The Osceola times., 1881-03-12
Alexandra Dumas The Elder
Saturday Review.

There is something about Dumas as Il
novelist which reminds one of the
famous definition of the philosopher,
second best in everything" He is not
great artist in words, and yet his dc
scriptions and the like are always up to
their mark; he is not cunning analytic
character-drawer, aud yet his readers al
ways feel that men and W omen, and not
lay figures, are OCCUPYING their attention.
He is frequently outrageous in his con
tempt of regular plot, yet the interest of
all his best works-save only Monte
Cristo'-is sufficient To carry the reader
on swimmingly to the end, and the best
plotter in the world can do no more. As to
his dialogue, it is perhaps hardly second
best. In its kind it is quite perfect. and
the only fault is that there is little too
much Of it. The characters do not bonn
bard each other with astounding cpl
gram like the characters of Moliere and
Congreve; yet they are not often dull.
They are not learned or philosophical,
but they have plenty of mother wit,
which is much moie to the purpose.
Even when one has been finding fault
with the separate ingredients of the
books, it suddenly strikes one that the
total effect could not he better of its
kind. If you want other kinds You
must 90 elsewhere, but, if you want this
kind, there is none like it. People used
to find fault with Dumas as being "im-
proper" but fortunately his chief tra-
ducers have taken good care to wipe off
that imputation. After the novels of the
last twenty years in France the fecks in
Dumas books, never very serious ones,
really require microscope to enable
one to discern them at all. Therefore all
that we can say is that, if the question.
shall Alexandre Dumas have statue?
be one to which England has any right
of reply, England should certainly re-
ply yes. The great Alexandra had few
prejudices about us, and he made us run
away from his :nvincible musketeers in
a manner which is in doubtful accord
ance with the facts of history. But per-
haps because ths facts of history rather
reverse the representation, we have no
difficulty in forgiving him for this. His
countrymen may, if they like, talk about
his son being his best work. On this
side of the channel there is not much
danger of the joke being echoed. Far
be it from us to speak dsrespectfuly of
a very clever and a very witty writer.
But, with all respect to the Alexandra of
to-day, he is not fit to hold a candle to
his father either as a dramatist or a
novelist. As there can be no comparison
between les Trois MoIsguetaires" and
la Dame aux Perles," so there is none
between "Mlle. de Belle-Isle" and AZ
Etrangere." The novels certainly have
stood the test of time, and il is difficult
to believe that at least some of them will
not continue to stand it. For they are
in the main dependent on things which
are of perennial interest to the fighting,
loving travelling, adventurous animal
called man. There is not, we think,
much danger that anybody for a very
long time TO come will look at the Dumas
statute and ask the question-fatal to the
claim of existence of statues Alex
andre Dumas? and who was he?" Now,
with the utmost Difference to VI. Zola,
we do think it possible that this might
happen before a great many centuries
are past in the case of NJ. de Goncourt.