The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-10-12
Recent Publications.

Recent Publications.
GRIFFITH GAUNT, OF Jealousy. By Charles
Reade, Boston: Ticknor and Fields.
This story which has been running during
the past year through the numbers of the Al
toatic Monthly is now issued complete by the
publishers Of that magazine 1t is printed in
| neat pamphlet form with illustrations" of
which the less that is said the better. Most of
our readers are doubtless familiar with the
progress of the story as far as it has appeared
| in the Aadntic, and they will nov have an OPP
portunity Of judging it as a whole. 1t is a
work which has called out some very harsh and
not always judicious criticism, and will proba-
bly, be all the more widely read from having
been severely found fault with 1t is possible
that the desire to stimulate the sale of his
book by investing it with kind of extraneous
notOriety may have had some influence in urg-
ing Mr. Reade to the publication of very fool
ish letter which, addressed to the whole Amer
lean press, has just appeared under his sigma
ture in the New York Tribune. On any other
suppostion it is difficult to imagine how a vet
cram author like him could allow himself. to
be driven by morbid sensitiveness to adverse
criticism into SO Incorporate a vindication Of
himself But the charge of immortality which
has been somewhat hastily brought against
Griffith Gaunt" by various papers in this coun-
try, and especially by the Round Table seems
to have stung the author very keenly, SO keenly
indeed as afford strong evidence that he is in
nocent of all intent to defy the moral sense of
his readers. The letter of Mr.. Reade, which is
too long for us to copy in full, begins with
sharp and only too faithful analysis of "a kind
OF hypocrite that has never been effectually ex-
posed for want of an expressive name" and
which he quite appropriately christens ''the
Prurient Prude." He proceeds to instance
some OF the varieties of false modesty which
may be found in English society, law and litera-
ture, and coming to the point which touches
him personally, he says: a,t, Nh
Among; ----i.ers the "pnu.ient Prude~ becomas
less transparent and more daliss.nus iinp0s-
ter, when, strong in the shelter Of the Anony-
nous, which hides from the public his own dis
solute life and obscene conversation he reads
his neighbor by the light of his own corrupt i'm
aglnation, and so his prurient prudery takes
the form of SANDER, and assassinates the fair
fame of his moral intellectual, and social SUI
perior. t fa9"H
Now the five or six "Prurient Prudes" who
dehie the American press have lately selected
me, OF all persons, for their victim. They are
trying hard to make the American public be-
lieve two monstrous falsehoods: first, that they
are pure minded men; secondly. that am All
impure writer 4E8~ /
Declaring that his respect for the American
public compels him Ito honor mere literary YER
min with reply" Mr.. Reade proceeds to sketch
the plan of Griffith Gaunt." After stating
the aim of the novel, and mentioning that it
deals with the period which Henry Fielding
has described-to the satisfaction of the Pruri-
ent Prudes," he adds:
Instead of shedding a mild lustre over biga-
my l fill my readers with horror of bigamy
and wholesome Indignation against my pin
cipal male character, SO far as 1 have shown
him. OF course Griffith Gaunt" like "Hard \
Cash, is not child's book, nor little girls
book; it is an ambitious story, in which | pre-
sent the great passions that poets have sung
with applause in all ages; it is not boatful Of
pap; but am not paid the price OF pap BY
me very nature Of my theme have been COM
PEELED now and then to tread on delicate
ground; but have trodden lightly and passed
ON swiftly, and SO will all the pure minded men
and women who read me. No really modest wo-
man viii ever suffer any faint by reading "Grif-
fifth Gaunt," unless indeed she RETURNS to its |
perusal unsexed and filled with prrrient Curl |
oslty, BY the foul interpretations of the 'Pru-
rient Prudes." Il
He then passes to the particular criticism of |
5he hound Table which he has found so often
'ive that he is about to sue an English weekly |
or merely quoting it," divides the statements
'f the Round Table under seven heads, distinct
y denying the accusation of each, and instead
of stopping when he had done this, proceeds to
make himself ridiculous by such paragraphs as
the following:
Now, Sir, l have often known some obscure
1unce, who had the advantage of copcealino
MS nameless name, treat an esteemed author
with lofty contempt in the columns Of Jour
i lia ana can ms masterpiece sorry produc-
sort OF injustice and insolence from scribblers.
VINO could not write my smallest chaDter to
save their carcasses from the gallows and their
souls from premature damnation But the
spite and vanity of our interiors in the great
profound, and difficult art of writing is Sener2
ally SATISFIED by calling us ounces, and bun
giers, and coxeombs, and that sort Of thing,
In all my experience 1 never knew the press
guilty OF such crime as the editor OF the |
Round Table has committed. II is a deliberate
attempt to assassinate the moral character of 4
an author and gentleman, aud to stab the la
lies OF his own family to the heart under the
pretence OF protecting the women of a nation
rom the demoraiizing influence of his pen.
Pledging "the honor of gentleman that
,he statement that his book is either immoral
II indecent is deliberate and Intentional false
hood" Mr.. Reade continues:
Griffith Gaunt, under delusion. commits
8igamy; and OF course Bigamy NAV by
light perversion of terms, be called Adultery
But no truthful person, attacking character.
would apply both terms to a single act. Is
3igamy more than Polygamy? And is Poly
fanny called that, and Adultery too. in every
district of the United States?
In concluding his letter he says: e
shall only add that mean to collar the ed
tor OF The Round Table, and drag him and his
SANDERS y before jury of his countrymen. He
.h4 u there is no jaw, justice or humanity for
shall see. 80
Pending the legal inquiry, earnestly request
NY friends IN the United States, to let me
Know who tins editor of The Round Table is and
Ill about him, so that we may meet on fair
erms before a jury. - 80
All editors OF American journals who have
my justice, fair play or common humanity to
pare to an injured stranger, will print this let
err in which one man defends himself against
many; and will be good enough to accept my
thanks for the same in this writing. m :
sls aJJg. -5 CHARLES READE. %
IN postscript Mr.. Reade demands as his
ind; 2 IL. =