The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-10-11
English Estimate of Bret Harte.


The key to the quality of Mr. Bret Harte's
genius is, perhaps, TO be found in the scollec-
tion--not yet published in this edition-of his
Condensed Novels. Nothing exactly like them
in the way of parody has appeared before
Thackerays Prize Novelists are witty and
trenchant enough, but they are mere parodies
You laugh and you are reminded of the origi-
mails, but you have not got the essential aroma
of the originals tone and method. But the
Condensed Novels are, in fact, mastery alb
stract Of that part of criticism which consists
in analysis; the deduction OF judgment is left
out. Analysis of this kind, however, is not SO
much the result of intellectual insight as of
emotional intuition--in other words. of i'm
pressibility. Mr.. Harte's mind appears to be
like Photographic negative; it is susceptible
Immediately and unerringly of the gradations
and forms of the literary temperament and
devices of others. With facility tsat seems
to approach Inconsistencies, ne feels and re-
cords whatever may be termed peculiar in
that with which he is brought into contact.
Such almost morbid alertness to impressions
though it doubtless has its drawbacks, must be
of immense advantage TO writer of stories.
By virtue simply of his organic constitution,
he is able to produce that which others arrive
at only by much thought and labor, if at ALL
OF course, susseptibiities alone will not suffice
to furnish forth writer; he must also possess
-and Mr.. Harte possesses it--a corresponding
faculty of expression. The better half of his
work will then be ready done to his mind by
nature; and what to the less gifted man,
would be irksome literary labor, is to him no
thing more than the discharge of normal
function. 1t is, perhaps, needless to say that
we are far from intending to cast slur upon
the validity of Mr., Harte's intellect. We only
desire to draw attention to the quality which,
in cur opinion, is the source of some of his best
effects, and which also is the cause of his occa-
sional mistakes For nothing is more proba-
BILE than that unassisted intellect, however in
trinsicaly perspicuous is impotent to produce
memorable literature. The finer touches, as
we'll as the sustaining and fusing power, are
furnished by the other side of the mind AT
the same time, energy and fusion will often
beguile into deplorablc errors him who trusts
to them too implicitly, and omits to guide
himself by the dry light of reason.
Now to apply the key which wei have indi
Gated to the volume before us. Mr.. Bret Harte
has often been charged with being an imita-
tator of Dickens. There is no doubt that the
manner and pose, so to speak, of much of his
work remind one of Dickens; and it may fur
ther be admitted that no other author has pro-
duced so strong literary impression on Mr.
Harte as Dickens. But it must hot be forgot
ten on the other hand, that several other au-
thors besides Dickens are occasionally re-
fiected in Mr.. Hartes work In the American
and Spanish Legends, for example, the style
and treatment are constantly suggestive OF
Washington Irving. Some of the passages in
other sketches read like an echo of Hawthorne.
But in every instance one unvarying condition
is noticeable; the author reflected never exer-
cises his influence promiscuonsly or in hap
hazard fashion, but strictly according to the
subject. That is TO say, IL Mr.. Harte has IL
on his mind to write such a tale as The Adj '
venture of Padre Nicentio he will inevitably
begi" TO think of irving and when he takes
up his pen, an Irving-like flavor will more or
less unoonsciousy einanate from it. III, again,
he proposes to describe The Surprising Ad-
ventures of Mr. Charles Summerton, recollec-
tions of Dickens's occasional papers will come
over him, and the result will be Dickens-y. In
short, lie can never invade a domain which any
note worthy writer has made his own without
in some degree assuming the peculiar gait and
dialect OF that writer: and this as we have in
timated is not at all the result Of wilful de-
termination to initiate, bat of natural suscepti-
biity. And IL Mr.. Hartes style has been as
sociated with that OF Dickens more than with
any other authors, the reason is simply that
the Dickens order CT subjects has had upon the
whole, and in some of his better-known pieces,
more attraction for him than any other. For
all that, the differences between him and
Dickens are neither few nor slight, as mo-
ments reflection will show.
In the first place Dickens had strong liter
airy individuality, while Mr.. Harte's individu-
ality is so very unobtrusive that only on re-
markable occasions does it emerge at all. This,
indeed, is the price he has to pay for his sensi-
tiveness to impressions. 1t would not be Diff
cult to construct a tolerably life-liks portrait
of Dickens from hints aud indIcat onS con-
tanned in his novels; it would be difficult TO
avoid doing SO in the case of robust self-as-
sertiou like that of Thackeray; but it would
need au analytical Argus TO do as much with
the materials which Mr.. Harte has placed at
our disposal The only trait which can be
said to stand prominently out is a rather NOR
bid sense of the ludicrous which is not sup
ported, as in Dickens's case, by an imperturba-
HE and unlimited self-colfdcnce. Nobody,
short OF a Shakespeare, can expect to be uni
fornie inspired; and If, like Mr.. Harte, he can
do nothing OF average value except when IN
splred, it is evident that he must resign hlm-
self to more or less impressive brevlty. Most
distinguished writer's whose works are at all
voluminous have what may be called an aver
age level of productive eie g., on which level,
be it high or low, by far the greater portion OF
their work is done. Noliilng OF tne sort can
he predicted of MIR. Haite. When lie is at his
best no modern story-wrter ear claim prece-
dence of him; when he is not at his best, he
is nothing recognizable at all. Ii he is not
Eclipse first, aud the rest nowhere" he is apt
to be ''nowhere" himself. " Q have heard il
said that Mr.. Bret Harte has found imitators.
In our view the thing is literally not possible.
The venue of his stories may be copied, and
his favorite types of character brought on the
stage, ut the imitation can proceed no iurther
for the cry obvious reason that there IS moth
ing else in Mr.. Harte to lmltate-e except that
which is inimitable
In "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" which, to
oar thinking, represents Mr.. Harte at his best