Women Poets of the Victorian Era, With Preface by Mrs.
William Sharp. (Walter Scott.)—This is an interesting volume in the series of "The Canterbury Poets." One hardly realises till one sees it, what an amount of excellent work has been done by women in this way during the last half-centary. But we venture to suggest that private favour should not have brought about the in- troduction of the four last poems, published now, we gather, for the first time. We say nothing against them ; but who is Mrs. William Sharp that she should arrogate to herself this power of canonisa- tion, and include writers who have not yet published a line, among "Poets of the Victorian Era " ? We venture also to think that many of the writers whose works she has used would not agree in the dedication of their verse, for so it practically is, to Mrs. Mona Caird, even though the editor gives her the emphatic testimonial of calling her "my friend." Mrs. Sharp may dedicate her own work to this very peculiar advocate of "the cause of woman ; " but she is not warranted, we hold, in dedicating the work of others.
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