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Although the letters of Elizabeth Barrett to Shelton Mackenzie[1] printed here for the first time do not contain startling revelations, they characteristically display her thought and opinions, her humor, and her essential femininity,[2] and they do disclose the existence of an interesting early review of her work that has not previously been known.
The chances are strong that even after their exchange of letters Miss Barrett and Mackenzie never met,[3] for during her years of invalidism in London she went out infrequently and entertained few visitors. But she maintained an extensive correspondence, and it is likely that Mackenzie
The first letter presented is evidently not the earliest in their correspondence but makes clear enough what the course of it has been. Miss Barrett devotes the opening paragraph to her first translation of Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and includes mention of the review of it that appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine.[5] This review is of particular interest, for unlike the brief, unfriendly notice in the Athenaeum—the only one hitherto known—it is encouraging and alludes to the shorter poems in the volume. The reviewer is plainly aware of the author's identity, and he treats her work with gentle enthusiasm.[6]
The question of who the reviewer might be is an intriguing if apparently insoluble one. Edmund Henry Barker, the eccentric classical scholar, who tried at one time to ingratiate himself with Miss Barrett, is a possible candidate, although no definite evidence of any kind links him to the review.[7] Miss Barrett always refers to the reception of the volume in a disparaging way, however, and words of praise from Barker, whom she did not like, may have been unpalatable to her.
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