Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-11-09

Thackeray's Cynictsu nHd Power ofSatire.
The Rationale of AutOrisl Bitterness Ex-
planned.
The last number of the Westminster Re
Vie,O, just received, contains an able and
interesting article on Thackeray and his
works, from which we make these extracts:
Thackeray's asserted Jnicism arises partly
from that impersonal and unsympathetic
point of view whence he regards his Charac-
ters, which, though quite questionable in
art, has no direct moral bearing; partly from
an element which, although moral, is in truth
in origin (though not always in result) the
reverse Of cynicism properly so designated.
This tone of sad satire springs from disap-
pointment that human creatures so rarely
realize even the least arduOus ideal; that, as
in the days of Empedocles of old, "he sees
them choosing for their portion the life which
is no life;" that men are petty, and woman
heartless, not because it must be, but because
they will have it so.
Perhaps the mere sight of things as they
are, to a man of generous temper and deep
insight, may alone suffice to lead him to such
tone of speculation. Perhaps personal eX-
periences may have borne their share. Such
tone 1--WE may think) is the bitter reaction
| of unreturned warmth of nature, the revenge
which defeated hope wreaks on its own
| bosom. 1t is the rebound from impossible
| aspirations it is a sense too keen of the irony
of the universe. Only once has it been given
to man to feel this, and not be led into some
| over-severity toward his fellow-creatures; to
| judge them truly and yet to love them i'm
| partially. Nor could even that supreme and
almost superhuman equipose of nature which
| characterized Shakespeare restrain him in
| the "Sonnets' from the expression, as he
summed up his experience of life, ola shame
and sorrow which have no parallel in their
intensity, except in the lamentations of
David and of jeremiah, of the Preacher of
the dunghill of UZ, or "the Preacher, the
King of Jerusalem"
Thus it is natural that peculiar ironical
sadness, a negative element should rarely be
unfelt in the pages of this great writer But
he has been hence exposed to q peculiar risk
and temptation. In the sphere of ethics
there are some points where all but the truth
is hardly distinguishable from extreme false
hood. The sense of the irony of things sug
gests a true picture of the world, so nearly
like the false picture which might be drawn
by the satirist, that we must not be surprised
if Mr.. Thackeray has more than occasionally
fallen into satire or mockery, if he has trans.
gressed at times that fine limit which in al
art divides the POGO pin from the POGO memo
A tone of over-severity, more than hint o
irony, infect "Esmond" and the Virgin
ians," are painfully prominent in VANITY
Fair" and in "Pendennis.S -.
1t is true that Thackeray's admirable
humor, quality of his so well known anC
appreciated that an allusion to it will bt
enough, springs from the contrast in life
which this irony affords him, and is his justi
fication for recurrence to it. 1t is equal,
true that hundred examples may be pro
duced, displayingthe sweet and noble nature
the scorn of baseness and the "love of love,
which in reality underlie the sneer and th
smartness. Yet these naturally tell on read
ers with the greater vividness. Sheer an,
smartness are introduced with power 81
wonderful that at first we say, and the younj
especially, there is no escape. Here is ulti
mate truth. Women are all hypocrites; tn
best of men much more selfish than not.