![]() I may have gone too far in which case I shall be careful not to trouble myself or my readers in the same way again but when we have to do with vice and vicious characters, I maintain it is better to depict them as they really are than as they would wish to appear. Let it not be imagined, however, that I consider myself competent to reform the errors and abuses of society, but only that I would fain contribute my humble quota towards so good an aim and if I can gain the public ear at all, I would rather whisper a few wholesome truths therein than much soft nonsense.Īs the story of âAgnes Greyâ was accused of extravagant over-colouring in those very parts that were carefully copied from the life, with a most scrupulous avoidance of all exaggeration, so, in the present work, I find myself censured for depicting con amore, with âa morbid love of the coarse, if not of the brutal,â those scenes which, I will venture to say, have not been more painful for the most fastidious of my critics to read than they were for me to describe. But as the priceless treasure too frequently hides at the bottom of a well, it needs some courage to dive for it, especially as he that does so will be likely to incur more scorn and obloquy for the mud and water into which he has ventured to plunge, than thanks for the jewel he procures as, in like manner, she who undertakes the cleansing of a careless bachelorâs apartment will be liable to more abuse for the dust she raises than commendation for the clearance she effects. My object in writing the following pages was not simply to amuse the Reader neither was it to gratify my own taste, nor yet to ingratiate myself with the Press and the Public: I wished to tell the truth, for truth always conveys its own moral to those who are able to receive it. It is scarcely the province of an author to refute the arguments of his censors and vindicate his own productions but I may be allowed to make here a few observations with which I would have prefaced the first edition, had I foreseen the necessity of such precautions against the misapprehensions of those who would read it with a prejudiced mind or be content to judge it by a hasty glance. While I acknowledge the success of the present work to have been greater than I anticipated, and the praises it has elicited from a few kind critics to have been greater than it deserved, I must also admit that from some other quarters it has been censured with an asperity which I was as little prepared to expect, and which my judgment, as well as my feelings, assures me is more bitter than just. You can download this and other ebooks carefully produced for true book lovers at. Standard Ebooks is a volunteer-driven project that produces ebook editions of public domain literature using modern typography, technology, and editorial standards, and distributes them free of cost. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook. The creators of, and contributors to, this ebook dedicate their contributions to the worldwide public domain via the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. They may still be copyrighted in other countries, so users located outside of the United States must check their local laws before using this ebook. The source text and artwork in this ebook are believed to be in the United States public domain that is, they are believed to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. This particular ebook is based on a transcription from Project Gutenberg and on digital scans from the Internet Archive. ![]() This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain. Authorâs Preface to the Second Edition.
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