signs of the Times” Deliveredbefore a Huge Audience—An Allusion to the Prince ofWales and his Famous Speech at the Mansion House—“TheOld Country must Wake up”—“The Advancingand Resistless Tide of Truth”—A Notable Peroration | [281] |
| [CHAPTER XVI] MARIE CORELLI’S VIEWS ON MARRIAGE | |
| The Novelist’s Definition of Marriage—The Modern “Market”—“OneWoman, One Man”—Marie Corelli’s Exhortationto Women—“God will not be Mocked”—The ReligiousInstruction of Children—The Abolition of ReligiousEducation in French Schools and its Unhappy Effect onthe Country—Lionel Valliscourt: a Pathetic Example of“Cram”—And “Boy”: of Parental Neglect | [298] |
| [CHAPTER XVII] SOME PERSONAL ITEMS | |
| The Helen Faucit Memorial—Marie Corelli’s Successful Campaignin Behalf of Shakespeare’s Burial Place—Portraitsof the Novelist—Marie Corelli Declines to Review “TheEternal City”—An Introduction to Mr. Labouchere—Usemade of a “Private and Confidential” Letter—“Self-advertisement”:Some Comments on Accusations of thisCharacter brought against Marie Corelli by certain Sectionsof the Press—The Invitation to the Abbey on the Occasionof the King’s Coronation—An Invitation to open a NonconformistBazaar at Brighton, and why it was Declined—Lettersfrom Dr. Parker and the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes—“TheEthics of Criticism”: a letter by E. Rentoul Esler—“Tothe Quarterly”: Some Verses by Marie Corelli | [311] |
| [CHAPTER XVIII] AT STRATFORD-ON-AVON | |
| The “Local Color” in Marie Corelli’s Books—“I Imagineit must be so, and I find it generally is so”—Why theNovelist went to live at Stratford—“Hall’s Croft,” “AvonCroft,” and “Mason Croft”: her Successive Residences—HerAffection for Stratford and her Regret that theMemorial Theatre is so little used—Her Benefactions—Instancesof Kind-heartedness in Other Writers—MarieCorelli’s “Life-Programme”—Her Personality “Strikingin its Simplicity and in its Power”—The Novelist as aShakespeare Enthusiast—Her Desire to see Stratfordbecome the “Bayreuth of Literature”—The Novelist’s“Public”: the Vastness of her Constituency—Her Friends—ACharacter Sketch of Marie Corelli by Mr. J. CumingWalters—Mr. Gladstone’s Parting Benediction | [332] |
Of the above Chapters, II, V, VIII, IX, XII, XIII, XVI, and XVII are by Thomas F. G. Coates; and Chapters I, III, IV, VI, VII, X, XI, XIV, XV and XVIII by R. S. Warren Bell.
Illustrations
MARIE CORELLI
The Writer and the Woman
CHAPTER I
THE HEROINE OF THE STORY
“Keep a brave heart. You are steadily rising. People recognize that you are an artist working with love, not a machine producing novels against bank-notes, with no interest in its work. But keep a good heart, little lady. It is the way with people of imagination and keen sensibility to have their moments of depression.... I believe you will emerge out of all this with your brave little spirit, and I shall rejoice to see you successful, because I believe you will not be spoilt by success.”