Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-07-03
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
NOTES on NEW BOOKS.
The last monster genius of Romano

down another, they will rejoice in learning, from
the notice which we are about to translate out OF
French publication, that SUE, heretofore transcen-
dent at horror-makng, and the great chief in all that
romance which makes ones flesh crawl and the
hair stand on end, has been utterly suppanted in
his own school of the ghaslly and frightiul, by a
still more internal arhor-one Monsieur PAUL FE
vAL-who would seem to reign, for the time, lord
of the ascendant in all that literature of which con-
victs, cut-throats pckpockets and burglars are the
heroes-murder, arson, and shop-lifting the epopee
while the police Qike the gods of Fable, not often
called in, but constantly dreaded) stand what
poets call the machinery. For our part, we must
say that if the new master, Mons. Feval, can exec,
in the infamy of his or the intensity OF his
horrors, those which the delicate fancy OF Master
Sue pours upon his page, they who, when there Is
holyday in hell, divert themselves there las they
surely must with reading the last cheap novel, must
have the very perfection of diaboc entertainment !;
and that as thirty years back when Monk Lea flour
ished and writ his 'aes of Terror that genius earned in
the title of the Devils poetaureae," SO Feval should
enjoy the appointment of 'Romancewriter TO the Internal
Regions"
1t in the following amusing that some French critic
probably enough Mons Paul Feva himsefmagnifes Sue
subverte and him far above his predecessor at whose
earlier and repeated failures will be perceived that, without
naming MIN, the seVeal BaHces'
somewhat advertising style, thus
awe place before the public the masterpiece (meaning
lie fs du Diabl-that is to say 'sThe Devils Son what
title ye gods for the exquisite sensbes Of the present
ags) of ts young writer who has known how to surmoun
at only few .ssra6les (njabees every round of the lad
der of success" Oherve how, for the new fame, all the
figures are taken from the gaows Most naturally, how
ever these authors conduct their heroes to the gbbe the
way to all fame them ladder) He has not be-
hind him. continues this encomiast like his rivals, hun
dred volumes three four books have suced to seat
him in the first rank, amongst most iustrous writers
of fiction"
HE has not that say, written dozen novels like
Eugene Sue nor dozen, like George Sand three
Dozen like Alexander Dumas four dozen, like Paul de
Kock five dozen, like Pgault Lebrun but he has
posed The Mysteries of London The Loves of Paris"
(where much loving done, and (greatest of aD The
Devils Son :" Paul (having got, at few ''straddes to
the top Fames LADDER very cooly helps himself chair,
and down alongside Of lie Sage, Feneon and Rabeas
Recting, then the triple productions which have just
named, the eulogy proceeds Who knows not these
lucky titles profoundly craven the memory Of the
public, which discriminates and grows enamoed of the
things of intelligence (qui sent e passonne pour les
chooses de FintelEgence)
Others have grown old their works It's through the
force OF habit that readers accept the product of their
hausted talent Paul Feva is twenty years younger than
they and already his beams (rdyonne) amidst theirs
H Paul the inonnate has thus started UP the height Of
the giants of twenty years backand it would appear
that that in the view of these literary historians the utmost
age Of French literature that, after ALL lie Sage has
place in tit may easily be imagined how he overtops his
puny contemporaries Accordingly thus proceeds his
praise j
g In the midst Of the young generation which have
born, Paul Feva himself Csc dres$ stands up end
it wee) "aone There but he after his name
other be cited In presence Of all those elder writers
who growing sleepy whose genius has burnt out
single novelist ascends, every day vigorous witer
dramatic more joyous, sudden in his concep-
TONS graceful pathetic, satiric.'
shakespeare, in Short a 10 the inimitabe,
unapproachabe, unparalleled Feyal. But let's have
en- drant 4
"The Mysteries of London produced profound emotion
in the world of Art its ieaouses all stirred up. The
young and daring accused Of having initiated
Eugene Sue," (and in TRUTH the title looked very much
if he had "And when it longer possible deny
the superiority of the pretended copy the pretended
'gina then rivalry said, 'Ts but a lucky hit he'll
do as well again. Paul Feva produced the Loves Chose
chase loyes) 'of Paris a victorious contradiction jea-
lousy"
Let none however, rashly imagine that this cclebra-
ted performance which a must be extremely ilerate
have heard Of be the acme the plus ultra
of Paul the prodgous. Thus far he had only surpassed all
others he had yet to surpass himself
But these earliest works offered not yet the full mea-
Of his astonishing talent He yet arrive e
ects still WIDER and to compose that strange drama of The
Devils Son. Of which the vogue has been universal and
so rapid The Devils Son set may say the last seal
this young and brilliant Paul Ftval will be able
TO do as well again but better, never"
There is then, after all appointed limit which hu-
man penius-no, not that Of Paul-can exceed and
that limit is "The Devils Son" In that this Heculean
hero Of hangmans hath his pillars, which
pass.
"Whs all Paris reading with avidty this coucep-
ton once fantastic and full Of emotions the booksellers
of other countries busy getting translated by
one, the euons Of the Epo2ue, (he journal in which
the Satanic progeny first FORTH The Devils Son.
first counereied in Belgium appearing the
in Spain, in England, 10 Germany ct cetera, (not
to speak Of the.intec with which have been
ed in the hot patena jurisdiction bcIow Never did George
Sand nor Bazac produce such resoundng (reentse-
ment :; and, match this public favor with comparable
one forced all Of sudden, look for the popular
name Of Alexander Dumas"
Remark with what the great Of DuMAs is
approached of the mighty Dumas who Dictates all once,
four romances tragedies, comedies vaudeville,
hook of nd