Originally published in _The Atlantic Monthly_, October, 1866.
This essay was written in 1866 before _Middlemarch_ or _Daniel
Deronda_ had appeared. The former work was published in 1871-72 and
the latter book in 1876. It was afterwards discussed at length by
Mr. James in "Daniel Deronda: a Conversation," originally
contributed to the _Atlantic Monthly_, December, 1876, and
reprinted in 1888 in _Partial Portraits_.