Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-06-20
Literary Notes.


To discover and bring out new novelist Of
genius is to confer real benefit on mankind. II
is boon, as great in its way, as the discovery OF
a new metal orof new motive power. The Ap-
pletons deserve the credit of introducing the
American public 10 an entirely new realm of flc-
ton, wherein the enchanters wand is welded by
Il new hand. We alludc to the brilliant series OF
novels by Miss Mullibach, now in course of publ
cation by their house. The writer is a German
woman, living, We believe, in Berlin; and her
novels are first published there, and translated
here by practised hands. Of herself we know
nothing; but her intellectual powers arc wildly
revealed in the works under notice.
She is person of erudition, extensive and
quite accurate, possessing an extraordinary i'm
agination, gift of making dialogue, which fits
her well for high order of dramas, if she cared
to attempt them, vein of wit which is French
and OF humor which is English, besides a reals-
tic syle of description which belongs of right to
the age of the photograph. As history, her
works are truly valuable, containing not only all
that could be gathered worth knowing, from the
heaviest of authors, but presenting 1t in a man
ner which makes its acquisition and retention by
the memory matter of real pleasure.
But it is as novels that Miss AIuhbach's books
possess their highest charm. All this exhibition
of historical lore is but the means to the end.
Her object is to write stories which shall enthral
her readers, and she does it.
| Not for many years-some say, not since the
| Waverley novcls-havc such entertaining, such
| thoroughly readable books appeared. No dull
chapters mar the progress of her narratives
Some historical novelists have thought it neces-
sary to administer to the dignity of History, by
mixing up quantities of dry statistics with theii
fctions. Miss Muhlbach skips chronologics, and
the like rubbish, and gives us nothing of history
which is not of itself interesting. Hence hei
novels are of kind that one wishes there were
more of them. We never tire of her heroes
her Frederick, for instance He figures in va
rious attitudes, in her Frederick the Great ant
His Friends" "Joseph II, and His Court" ant
Berlin and Sans-Souci;' yet when we have
read them all, we arc by no means cloyed with
that particular historical dish, but ask for more
of it,
There can be no better evidence of the geniu.
of a writer than this of portraying the sam,
character in series of books with historical con
sistency, and yet with undiminished interest Ii
Miss Muhlbach's case we think the interest in
creases as we advance in the life and fortunes o
her favorite Fritz A part of the charm, wher
we pause to analyze it, is her style-perhaps th'
freest and most sparkling that ever ran from
womans pen. 1t has an individual quality, hare
to define, like that which we see in some pictures
but it is unmarried by mannerisms or grotesque
ries of any kind.
s"Joseph the Second and His Court |" "The MeI
chant Of Berlin i" ' Frederick the Great and Hi
| Court;" Berlin and SansSoucit by L. Muhlbacf
Each $2 Published by D.Appeton & Co., New York
| Sent by mail. Zee. on receinf of the nfice