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Art. 16. The History of Myself and My Friend; a Novel, by Anne Plumtre [sic]. 4 vols. 8vo. 1l.1s. Colburn. 1813.
We conceived it to be our duty to animadvert with some degree of earnestness and severity upon a former production by this Lady, entitled, we believe, an Excursion in France. It was not in our judgment to be endured, that an Englishwoman should become so totally Frenchified as to view with a microscopic eye every weakness, defect, and foible in her native country, and in the character of her countrymen; whilst in France, all was wisdom, virtue, and perfection. We are glad to have so early an opportunity of bestowing commendation, instead of censure, as these volumes afford us. They are really entertaining, interesting, and occasionally instructive; deformed by none of those prominent and disgusting features of prejudice, which characterized the production to which we allude, but indicative of judgment, good-sense, and acute observation. The story is perplexed and somewhat wiredrawn, but many of the characters are well and vigorously delineated. Miss Plumtre would in our opinion have done wisely if she had compressed the work within the compass of three volumes; as every reader in his passage through the four, will find intervals of tediousness. But we are altogether very well satisfied, and venture to affirm that the History of Myself and My Friend, will preserve a respectable station in the Circulating Library. We must also commend this Lady's perseverance and industry in her literary employment, for we have also two other works from her pen, which we shall speedily notice; namely, a Translation of Professor Lichtenstein's Travels in Southern Africa, and Mad. de Stael Holstein's View of Literature and its Influence on Society. [complete]
Provided by Julie A. Shaffer, January 2000
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