The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-02
GEORGE Macdonaid's Last Novel.


mau may possess rare gifts OF insight
and expression, and discover almost infillible
discernmsnt In gaueine aud ranking the srtis-
tic worth OF others work "a man, In short, may
be Saint-Beuve. and yet ignore, 40 Sainte-Beu
did, the first PRINCIPLES of perspective and
color, when he undertakes to construct
a story. In Thomas Vd0fold, Cuntte, there Ia
enough of wholes ome and sound ethics 10
furnish forth dozen sermons, enough shrewd
observation OF life to float one Of Anthony
Trollopes narratives, and as regards the heroine
a gr. iuated evolution Of ch ract-r. such as we
are accustomed u look Tor from George Elliot
yet the aggregate result Ia by no means a good
novel. Few who read this volume will dispute
Mr. MAoposALD's aI ilincstions as a lyric poet or
social essavist but II he wish to speak to us In
the novel form, II behooses him to obey Its fun
damental laws. aud to recognize that not to lie
Interesting, in the sense OF CHI dining the der's
attention to the progress Of his plot and the
doings Of bis characters, Is not to be q novelist
at alt.
The writer had before him the materials Of
plot which admitted OF progressive. cumulative
deveiopm ent, and the intention OF using them in
an artistic way Is at Intervals present to his
mind. But just 40 the wool begins to take dea.
mite shape ne DROPS the thread, half impatiently
80 II 20 chronicle the spiritual struggles OF
Az unwelcome skepticism, were fr more i'm
portant business and 90 from one point OF vie ~
/ IT doubtless Is. When, for EXAMPLE. the re der
mas besn narrowed by tho details OF q shocking
murder, and IL made TO see the shadow OF ap-
proceeding doom, he IL scarcely in proper re-
cepttve spirit for homilies touching thu sources
and tests of faith neither when the detectives
hot upon the scent OF crime committed
yesterday does he consent without reluctance to
follow the Wandering jew for two or three
CHI tpters through the earlier centuries Of the
Christian era.
We are very far from saving that Intelligent
men and women may not get more instruction
and enter ainment, too, Of a certain kind, from
George Macdonald than from the deity COM
pActed tales OF wilkie Collins. Certain charac-
tiers presented In this volume are dissscted with
dry, dispassionate, vet terribly incisive touch,
which will remind the reader Of Jane A listen. or
perhaps George Elliot. The portrait for in
| stance. of that peculiarly offensive type gene
rated by IN cd ern socisty-ths skeptical prig, tne
man who Is not saddened by doubts. but proud
OF them-is, so far as we know, unique In
literature. The sketch, likewise, OF the
heroine In what may be called the chry.tlis
stage. is full OF subtle strokes. Take this by way
OF sample;
Helen supposed she could think-like other
had passed through her In tolerable pen
~, leaving many "a phantom conclusion behind I;
but this was their thinking, not hers. she bau
thou9ht no more thtn was necers ry now and
then 10 the persuasion that shs saw what sell
tence me mt, after which her acceptance or re-
lee ion Of what was cont aimed IN IT, never more
tnan lukewarm, depended solely upon It's rela-
ton To wbat she had somehow or other, she
could seldom have told how, come TO regard as
the proper style Of opinion 10 hold upon thIngs
In general.
We may cite, too, the dozen or more
lines In which the ourate Is introduced ~
US, and In which, without any apparent effort or
design on the part OF tho author, we are made to
divine aud admire the intellectual honesty Of
the man:
Besides his inferlority in size and self
presentment, he had slight hesitation Of
manner. which seemed to anticipate, II not to
court, the subordinate position which most
men, and most women too, were ready to as
sign him. lie said Don't you hfnhf' far OFT ener
than ~ think" aud was always more ready to q \
his attention upon the strong points of All oppo-
nent's argument than 10 reassert his own in
slightly altered phrase ike most men. or even In
fresh forms ike few; hence-sef-asseTtiou,
either modestly worn like a shirt of fine chain
armOr. or gaunt ana obtrusve like plates OF
steel, being the strength Of the ordinary man
what could the cur te appear but defenceless,
therefore weak, and therefore contemplate.
The truth Is, he had less sef-concet than IA NOR
tal's usu Il share, and was not yet possessed Of
any oplnlons, Interesting enough 10 nlmseI To
seem worth defending with any approach Of VI
Vacity.
Is It not plain enough that this curate Is a
man OF brains, and that there Is some hope Of
his learning something In the courss Of bis Jour.
ney through lifei
Those who can admire even the rough, unnn-
ished work Of bold, bright intellect, cannot at
ford to neglect George Macdonald, but II they
would measure the effect OF timoers no Iess
massive and sound than hls, when built into A
symmetrical, artistic structure, they will do well
to ponder "Mlddlemarch" and "DanieI Ia
ronda."