New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
WARMERS IRVING.

Th no,y hiooraphcal series whose teh Pe
,cbeme has lately been outlined I'D no "u a
ments of Messrs HOughton, Mitn q w., ovcel
nrosnerons beginning with this lnteieS'ins
lent volume from the pen OF 'n ,,or has not
ad;tor of the undertaking. Mr. warner IT, IL of
ealVor VI VIZ 81, a,,n,pathy. minute knowledge Vi
onS w.. Co.. literary taste, and that easy l"''i
in' s,,',o which always puts HIM on SUCH 80
n"''1e al, his readers but he has SHOWN d ta0'.
-, sogacitv. and sense of proportion iu'' %
o,,;se for the rest of the series WHICH !" - -
n1er his supervision. We come meApeotoNy -
and then upon short passages deigu'iu''y VIZ
.l";a,io of ,be antbor of Backlog Studies "non
Francis Jeffrey visited the United STATES ia
Rrevoort anxious that the famous reVie"ei $50
form lust estimate of this country, oosso ode
90 nolra nucb of him. and especially 10 Pei'""Uo
W mani 49, rous Of Niagara " The impression
seems TO have prevailed" remarks M. "" III 20
.aaain, q that if Englishmen could De ih'uo :"
-, ;,,s. view of the Falls of Niagara lhe isun
dorstondino between the two countries
redrcedD Recording lrvings CONTRACT WV"
loon for n new edition of "knlcherpooAei' nv, rno
h,oaranher suddenly let's fly thls u@''' NV
modern publisher had not theh ARISEN """ n
;-od = nronrietary right in the brains OF 'he
country and the author made his bargains 'iHe an
;,denendent being who owned himseh' Nv"
American statesmen says Mr.. warner Ill su'n',.'"5
mn his work" even American statesmen WIN A0'c
81 ,,i,ds on food We know not of, read irving
But he Is forced to acknowledge Vua' 'n0 80
cal opinion of New-York was never exactly nc,
echoed in the cool recesses of Boston culture
YIoro 10 massage to which cannot do justice eA
cent by copying it in full: oa
The succession of Charles y. was aIso ooSci IJ
nv another foreigner, VINO was li"Hlis 10 - NOT
personal notes at that 'ie for " some Unexplained
Snn faiied to meet the genial Scotsman al pio" h
taSt Perhaps ii is to his failure 10 no 81 iT in
owes the sem-respectiul reference ~ ,'+;m,uIns
CCmIl . "Reminiscences" Lacking the stiihul4s
20 his voco hillary OF personal acquaintance,
simply wrote: Washington irving VIE SUI hooI,s
.: Payis a kind of lion at that time, whose po9Hs
sonewhot esteemed. One day the EhelSul,i ~ -.
maui people Dragged that they had englgeu MN W. ~
breakfast with us at certain cs ' th rest Int no
ali attended duly, Strackey among the resi-. ouS oiJ
Wosb;ngton came Couldn't rightly come sdi i
Malcolm to me in judicious aS'de as we
breakfasted without him. never saW o'lr,ol
Ion at oil Int still have mild esteem Oh the Eoou
mani This ought to be accepted as eSlL I 90
Carlyles disirclination TO say llIhaluE"u 'n'"s''
those he did not KNOW 1..,
orios s NOT merely to present studies In biography
Int 10 explain the characteristics OF each author
nroduetions and his place IN the literary history vi
the country This is an object OF walch MI
Warner never loses sight But in the case ot Irving
II bappens that the personal details whlch give
or;mation and yjvidness to a biography are also
essential TO survey of his literary position Inc
idiosyncrasies of the man are the strength ana
weakness of his works. i do not know any o'ner
author whose writings so perfectly Reproduce Ms
character or whose character may be more cer'''iS
,neosured bv his writings" Thus, IN reviewing his
work Mr. Warner has given us at the same ''ihe
charming picture of the man and striking descrlp-
,;or of his environment We hardly know by what
nice art il is DONE for the book has no superfnly
either of gossip or analysis, but these bright pages
do certainly set before the transparent and
omiable character the gay temperament uaSneu
with melancholy, the social nature permeated WIN
gentle and wholesome sentiment. We may say VI
MIR. Warmers own essay what he says OF Irving
literary method: " He teU his subject ana he eA-
pressed his conception not so much by dlrect state
ment or description as 10y almost lmpercepuple
touches and shadings here and there, by dlhused
tone and color, with very little show OF analysis
Perhaps it is sufficient dominion 10 say 'ha' MS
method was the sympathetic"
Irying's gift was humor, and allied to this was
sentiment. These qualities modified and restrained
each other: and it was by these that he toucneu
the heart He has been charged with lack OF
imagination, but Mr.. Warner does not assent to tins
criticism: " 1t seems to Inc that the transnntatloh
of the crude az Il therefore unpoeucal materials,
which he found in the New World, INTO what is as
absolute a creation as exists in literature, was a
distinct work of the imagination" The elaboration
of the Knickerbocker legend was the great
achievement of IIvings life. lie not only made
the shores of the Hudson and the islands of New
York barbor and the East River classic groun1. but
his conception of Dutch life in the New World
assumed historical sodity and became tradition
of the highest poetic value:
Irving had the defects of his peculiar genius an(
these have no doubt hclIcd to fix upon him The
complimentary disparagement OF genial ne wa
no. aggressive; i'll his nature he was wholly uh
nartisan and full of lenent charity and suspec
that his kindly regard of the world, attnohgi
returned with kindly liking cost nm soiet UNI Sa
that respect sturdiness and force which men lee
for writer's who i0ut them as tOols Ill the man
Like Scott, he belonged to the ideal'stS ana not y
the realists, whom our generation aHccts', Doti
writers stimulate the longing for something better
Their creed was short: /" Love God ana honor TN
King 1t is a very good one for literary man
and might do for a Christian. The supernatural
was still a reality in the age in which they wrote
Irync's faith in God and his love of humanity wor
,Tr6ed by the deep problems that have set us al
adrift. In every age whatever Is astlr, literature
theology all intellectual activity, takes one AM
The same drift, and approXnnateS III color. i m
bent of Irvings spirit fixed III his YOUTH ana N
escaped the desperate realism OF this generation
which has no outcome, and is likely to produce
~ do not know how to account, on principles o
culture which recognize. for our authors style
His education was exceedingly detective, nor wa
his want of discipline supplied by subsequent deSul
tory application. lie seems 10 nave Deen DOT
with rare sense of literary proportion anu form
Into Tho as into a mould were run his apparently
law and really acute observations OF life. mat h
fhorougi ly mastered such literature as he iancet
there is abundant evidence; that his style was IN
fluenced by the purest English models is also appa
rent. But there rem aims large margin for wonde
how with his want of training, he could have elab
Grated style which is distinctively his own ant
is as copiOus, felicit0us in the choice OF words
flowing spontaneous flexible, engaging, clear, anC
as little wearsOme when read continuously il
quantity. as any in the English tongue. Thi
is saving a great deal. though 1t IS not claiming
for him the comDactncss, nor the robust vROr, no
The depth Of thought, of many other masters in it
IL is sometimes praised for its simplicity. 1t il
certainly lucid, but its simplicity Is not that