The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-23
SOME NEW hooks.
A Remarkable French Novelist.

CDnNicuOHS prompt us W bldt WIN tuOoN WIZ
praise. or with those who abuse him. the fact is
beyond dispute that EMILE lola has attained
measure OF success scarcely par0lleed in our
generation, and that his themes and his STYLE
his aims, methods and performances provoke
the widest attention and tho liveliest discussion
throughout Europe. The truth ia that the
nuthor OF the series OF novels grouped together
under the gene ric tito OF Les ROugon- Mdcqudrtis
n phenomenon that invites at once the study OF
The artist. the scientist. and the politician. As
regards subject and treatment Emile lola in
earnates an aesthetic revolution while in his
social and political lcanings he represents tho
literary side OF the great upheaval which fol-
lowed the collapse OF the second empire. still,
more curious and suggestive is his deliberate
Application OF Darwinism to literature. his
portrayal OF life and character under tho
strict conditions Of tue revolutionary theory.
namely, horcdiy and atavism on the one
hand. with environment and natural or sex
ual selection on the other. These ara
Zoas credentials. and such n man deserves
10 be scanned. II not with sympathy and APP
proyal. at all events with respect az the type Of
mn epoch As yet only ono of his books. so far
rs we know. has been reproduced in English.
but more are promised and u glance ut tho
mans life. as well us at the scope and quality OF
his work can scarcely be- devoid Of interest.
NJ. lola would contend that his distinctive Mt
titude as a student Of human life is mainly duo
10 physical causes. including. Of course. hered-
itary apttudes. He would not repudate. how
ever. the influence exercised by intellectual
ancestors whose works by virtue Of n subtle
affinity. or OF long contact at an impressionable
n.c. may have tncturcd. developed. or directed
his mind. He Is not unwilling to be counted
the successor OF writer's who have recognized
more or less distinctly the same aims-as the
latest exponent OF n school whose origin may
be traced back for century He himself calls
Rousseau the founder OF realistic narrative in
France. having in view. OF course the Con-
fessions. and not the Notrele Hsioise. as
some Of his critics have imagined But Rous-
seau only suggested the tremendous force that
lies in naked voracty. and II was Balzac who
first carried out the process OF ruthless viviscc-
ton on n great scale. The wonderful minute
ness with which the individual character OF his
persons was projected by the author Of the
Comeiie HuDidue. and the painstaking accu-
racy Of tho surroundings in which he placed
thom. sharply distinguished his treatment
from Victor Hugo's exaggerated colorlng on
the one hand. and from George Sands pur-
suit OF abstract types upon tho other But
although Balzac dycrgcd at once from romantic
and from classical models. he did not always
evnce the scrupulous. and. SO to speak. me-
was no mere photographer. strangely fecund
fancy and an irresistible instinct Of Generalizl-
ton not seldom forcing him to transform indi-
viduals into vertablo types. In the case
of RdStigndc or Lucien de RubOaprS. or
La femme de he,de ans. After Bal2Ic's death
realism in literature lost its hold on the French
world for almost a generation. Something. it
Is true. was done by the co-workers Erck-
mann-Chartrain within restricted proyin-
cial horizon. something by Emile Garboriau
in the almost unworked field of the Judicial
and detective novel. and something on wider
canvas by the brothers Goncourt. But II
we except some OF Garboriau's stories. which
ran through a numbered editions. the works Of
the reaists failed to please the artificial jaded
society OF the second empire. and were entirely
ecliused not only by clever adopts in the classic
conventions like Octave Teuillet. but even by
the wretched imitators Of tho elder Dumas.
who spun out serial sensations for the daily
newspapers. And even Zoas master Gus
tave Faubert. whose Madame BOrdJV and
L'Educdtion .Sentimeddle are consummate
examples OF novel writing conceived as a
form OF natural history. where the methods
OF scientific scrutiny are applied with perfect
cyniclsm. never won anything beyond the os-
teem OF narrow circle. Certainly man OF
this temper was scarcely fitted to be the pet Of
nrbiter OF festivals and charades at CompieGne
and the literary mentor Of the frivolous per-
sonage whom caprice and accident had made
Empress Of France.
With the empire fell vast scaffolding Of
spurious or fragile regulations In art and
literature. which helped TO prop the po-
litical structure. What has become OF
Houssaye and Bel6t. who made n sump-
tuous living by the portrayal OF vice and
scandal What has paralyzed the pen OF Gus
tave Droz. whose quaint admiXture Of sentiment
and sonsuality hnd the Diquancy ofanew sauce
What has come over tho public which used to
flock by tens OF thousands TO buy CdmOrs. but
which now turns with Indifference. almost with
contempt. iron the ls,less elegance and refined
vapidity OF Ecu let's latest works LES AmoWS
de Philippe aud lie journal dune FnHlHey So.
too. the cunning Alterations and the pungent
,epiRrams Of the accon. plshed Gonevese, Cher
buez seem 10 have lost their SAVIOR. II We may
Judge from the waning vogue OF his perform
snces at home. And II Theuriet has so far cs-
saped the general eclipse Of former iayorites. II
T. solely due to his descriptions OF natural
scenery where Of course a novelists special
qualifications 90 not como at all In question. The
real sovereigns Of the French reading public al
tlis limo. as attested by the conclusive voucher
ofunnpproacheds success. are lola and Alphonse
Daudet. The latter began as an ideast and his
Le,bes de- mon Moulin and 7d tdr,n de 7drGscOr
are charming examples Of the sentimental
school but.it was only when he joined Xoa in &C.
oepting Ilaubert for a master. and under his
impulse produced Fremont Jerme. Jack. and IL
Nabab that he attained great reputation. Yet
is n curious fact that tho orthodox rcalists are
not quite willing TO class Daudet in their ranks
They admit that the persons Of his recent books
arc human beings of very complex character