The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-08-31
Recent Publications.

A Primer Of American Literature by Charles
+. Richardson Boston: Houghton & Osgood;
Portland: Loring, Short s. Harmony is an ex-
ceedingly compact, well-written and attractive
volume 1t differs from many books Of its
| class, by the fresh, original and remarkably
appreclative tone Of thought. aud the exceIlencs
OF Its style which combines no small degree of
| literary beauty with the coude nsation neces-
sary to so small a volume. o; course there will
% diterences OF taste and judgment concern
| lug the merits and relative traits of the au-
thors described by Mr.. Richardson; bu. the
tone OF the book Is genial, sympathetic and re-
markaoly wel!-jadging. Mr.. Richardson
speaks hopefully, as well he may, of the fature
OF American literature. Among the later risen
poets' he ranks Bayard Taylor foremost, prais.
ing the fire and force of his dramatic gift, and
Considers that in lyrical facility he surpssses all
contemporaries with the exception of SWIM
ourne' Some OF his longer poems, as Mr..
hicnardson says, have been produced with
rspidity recalling the Italian improrisatori.
The Masque of the Gods is a notable example
OF this singular inspiration-this sleam Of the
sunshine OF the gods" in Mr.. Taylor's own
happy phrase. The Masqus was composed
during = railroad journey and remained com.
pleteiy written in the poets mind until hs
reached his home and could commit the work In
paper. 1t seems indeed almost miraculou, that
poem so large and harmonious in design and
80 nobly lyric in form could have 90 suddenly
possessed the poet-but precisely thus was the
case. In commenting upon Mr. Longfellov's
superoly faithful translation of Dante's Dirine
Comedy, Mr.. Richardson says. with excellent
Judgment: 1t may be said to have ended for.
ever the day Of the old fashioned loose school
OF translators like Chapman, Dryden and Pope.
The spirit as well as the form of the original
is preserved, and Mr.. Lougfellow, besides Civ
ing version Of Dante which is incom parablv
superior to its predecessors, has Influenced by
ms WORK quite body of American literalists.
Inls hdelity and marvellous plastic power Of
words are striking and notable traits Of Mr..
Longfellow's poetic genius, which do not Of
course appeal directly to the popular mind a.
90 tne tender humanity, the fine nature of his
poetry 1t is rather the student of literary
form, OF the reviewer, whose duty 1t is to con-
sider the technique as well as the poetic essence
OF verse, who is struck and enchanted with the
ease with which expression ranges itself to suit
the poets purpose. Note for instance the
Oscsne Tragedy. in which the words of Holy
writ are transferred, without change save Of
tne most unimportant conjunctions or exple-
ives, whenever the sacred character of the
speaker would render IL unfit that words other
tnan his own be written. Again how fresh
and charming are the 'rapturous divisions'' of
solomon's Song as they are set 10 the scenes of
she drama This extraordinary deftness of the
poet in moulding words will be more readily
appreciated by the general reader in the COM
parison with the Biblical original than In the
case of translation from foreign tongues; and
it should be noted, as . trait for which Mr..
Longfellow is destined to great praise In the
judgment of future generation, of critics.
Mr.. Richardson calls Joaquin Miller can
Oregon Byron" but considers him fresh and
original. He classes Walt Whitman, Miller,
Edgar Fawcett and Adah IsaAcs Msuksn to-
gether as the Pfe-Raphaslites Of Auerica-
which is as arbitrary q combination as cats In
a bag, and resultant in similar harmony.
John Hay is placed at the head Of the dialect
poets. Mr.. Stedman receives well msrited rec
ognition and praise, especially for his noble,
artistic and sound work. the Victorian Poets;
though Mr.. Richardson's suggestion that the
hasty reader would consider the polish Of the
work as artificial, Is unnecessary and hardly
fair to the perfect grace aud strength
and the consequent ease of Mr.. ed
mans work. OF Sidney Lanisr's ode, Mr..
Richardson justly says, 1t aims to be
in poetry some such thing as wsgner's music
Is in orchestraton. Mr. elders half delicate,
half bizarre New Day is traced to its old Ital-
ian models. Mr.. Howslls receives OF right
much praise; and is considered ''the best liter
ary painter of contemporary American life In
The better classes" The dramstic tendency of
Mr.. Howslls's stories is noted. Julian Haw-
thorne is praised very greatly bsyoud his de-
serts. Henry James is we'll described, though
not at length, or with any attempt at subtle
analysis.
The beginning of American literature in 1870
10 the Revolutionary period. Is the space OF
time treated in the first chapter; the second
division is occupied by the years 1776-1S12;
the third By the years 1S12-1S61, and the fourth
treats of those writer's whose best work has
been done siuce the war. Precisely why Mr..
Richardson has chosen to mara the epochs Of
he psacefulart of letters by the red-writtsn
lates of war, is not easy to say; bat these
lates serveiwell enough to mark the progress
- Jul hsoAoeutot WuiOh uoS hou iuucoup uo VIZ
ent.transitions, but kept pace with the country's
srowth.and also with literary fashions of over
'eas. So long review has been devoted to
Mr.. Richardson's unpretentious volume, ,bscause
I is not only interesting in itself, very sug-
,estiyo and reliable RESUME of the course Of
American literature, and one which will give
much pleasure and profit to the reader,-but
because it is also a successful and modest yen-
,ure in the difficult ept erprise Of contemporary
criticism.
Guido Rsni is the subject Of another volume
Of Mr.. NJ. f. Sweetser's Artist Biographies
Boston: Houghton. Osgood s. Co.; Portland;
Loring, Short s. Harmony. The singular ma
ture of the artist and his extraordinary freaks
are described very Interestingly by the biogrs-
pher, who regrets that the limits of the volume
DO not permit further transcriptions from the
annals of the great painters life. Mr.. Sweet
,er's genial and kindly tone OF thought, and
The remarkable freedom from bigotry and mar
rowness that characterzss his criticism, add
greatly to the enjoyable quality Of these Art
is. biographies He brings forward-against
his will-for who that loves art does not hesi-
tate to brush away the delicate cobwebs of ira
and facts that seem to prove the