The New York herald., 1871-02-14
LITER RATURE.
Criticisms of New Books.

| The FIRST publication Of a new old drm honorable
in years and stil more honorable in reputation,
| that born old like Tim Linkinwater, il gradually
coming down TO oil the energy OF nve-and-twenty.
| When Carter Hcndee established 6 book store on
the sold corner" IN Boston they buded far better
than they knew Baptized anew as I1cknor, Reed
Fields, transformed later into Ticknor & Fields,
changed ny the wheel OF time into Fields osgood &
Co.. and finally, by the retirement OF its senior part
nen assuming Its present name. the firm o! James
r. osgood ~ Co. inherits more brains than almost
any other publishers in the world; for II Is
TO them that we look for the English
poets even as far back as Chaucer; for De Quincy
for Tennyson for the Brown,ngs, for Scott Thacke-
ray aud Dickens; for many another English author;
Tor hawthorne and the majority OF Americas
cleverest writer's Why, with an announcement OF
new books IN which are 10 pc represented Emerson,
Lowell, Whittier, Bryant Holmes, Mrs. Stowe,
Parton, Bayard Taylor Whipple, Elizabeth Stuart
Phelps Kate Field Dickens, Hawthorne, Trow
bridge and others, James r 0sgood & Co. should
make their first appearance in the modest garb
OF yellow-covered literature can only be
accounted for by the Scriptural dogma OF
the last being first and the first last.
"Woven OF Many Threads is "a novel by lady
well known In art circles this country, ana Tor
many years resident in ltay.n IL Is always good TO
hear OF an American novel, for novel writing does
not seem 10 be indigenous to our SOIL While Eng
land actually spawns fiction, much OF which is good:
while Trollopes people the circulating libares and
furnish small talk for all the spinsters in the United
Kingdom, England's own cousin, America, brings
forth little romance with infinite labor. 'There's
| destiny In these things, gentlemen and 1t is
! not our destiny to give birth to Thack.
| Grey or a Dickens so long as we are
busy making history. Until the good tune coming
| we must be contenIed with what the gods, or at
least tie publishers, provide. That IS, contened II
we be not book reviewers Had We not become en-
| tangled In "Many Threads' we should be content,
Sidney Smith being quite right IN maintaining tnat
t prejudices writer 10 read book before review
Ing 1t, and we are not content because it one Of
! those books which it is impossible to thoroughly
! condemn. 1t stands upon that border line be-
| tween good and Indifferent which IL the despair
OF conscientious critics. You inclined to say
! the author, saying IL somewhat fearfully "Go and
| sin no more" ana you are likewise inclined to
| amiaby whisper, "If you feel writing to be your
mission persevere, and the future may produce
desirable ruit.''
We are inclined to be amiabe because "Woven OF
Many Threads is evidently the work OF cultivated
woman, writing satisfactory English and appreclat-
Ing the beautiful We are more inclined TO be
severe, because we no evidence of greater
motive power than culture appreciation and a
CSltilu luCulty poiu VI luUCn dDSDTpilOu OF
other peoples ideas. II is book written
by an American LADY, lis it not better to be an
American woman even In an advertisements, but it
is not an American novel. II is English OF the Eng
lsh The characters, when moi romantic and Italian,
belong to the English ar.stocracy and gentry. ard
Americans only figure in the garb OF several vulgar
pnrrenuS. This in itself Is crime against art
although there is no reason why Americans should
not employ home material even In far distant Rome;
but what strikes most forcibly the authors
artistic insncerity--
You praise, you ather that book IL you win.
But the OF friend Murray' viii hang still.
1t is the Old old story, OF which English PUBLISH
stand in such mortal fear TO condemn unread
romances the scenes OF which are laid IN Italy.
| First there are Paris, the Louvre, Fontainebeau
| Versailles anu Pere La Chaise with appropriate
! disquisitlons on pictures Louis XIV, Marie An
| toinette, Rachel ana Abelard and Heloise; thence
| we taken to Marseiiles ana treated to few OF
| Murray's tidbits; and then we are launched upon
| the eternal city Santo Spirto, san Miche o,
| Villa Aldobrandin, Capella del Coro, the
Pincio, Ponte Mole, the fountain OF Egeria
San Onofrio, with Tasso for moral;
the Coliseum, st. Peters. Guido, Guer-
cino, Fra Angelica, San Souci, near Naples; the
Blue Groro, little favor Of revolution with Carl
badi and battles OF Casel Fidardo and Ancona. and
behold the threads upon which the writer has strung
her characters
And the people are as wen known as the various
interesting localities which they visit guide book in
hand. There Is one brunette heroine, born for su-
fering "a CARO- Dolce type Of beauty and another
heroine all blonde and sunshine, who Commits sui
eide, as such natures-never do. Both are equally
beautiful both are foils, and both drive Roman So
cety more or less mad There is heroine number
three, lovely Italian girl, with the GUS
tonary wonderful eyes, who is betrayed
as usual. There is Lady Dnsmore, with
"hidden, corroding grief.n who binds her
aching brow with aromatic vinegar" as aristocracy
should; there are several nuns, governess, Of
perfect department. &C., &C. There are three cor
responding heroes, one English and heir to large
estates, handsome Of course, whom we "know for
our own'' even to the forehead, which premature
badness had isft little bare; the second is liber
tine, Prince Cont, beloved Of the blondes; the third
! is supposed Roman founding, looking like Clm-
abue Raphael and Parmigiano oil In one, and pos
sessing marvellous voice. that sings In the Popes
choir as voice never sang within our recollcctons OF
Rome; all the angels In heaven seemed TO sing with
| him. There are noble French villain and an
intellectual scotchman, who on all necessary occa-
sions does the ctcerone ana the heavy brtc-a-brac
| business to perfection, et cola to,E.
Given the romantic situations, the author manu-
factures people That will ct into them. The stua-
| lions are dramatic, consequently the people must
| be brought to grief. And this Is what mean in
accusing the author Of nsincerlty The book is not
| natural outgrowtn, ana we contend that no book
| should be written unless it be 10 tell some new
thing or TO tell some old thing better than it has
| been told before. Remove the characters under
discussion from their loved and well-worn frames
and the interest would In great part vanish. ToIe,
rable as they are they have not sufficient body to
stand alone; and novel depending upon situations
for its effects is better as literature than the
conventional melodrama. Because cultivated
! woman travels and knows little about music and
painting it does not follow that she should write a
| nsvel. Nay we contend that the tendency Of the
superficial d,leuante who rusbes into print is bad. 1t
leads to one Of the worst species Of cant which is
art cant. No one has q right to touch art In never
tnGing criticism who cannot speak with profess