New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-04-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
COME wOMENs NOVELS.

Coneth Up Flower" Not Wisely p E TOO
Wen" etc svo. PIP. 225 swd. d. Appleton " 70.
,,rcv his vicsstudes Adventures Observations, Con
illusions. Friendships ana IniosI Ppo M, sS ! b.
Lppincott n Co
There is one manly privilege at least when INC
entler sex seem TO be getting pretty much 10 lnei
selves and that is the privilege of writing equ'ocai
novels Mrs Aphra Behn TO be sure two hundred
years ago used astonish the Court OF Chailes H.
with tales at which Smollett would have Diusheu
but this fascinating, if somewhat audaclous' lady
was fortunately not the founder of school, and had
no imitators of her own sex. Ii has been reserve"
for the present refined and Christian generation 10
take IN the task from which the period of the merry
monarch recoiled and the friends of freedom we pre-
sume will rejoice that women are learning now 10
write without the slightest embarrassment upon
themes of which il has been 1asmohaoie 10
nppose them ignorant. Not that the license OIL
Aphra Behn is revving; there was NTH ABOUT thaU
which the modern stomach is too delicate to brook;
the seventeenth century took ITS vices raw the nlhe
teenth wants them eXqusitey sugared. But the
poison is not the less dangerous because il is dis
ruised We have had mems novels i'll plenty which
trenched upon the forbidden ground between strict
virtue and open shame and like opera boufe derived
sheir principal charm from the uncertainty IN which
they lett the unregenerate mind whether 1t was
quite proper 10 look at them. And now woman
shows that she too can produce such literature,
and give il a spice and flavor which man
has never yet learned TO impart The three books
whose Titles we have cited above are characteristic
productions of three popular female novests OF the
present day. They all show ability of certain kind,
but they differ greatly in tone and in tendency as
well as in literary merit. The quality which dis
.inguishes them all in common is coarseness.-not OF
language. but of thought. The love which supplies
he Mot and motive of two of them the passion of
l. a, bnfG aD1
hidden embrace.-loye without its poetry, without
Ms spirtualiziug and elevating influence, without
H. generous and sef-denying impulses; the passion
which fills the other is the lust of vulgar vice.
so Runs the World Away is IN all respects the
BEST of the three Some of the characters, especially
.he minor ones are excellently conceived and drawn
with skillful hand The vacillatng Lord Orme and
his detestabe children are admirably sketched and
he domestic at Orme House are full of humor
and truth. The book abOunds in w.t. of the cynical
Saturday Reriec sort and The style is animated and
At times eloquent The story moreover Is
,ar less obnoxious than the other two to the
FAULT We have mentioned as common to
ihem all; still the fault is there The central figure
Lady Diana is an impossible woman-an utterly
aeartlcss animal who loves nothing but her dinner,
and without a spark of tenderness IN her nature
,cduccs all men till they learn 10 press her in their
Arms and kiss her fercely and then she casts them
AWAY One scene viii suffice to Illustrate crit
.sm. She amuseS herself by recalling her old lover
Ibursan, and fully TO appreciate the spirit OF what
,ollows our readers must bear in mind that ThuIstan
newly and happily married, though Lady Diana
Toes not know it:
He grasped her wrist and cried
You try far Lady Di. You tempt only 10 dis
appoint you inspire hopes only to battle them. Now
s he honest with you, not that deserve honesty OF
ne but because will fight you with your mean
seapons II you wish to lure me back TO a state
d semimadneSs about you. you yet beautiful and
alarming enough 10 succeed but warn you fairly,
san not WOO you the terms for am no longer
rec: aud II you tempt you. swear that will
you. DO you think that man is 10 he tortured,
wounded and goadod like the poor brutes that writhe
Inder the skill Of the MatadOri and do you think the
Hatador always escapes without injury l think 1t
ndest 10 tell you without equvOcation that you per
in giving encouragement. shall, whether you
axe take any advantage of you circumstances
nay put in my way"
All the color had faded from his face. There
his eyes which she had there before
She did before the storm she had evoked;
when she looked up at this mans face and how
handsome looked in its menace she thought that she
lad never liked any SO well as she did him. She
sked him better his wrath than ever she had done
when he wooed her with emile and entreaty. And he
ad he was free! Then her suspicious were correct
bout that GIRL and at the thought of her rival Lady ID
elt as though a knife thrust INTO her-heart. l
houd say, speaking Of any other woman; but IN tins
.ase ought perhaps to substitute the word vanity
or heart
Forgive me, she said. beseeehngy.
"Bah!" he replied. impatiently; that's what you
always say Women are the unreasonable devils in
he world they 10 think that civil speeches VIII
compensate for anything. dare that the daughter
HerOdias thought that apology would comfort John
or the prospect Of her taking his head AS guerdon
Ior grim reyery of hers. do forgive you Lady ID;
Ant mus NM II you. M
fend again you Will not escape SO easily"
without further words. he took her in his and
Kissed her.
Another woman might have redeemed under that
,aress which was almost menacng passionate, but
,his one pacd visibly Lady hi coud longer blush,
although she could She did not fear Thultan, but
apprehensve OF any Of her admirers appear
ng suddenly the She could explain away
.hngs but even scarcely given satisfac.
ory reason Lord Orne TO Clarveaux for her being
ussed on the stairs by TbursTan Mowbray.
The pleasant fruit Of Lady Diana's propensities,
ar as Mrs. Steele sees fit TO reveal them, may be
mmmed up as one murder, death from broken
aeart and two wrecked lives. Thurstan MOwbray is
lmere brutal English guardsman of the period,
gentleman except in the presence of ladies. brave
nan except in the face of duty, honorable man
except with tradeSpeOple and women. We suppose
se is presented rather as the victim OF the lovely
0rceress than actually bad fellow but
be kills his wife by his inidelity, rides
s,eeple chase in the hour that he learns what he
has done and goes abroad to forget his remorse
kithout even seeing her grave. Azalea whom he
narries and destroys is evidently designed a
Tast to Lady Diana. She is a signal illustration
,oweyer of the inability OF the caIna school of lady
iovellsts TO depict pure and holy affection. As
:hd she is charming; her character is distinctly
Irawn full of life and originality; she be
comes lover she changes not to an animal but to a