A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Arbouville, Countess d'
ARBOUVILLE, COUNTESS D',
Who died in April, 1850, was a woman of real genius. Her writings appeared in Paris, at first anonymously, she being by nature particularly sensitive, and unwilling to be known as a candidate for literary honours. Her first work, entitled "Resignation," was published in 1840. This was followed by the "Village Doctor," "La Histoire Hollandaise," and a volume of poems called "The Manuscript of my Aunt," the introduction of which is a touching little story of early death. The poems of this writer, like her prose works, are of a tender, elegant, and mournful character; a poetic melancholy inspires her every thought, and colours every picture which she draws. Her best production is the "Histoire Hollandaise." This tale is beautifully written; it is like a strain of mournful music that rends the very soul of the reader. The death of Madame d'Arbouville must be deplored as a loss to the reading world, which reasonably anticipated yet more admirable things from her pen.