The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-03-17

FRENCH POETS AND xovELrsrs.

FRENCH POETS AND NoyELIsTs.
Messrs. Macmillan x Co. have gathered into neat
volume those sketches and essays on French poets
and. noveiists by Henry James. Jr. which have been
floating around IN the magazines for couple OF years
back Mr. James is young American who has, by
long residence in France and intelligent study learned
TO understand French writers with the thcrouehncs
Of student and the freshness of a foreigner. He
writes OF De Musset, DO Bazlc. Gauter George sand,
Tarsenien and other writers with all the enthusiasm
OF youth and admiration. Any abuse Of his avorites
puts him at once on the defensive He does not like
Herr Lindau's estimate OF De Musset Mr.. James
thinks that beyond question Dc Musset was OF
first poets OF day the poetic force measured by
the quality OF the inspiration, by its purity Intensity
and closely personal SAVIOR. Ho considers him a thor.
oughly personal poet He 'tne poet oil nature,
Of the universe. OF reflection OF morality, of his
tory; he was Simply the poet OF certain
order OF personal emotions, and his charm is IN the
irankness and freedom, tho grace and harmony with
which he expresses these motions THO affairs Ut
tho heart--tncse were his province; other
has tho heart spoken more Enthusiastically Hall
the beauty Of De Musscts writing is ITS 'smplc sus.
geslion Of youthfuness-o something fresh and fair.
slim and tremuous, with a tender epidermis" Mr..
James considers this passage from the Nut de
MAJ in which the legend OF the pelican opening his
breast TO feed his starving young made image OF
what the poet docs TO entertain his readers, the
nobest piece Of De Musscts writing, unless perhaps,
the opening verses of Rolla:-
Pootc, c'est ainsi quo font los grands pociea
lis laissent 's'cgaycr ccux qui vivcnt uu temps,
Mails les estins humans quils lcurs ietcs
Rcssemblent Ia plupart ceux des pcucana
Mr.. James devoos his lengthicst paper TO "Honore
de Baizac" and gives satisfactory ana exhaustive
essay on tho man ana tho writer When we approach
rhackeray and George Eliot, George Sand and rur-
mr. crit Al ia
the mind that we enter, and think OF these writers
primarily as great consccncos and great minds
When we approach Balzlc we seem TO enter into
great temperament prodgious nature. lie strikes
us nall tho Time MS an extraordinary physical pnc-
nomenon His robust imagination seems u OF
physical faculty, ana imprcsses us more with It's
sensible mass and quantity than with It's .ghtncss
hncness Perhaps the most interesting ofMr. James
essays Is the one on "lvan Turgenien, the famous
Russian Notwithstanding because the sub
ject is comparatively now. and anything
that We read that will throw light
upon TINS brilliant genius we eagerly
devour. Mr.. James tells little OF the man; II Is
with the novelist he deals Beyond tho fact Tur
eenien Ia Russian and lives in romantic and b.
hemiAn way In Paris we know little But VIC have his
work, and that should satisfy US. We do not agree
with Mr. James opinion OF this writor. We gvo him
higher rank and rather agree with that friend whom
Mr. James quo.es as pronouncing him the first nov
olist oil the day. Show any modern novel ut all TO
compare with ''Smoke" elisa" or "Fathcrs and
Sonsr HIS great merit this critic considers Is his
OF life in its Infinite variety; his greatest de-
feet tendency to the abuse OF irony. We differ
from Mr.. james, Tor We have failed TO discover his
abuse OF irony Ito is terribly sarcastic upon occa-
sions but never Enthusiastically so. Mr.. James closes
his essays with clevcr and comprehensive account
OF the Theatre Francois. Altogether this volume IS
one OF unusual merit and a valuable addition to re-
cent literary criticism.