"Lady Audley is at once the heroine and the monstrosity of
the novel. In drawing her, the authoress may have intended to portray a female
Mephistopheles; but, if so, she would have known that a woman cannot fill such
a part. The nerves with which Lady Audley could meet unmoved the friend of the
man she had murdered, are the nerves of a Lady Macbeth who is half unsexed, and
not those of the timid, gentle, innocent creature Lady Audley is represented as
being. Whenever she is meditating the commission of something inexpressibly
horrible, she is described as being usually charming. Her manner and her
appearance are always in contrast with her conduct. All this is very exciting;
but is also very unnatural. The artistic faults of this novel are as grave as
the ethical ones. Combined, they render it one of the most noxious books of the
modern times."
Rae, W. Fraser. "Sensation Novelists: Miss
Braddon." North British Review 43 Sept.
1865: 186-7. Web. 25 September
2012.
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