Assassin Reviews

The Corvey Novels Project at the University of Nebraska

— Studies in British Literature of the Romantic Period —

Anthony Frederick Holstein

Anthony Frederick Holstein. The Assassin of St. Glenroy; or, The Axis of Life. A Novel

London: Minerva Press for A. K. Newman and Co., 1810.

Contemporary Reviews

Critical Review, 3rd ser. 19 (Jan 1810): 104-07.

Mr. Anthony Frederic Holstein is so well satisfied with the qualified praise which we afforded to his former tales of Sir Owen Glendower, &c. that he has favoured us with another production in four volumes; and from his preface we presume that he wishes us to speak very favourably of the Assassin of St. Glenroy. But Mr. Anthony Frederic Holstein's diction has become so much more frothy and turgid than usual, that it is very difficult, when he has any meaning, to make it out. For instance in his preface, speaking of fancy, he says,

'The wings of fancy were formed to expand, and, from the happy flutter of movement, exhibit the variegated dazzling plumage which illumines the darker walks of laborious study, and to cast a luminous ray over each laboratory of science; and woe to the presumptuous hand that would seek to clip the pinions of imagination, or check them from ranging the regions of novelty: for if the lofty and ambitious soarer does overstep the boundary of strict probability, we must not too heavily touch with the torpedian rod of criticism, lest we freeze the powers of mind, and, by its benumbing influence, annihilate self-confidence, and destroy that energy of effort, which is the first friend of mental exertion. Had the chilling voice of rigid censure blasted the appearance of a first offspring on the literary ground it sought to tread, I should for ever have renounced the hope of improvement, and, throwing aside the weapons of authorship, [105/106] have passively bowed to public suffrage, nor thought another effort could be more successful; but the voice of approbation has roused me to renewed exertion, and yet it has awakened me to a full sense of the precarious tenure of that ground which leads to the gilded mansion of fame; and I fearfully pursue the route, resting on the indulgence of those literary supporters, who have already deigned to applaud my former humble efforts, for continued aid, during the arduous journey, while hope yields elasticity to invention; and, inspired by that universal friend, who has vouchsafed to encourage the completion of the present narrative, I venture a second publication-one that has no angel for its president, but relies on a woman for principal support, one whose character the powerful mandate of nature forbade that I should sketch with the pencil of perfection, or presume to deck a mortal with the plumes of Heaven.'

This is the first time we ever heard of the plumes of Heaven. Mr. Holstein further adds that he fondly hopes that 'the Assassin of St. Glenroy' may escape the condemnation of that jury to which he appeals for mercy. Now we are told by our great poet that 'the quality of mercy is not strain'd, it droppeth as a gentle rain from heav'n upon the place beneath; it is twice bless'd: it blesseth him that gives, and him that takes,' &c. and we certainly have a claim to a blessing in having had patience to read the Assassin of St. Glenroy; for a more improbable story surely was seldom ever formed, though keeping mercy ever in our eye, we must own that there are a few characters pretty well drawn. But it is a frightful tale, beginning with a murder, and ending with the accidental death of the hero of the piece, just as he is on the eve of marriage with the lady of whom he has for a length of time been enamoured. Instead of entering into the story, we shall give specimens of the manner in which it is executed.

'Far different,' says the author, 'were the feelings of the sister Hebe (speaking of the two daughters of Lord Rosven): she rushed with avidity into the busy charms of variety; for it was amid those she sought to bury the fatal remembrance of Percy; to quaff, in the dizzy cup of novel enjoyments, an oblivious draught of the past; and while her heart was deeply agitated by the effort, she found all seemed correspondent with its fevered pulse, since the whole orbit of dissipation revolved on the axis of AGITATION.' We must beg our readers to observe that in Mr. Anthony Frederick Holstein's novel, every thing moves of revolves on an orbit. He tells us, 'he has himself moved in the higher orbit of life;' and speaking of an author's life he says, 'the spider is famed for his ingenious web spun with indefatigable industry, into a bulk far beyond the size of its own little body; yet a poor author receives no commendation for his art of spinning a literary thread into a voluminous bulk, although he ambitiously aims at catching something more than flies by his work. Now for my own part, I think great credit due to this art of lengthening matter, but which my unfortunate [106/107] brains are too dull to effect.' We are somewhat puzzled to know what our very ingenious author is aiming at. The art of spinning an uninteresting tale into four volumes, we think pretty good spinning indeed, even if he only aims at catching flies; for frivolous and vacant must that mind be, and most easily amused, if the four volumes of St. Glenroy can for an instant claim attention from its novelty or morality. The former it wants; and the latter is neither here nor there.

Some of Mr. Holstein's former tales were pretty enough, and the tendency good; but we are sorry to say that the Assassin of Glenroy has little to recommend it. The best characters in the piece are Dowager Lady Monteath and Lady Leinster; the history of the latter is by far the most interesting and the best told; and Miss Obrien's character is also well sketched. This is all we can say in praise of the Assassin of Glenroy.

Notes: Listed under 'Monthly Catalogue: Novels'. Format: 4 vols; no price. Publisher: Newman & Co.

Monthly Review, 2nd ser. 61 (Jan 1810): 98-99.

We paid a tribute to the inventive powers of this author in our account of his Sir Owen Glendower: (Rev. for September) but the present publication, without lessening our opinion of his talents, excites our regret by an avowal which may perhaps be attractive to some readers; namely, that he has attempted portrait-painting in several of the characters. We think that this practice of introducing living personages into the novels of the day is both ungenerous and unjustifiable, and though it may produce a transient curiosity, it seldom increases the intrinsic merit of a work. The Lady Orina of this tale is, however, so common a character, that it would be difficult to make any individual application of it; while 'The Fish-[98/99]monger of Dorsetshire' is so dull and so indelicate, that we cannot but rejoice at having no acquaintance with the original.

A few inelegant expressions occur, such as 'regularly mouldered features,'-'he was obligated to entreat,'-'Your Ladyship appears quite in the dolorous,' &c. We also object to the profusion of French which is introduced: the author not only makes all his fashionable characters talk French with great fluency, but, in order to confirm his assertion that he has himself moved in the same sphere, he intersperses French sentences very perseveringly in the narrative. These passages do not always possess idiomatic propriety; as when we are told of Sir Felix Guildford, that 'in temporary amour he ever had continued;' and they are very seldom correctly written. We read of the heroine's 'sojour' in a place which she was entertained with 'petit soupers' and a 'grande ambigu,' and of her displaying to her lover 'some of the bijou' with which she had ornamented her boudoir.

We have, however, the pleasure of stating that the merits of this novel overbalance its defects; the incidents are interesting and well imagined; some of the characters are original, and ably supported; and the dialogue, though too flowery, is always animated, and occasionally witty.

Notes: Listed under 'Monthly Catalogue: Novels'. Format: 4 vols 12 mo; price 1l. Boards. Publisher: Newman & Co.