Haywood [née Fowler], Eliza (1693?-1756)

Love in Excess: or the Fatal Enquiry, a Novel

London

1719-1720, 1725

"Books were, as it were, Preparatives to Love, and by their softening Influence, melted the Soul, and made it fit for amorous Impressions."

[...] Books were, as it were, Preparatives to Love, and by their softening Influence, melted the Soul, and made it fit for amorous Impressions, and so far, you certainly were in the right; for when once the Fancy is fixed on a real Object, there will be no need of auxilliary Forces, the Dear Idea will spread itself thro' every Faculty of the Soul, and in a Moment inform us better than all the Writings of the most experienc'd Poets could do in an Age.
(cf. p. 36, in 1719 printing of Part 2)

Impressions Liquid::Melting

Searching "book" and "soul" in HDIS (Poetry); confirmed in ECCO.

At least 12 entries in ESTC (1719, 1720, 1721, 1722, 1724, 1725, 1732, 1742).

Published in 3 parts in 1719-1720. <Part 1, ESTC><Part 2, ESTC><Part 3, ESTC>

See Eliza Haywood, Love in Excess: or the Fatal Enquiry, a Novel (London: Printed for W. Chetwood; and R. Francklin; and sold by J. Roberts, 1719). <Link to ECCO>

Text from Vol. 1 of Secret Histories, Novels and Poems. In Four Volumes. Written by Mrs. Eliza Haywood. (London: Printed [partly by Samuel Aris] for Dan. Browne, jun. at the Black Swan without Temple-Bar; and S. Chapman, at the Angel in Pall-Mall, 1725). <Link to ESTC><Link to LION>

04/25/2005