Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-07-30
Dickens and ThaCkeraY.

In -HeDlOT1dnl.
Dickens and Thackeray.
Dickens and Thackerav are at present |
the lords of the novel and as partisans Of
one or of the other, the world of novel |
readers are pretty equally divided. Critics |,
are perpetuslly comparing one with the |
other: and we are sorry to observe that |
these gentlemen, with something like in
gratitude, are inclined to speak disparag-
ingly of Dickens, and to sigh amid his
autumnai leaves for the freshness and full
ness of his spring. In the possession of
two such men, to measure one against the
other is somewhat ungenerous. When
similar comparisons were instituted in Ger
many, between Schiller and Goethe, the
latter was wont to say, "The fools, they
ought to be thankful they have two such
men to quarrel about" Preference in the
matter of Dickens and Thackeray is the
result of mental constitution, and cannot
be effected by argument. Dickens has by
far the more exuberant genius, the richer
plenitude of gift; his faults are the faults
of excess. He is pomegranate which
has burst with its ripeness. He overlays
his work from sheer wealth of resource
Humor, within, and animal spirits carry
him captive at times. He has the keenest
eye for oddity that ever perhaps looked out
on the odd world. To him the street
pump has a raksh aspect, and he reads a
mans character in the way he wears his
hat. There is a certain ftfulness and
levity in his mind, which is its chief
fault, and which lies at the bot
tom of all the defects which have
been laid to his charge. But the
prime test of writer is the depth to
which he has affected his time; and the
application of this test Dickens need not
fear. His wit and humor have colored
the language Of the streets; people I'M
consciously quote him in drawing rooms
ing points in the leaders of cur morn
ing newspapers. Then If we think for a
moment, 40 other English writer-with
the exception of Shakespeare and Scott
has peOpled the popular Imagination with
such medley of characters, with whom
we have become quite familiar, and of
whom we constantly catch ourselves talk
ing, as if they were personal acquaintance
es. And then these characters are so
queer, so unique, so perfectly original, so
unlike the other persons we meet In books;
and, still more, we always think OF. them
with a certain pleasantness we greet
them with smile, hearty good morning,
a kind motion of the hand. as it were.
Thackcray's good points, on the other
hand, are quite dissimilar from those of
his rival. Less eff1orescent as genius,
he is greater as an artist. He commands
his powers; his powers do not command
him. His mind is altogether of quieter,
manlier, firmer texture. There is nothing
lyrical or inpetuous about his writing.
Above all things, he is reticent, and he is
credited for what he keeps to himself as
well as for what he gives. He speaks
when he says nothing. His stories are
unromantic il point of characters and
Incidents !; the movement is far from rapid
and, in his later works, more especially,
he turns continually on his reader and
lectures him on the spot. A very consid-
cradle volume of moral essays could be
culled from Thackeray's novels. His style,
directness, high bred ease, continual flexi-
bility and grace, and adaptation to the
matter in hand, is perhaps the most per
feet OF any contemporary writer. One OF
the most unsentimental, he is one of the
tenderest of writer's, when his mood deep
ems. After its truth and rarity, the most
curious thing about his pathos is its unex-
pectedness. 1t is always sudden, short,
surprising. The moving stroke, the sen.
tence signing of graves, a tar-otf happy
time, the touch which is like the touch of
spirits finger, comes out from the midst of
common.places, or characteristic cynicism
.inged with pleasantness and if the tears
are on the cheek of the reader, they are
there before he is aware. His leisurely
style of writing conduces to finish; and if
he has not Dickens variety of character,
what he has is more sharply defined, and
stand out in holder relief. We are not so
intimate with the cut of their garments,
their modes of progression along the
streets: but we are more intimate with
their hearts. Thackeray's great charac-
tiers are worth more than Dickens great
characters and, indeed, one or two of
them, Warrington and Colonel Newcome,
take their place along with Uncle Toby
and ParsOn Adams as permanent glOries
of English fiction. These do not amuse
from eocentricity of attire or odd forms
of expression, or from peculiarlties of gait
or feature but they become friends
whom we esteem, whom we love, for
their goodness of heart, for their manly
purity, for their contempt of all lying and
baseness. Young people are the chief
novel readers nowadays; aud then these
high, simple, heroic gentlemen-with the
soul of an ancient knight beating beneath
the modern garb-no young man can find
better companions in all the range of tic-
ton. They can at once stimulate, advise
and rebuke.-North British Reuieao.