The hand one writes may be "like her mind, solid and above all flourish"
— Richardson, Samuel (bap. 1689, d. 1761)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for S. Richardson
Date
1751
Metaphor
The hand one writes may be "like her mind, solid and above all flourish"
Metaphor in Context
She was an admirable mistress of all the graces of elocution. The hand she wrote, for the neat and free cut of her letters (like her mind , solid, and above allflourish ) for its fairness, evenness, and swiftness, distinguished her as much as the correctness of her orthography, and even punctuation, from the generality of her own Sex; and left her none among the most accurate of the other, who excelled her.·
And here you may, if you please, take occasion to throw in one hint for the benefit of such of our Sex, as are too careless in their orthography [a consciousness of a defect in which generally keeps them from writing]-- She was used to say, 'It was a proof that a woman understood the derivation as well as sense of the words she used, and that she stopt not at sound, when she spelt accurately.'
On this head you may take notice, that it was always matter of surprize to her, that the Sex are generally so averse as they are to writing since the Pen, next to the Needle, of all employments, is the most proper, and best adapted to their genius's; and this as well for improvement, as amusement: 'Who sees not, would she say, that those women who take delight in writing, excel the men in all the graces of the familiar style? The gentleness of their minds, the delicacy of their sentiments (improved by the manner of their education) and the liveliness of their imaginations, qualify them to a high degree of preference for this employment: While men of learning, as they are called (that is to say, of mere learning) aiming to get above that natural ease and freedom which distinguish This (and indeed every other kind of writing) when they think they have best succeeded, are got above, or rather beneath, all natural beauty.'
(pp. 201-2)
And here you may, if you please, take occasion to throw in one hint for the benefit of such of our Sex, as are too careless in their orthography [a consciousness of a defect in which generally keeps them from writing]-- She was used to say, 'It was a proof that a woman understood the derivation as well as sense of the words she used, and that she stopt not at sound, when she spelt accurately.'
On this head you may take notice, that it was always matter of surprize to her, that the Sex are generally so averse as they are to writing since the Pen, next to the Needle, of all employments, is the most proper, and best adapted to their genius's; and this as well for improvement, as amusement: 'Who sees not, would she say, that those women who take delight in writing, excel the men in all the graces of the familiar style? The gentleness of their minds, the delicacy of their sentiments (improved by the manner of their education) and the liveliness of their imaginations, qualify them to a high degree of preference for this employment: While men of learning, as they are called (that is to say, of mere learning) aiming to get above that natural ease and freedom which distinguish This (and indeed every other kind of writing) when they think they have best succeeded, are got above, or rather beneath, all natural beauty.'
(pp. 201-2)
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "letter" in HDIS (Prose)
Citation
Printed in three installments in 1747-8. Over 25 entries in ESTC (1751, 1759, 1764, 1765, 1768, 1772, 1774, 1780, 1784, 1785, 1788, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1794, 1795, 1798, 1800).
Samuel Richardson, Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: Comprehending the Most Important Concerns of Private Life. In Eight Volumes. To each of which is added a Table of Contents. The Third Edition. In which Many Passages and Some Letters are Restored from the Original Manuscripts. And to Which is Added, an Ample Collection of such of the Moral and Instructive Sentiments Interspersed Throughout the Work, as may be Presumed to be of General Use and Service, 3rd ed., 8 vols. (London: Printed for S. Richardson, 1751). <Link to ESTC><Link to ECCO>
Samuel Richardson, Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: Comprehending the Most Important Concerns of Private Life. In Eight Volumes. To each of which is added a Table of Contents. The Third Edition. In which Many Passages and Some Letters are Restored from the Original Manuscripts. And to Which is Added, an Ample Collection of such of the Moral and Instructive Sentiments Interspersed Throughout the Work, as may be Presumed to be of General Use and Service, 3rd ed., 8 vols. (London: Printed for S. Richardson, 1751). <Link to ESTC><Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
03/21/2005
