New-York tribune., 1878-02-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
NEW NOVELS.

q TOO RJCu Fran the German of Adolph streek,uss,
by Hrs. A. l.. WIsTER 12mo. PIP. $40 D. d. h'P
pincOtt Co. u,
T. DUNCAN l2mO. j. H. Lipl1hc'tl * ~
The "No Name SeriesD is doomed 10 lose IFS mys-
ferrous character by slow but inevitable degrees
Even though certain known authors succeed III 'ehi-
porarily Disgusting their style, they cannot escape
slight peculiarities which betray them IN the emu
and as the number of writers upon whom the pun
fishers depend is necessarily limited the chances Vi
detection increase with each repetition OF the eA,
pertinent. "Marmorne," for instance might AZ "eii
have carried the authors name upon the tl'le-Page'
we recognize him in the first chapter, ana hVo'u'-
tarily contrast the story with his previous WORKS
as we read He has produced good, quiet piece oi
work. tolerably fresh in its material, aboundlhg
with brief but excellent descriptive passages, anu
entertaining from beginning to end. Inc heroes
are three brothers, English. but OF partly freheh
blood who own large estate in the widest part oi
Burgundy Emil is the evil spirit OF the story Julus
the chief lover and Adophus the narrator pt IS tolu
in the first person. who threatens us with sihall
romance of his own, but suddenly lets 1t drop as II
afraid of compicating matters. The plot IS rather
clumsly managed and we cannot help thinking
that the author might have made q good deal more
out of his material. The chateau of Bolsvipere ana
its encircling forests stimulate the readers imagl
full dramatic action might be expected. The person
ages of the MaImome family are well-drawn and
Thoroughly interesting, but the bad brother is the
only one of the three Englishmen who makes huch
immersion upon us-aud he is too clumsy villain
for one who pretends to be so subtle
In "The Nabob." NJ. Daudet has produced MS
best work. He has learned, at last, to NIX the ele
ments of virtue and baseness in proportions APP
preaching the truth of human nature, andto allow
colnpensatng happiness to soften the austerty
of evil fortune. There is still suificency OF mea-
ness and vice to be found i'll his characters stll
hidcous glimpSes of that Partisan materiaism which
Is the most hopeless phase of modern cvzatlon-lor
nothingcan be evolved out oft which werenot better
left nevolyed. The picture which NJ. Daudet gives
of financial operations, swindling companies, parti-
c,pation of men belonging to the highest circles of
society in all manner of cheating and fraud will
amaze even Wall-st He spins network of coarse
.bare-fac wickedness, reaching from the peniten-
tary to the throne, and only made more ghastiy by
that drapery of taste and elegance and aristociahc
breeding in which its worst features are enveloped
The picture would lie uncomfortable were 1t not
frightened by touches of honesty and true feeling
in some of the coarsest characters and by the con-
trast of fresh, unsullied and noble natures. Ihe
skill with which Paris is woven into the texture OF
the story as background for the action, Is wholly
admirable Without passages of intentional deScrp-
ton without completed sketches OF streets, bulld-
ings crowds, the shifting ainoSpheres OF day ana
night the reader is made to feel the constant pres
ence of all Paris around him. The Nabob IS vulgar
peasant from the South OF France, whom chance
carries 10 unis where he and plumbers The Bcy
for twenty years when he is able TO return to Paris
with 20 900 900 of francs. Here with his ignorance,
his vulgar vanity, and bis purse-prde, he becomes
the prey of rapaeous swindlers, from the Duke de
Mora tde Morny) down to the penny-a-hner OF a
daily paper. The other principal characters are Dr..
Jenkins, an Irish physician, high in favor; the Mar
ous de Monpayon; the banker. Hemerlingue; and
Felicia Ruys, a sculptress But we have also the
delightful NJ. Joyeuse and his daughters, Paul dc
Gerry and Andre Maronne. for the fair dylc side of
the story land it is well for the Paris OF the for
mcr characters wOuld be worse than pandemonium
without them NJ. Daudet knows how to lay his
colors with sure hand the light as well as the
shadow ne has gained greatly in artistic insight
since writing "SidOnie " and Jack" In this last
work we think he has placed himself above Cher
buliez in execution, he already stood far above
Zola in refinement The translation is unusually
well done.
Mrs. Wister shows both admirable taste and un-
usual knowledge OF current German literature in
the novels which she selects for translation. Her
series. beginning with Marlitts d" Mamsee's Sc
cret" already amounts to more than dozen volumes
Including works by Hacklinder, Fanny Lewald
Werner. Baroness Won Hiliern, and Wicnert Streck-
fuss belongs in the class of nOyelists as these
popular refined thoroughly entertaining, and
skilled to select types from real life, without pos
sessing the genius Indispensable for new and per-
manent creations. TOO Rich" has more move
ment and change of scene than usual, whence the
plot is characterized by action rather than develop
ment The contrast Of poor aristocracy and rich
middle-class is effectively used, yet without exag
peration Eva Schommer, the spoiled hciress, is not
attractive at first, and cannot understand the
young Baron Won Heydecks passion for her; but she
improves rapidly after the whole party reach the
Tyrol and the end is as it should be- The evil char
acter of the story is also nObleman, 10 whose
crimes ample Justice is awarded and thus, when we
take leave of two betrothed couples, the fair Al
pine valley we are satisfied that one has suffered
more than absolutely necessary for the sake OF
the after bliss
MY Intimate Friend " is very good specimen
of those novels which aim simply to represent
tain phases of human life, exhibited in average
men and women, without recourse to phenomenal
passion or the incucation of any special moral the
ory Ii thus furnishes the strongest contrast to the
morbid creations winch are evolved from the inner
consciousness of those New England brains which
are fed upon a mixed diet of art and ethics We
read il with much the same feengas we experience,
in turning from the pretenious and purpo>ely bril-
liant conversation Of persons who talk for tler
sakes to the plain, honest speech of some undstln-
gushed member of the company. Mrs or Miss
Duncan has no marked individuality as a writer. no
bright points of style subtleties Of characterize
ton yet she bas fair idea of the construction of
story an easy power of keeping mp the action of her
plot and lnack of realistic description, which
stands ber in good stead. The pictures which she
gives of country-life in Canada are thoroughly
fresh and entertaining and lend their strong, racy
flavor IA ,vhoie The occa.iOnoI familiar