The New York herald., 1878-10-21
LITERATURE.

HENRY JAMES, JR.'s, NovEL-PRINcE BIS
MARcKs PRIVATE LErTERs--''rHE EURO
PEANs."
The very qualities that make Horny James, Jr, ono
of critics prevent him from being altogether
successful as q novelist He has q critical and
analytic mind. ais characters are arranged before
him. and he regards them 1rst through microscope
ana then disseots them with lancet. This peculiar
treatment noticeable In .Roderick HUDSON, - was
more marked IN 'sThe Amoricap," and Is carried 10
she last degree OF surgery In "Tho Europeans"
tHoughton, Osgood q Cob Mr.. James' best stories
are his shorter Tnore is OF tho human In
the volume entitled sThe Passionate Pigrimn than In
all his novels put sogc,neE 'Roderiok Hudson"
unpleasant sort Of puppet, and "rhe
Americann more like tailor's dummy with
Boston training than real man. There
Is not one human being In sThe Europeans" unless
We except Lzzis Acton, who is at best mere sketch
While the scene OF "The Americann is laid In Europe
that OF rhe Europeans ia laid in America The change
Is not a pleasant one; We prefer Mr.. James In the
Ola World. Tho local color thcrs helps TO warm bis
SUBJECTS the Puranc codness OF New England, united
with his own Icy nature. siKes chill to tho heart
OF the reader. II there was some means by which
Mr.. James could carve hts figures and let another
Pygmalion breathe life them the result would be
more agreeable 10 the reader. Not that we do not
admire nis literary style, but we arc benumbed by
his cold dissection and frgid treatment OF the char
he puts up for consideration. Tho Baroness
Munster is a woman VINO should stand out In warm
and gorgeous coloring but she seems littlc
better than q machine. NO cannot toll
whether Felix, her brother, tho other European,
10 meant for good fellow a ne -do-we, with his
perpetual smile and Irinng manner. The story Is
that OF German American baroness and her painter
prsther, who came to live with their very New Eng
laud relatives in the neighb0rho0d Of Boston. The
Baroness has contracted morganatic marriage with
. German prince, who Is anxious TO got rid OF her.
As one might expect, the arrival OF this woman OF
the world. this almost adventures. In quiet New
England family would produce sensation Tho Bar
onsss described thirty three years oi age "ber
com plexion was fasigued, as the French say; her
mouth was large, her lips too iul her teeth uneven,
her chm commonly modelled; she nau . thick nose,
and whom she smiled-she constantly smiling-the
lines beside II rose too high toward hor eyes" Ger.
truds tho other heroine, hardly attractive
In personal appearance ''Sne tall and pale, thin
and little AWKWARD; her hair was lair and perfectly
straight; her eyes dark, and they had the sinRu.
iarty OF seeming At once dun and restless" This
docs not suggest pleasant picture a. all; we fancy
an underdone school girl whose eyes have grown
.dul and restiess'' from too much study and slate
pencil disi. Nevertheless the dsshing Felix leil In
love with ana married her; the Baroness.
failing 10 the "catch," Robert Acton, returning
TO her German home. There u great many
good points in this story. Mr.. Wentworth has
good dcai OF tue New England father his compo.
sition--a man who couldn't understand amusing him.
SELF because he ne longer child. Tho cOnvcrsa-
tioos different characters at times and
meaningless, but Mr.. James remarks Loading up TO
them are always intelligent and often brilliant