New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-27
an ENGLISH CREIC ON HENRY JAMES
From The London Speeidto

| From The London Spectator.
Mr. Henry james Is always more or less embar'
| fetal necessity of making o whole. He finds that
lifo very seldom makes whole. II you NAV trust
him as your guido, even human passion is not COM
monty dramatic. 1t ends oftener in raveled
| thread than in true dcnOuement. And whether
that be true or false 1t interests him much to
| paint the various aiInless ways in which human
beings got almost iDvoluntarily into sort OF en-
! tanglement with each other, than to paint the
course OF series CT events which show the natural
development OF strong character, and the natural
| resultant OF tho encounter between conflicting pur
poses and complicated circumstances. IL. indeed
| you may believe Dir. Henry James, the result of
| such encounters is much more frequently ndeter-
inmate than not. In his pictures, most passions
fade away; most influences tail OF their charac-
teIistlc effect most comedies are spoiled; most
tragedies break down before the tragic crisis most
catastr0phes, tho freshman would say, never
come of while that which fuliils its function
most completely in tho world is the power, inhe:
rent III most Of US, to spoil or hamper the life Of
other people, an agency tho conspicuous success of
which almost all Mr.. James's writings commence
rate.
There has never been more adequate ilustra-
ton Of this tendency of Mr. Henry James's than
the dismal tale entitled Washington Square," in
which there is 70 agreeable character, only one
Hkeable character,-wo mean the plain, mute tena-
ciOus heroine of whom al told that " she knew
she was obstinate. and it gave her certain ioy-
no very detestable character, nothing but common
place niectiOnateneSs, commonplace anu even
vulgar scliishncss somewhat more than common |
place cruelty and cynicsm very commonplace in
Henry James seems to take quite pleasure IN |
making us study this leadcn-c0loIed gronp OF emo
lions. md take home TO our hearts that life even
among weltod New Workers who have something |
like culture. and care TO study Europe, IS like that,
"a scene where q, girl may make romance to
herself ont OF the selfish loye-makng of
thoroughly Indifferent and underlined man. where
her only near relations will be Likely to iniure her
by false sentimentalty or cruel scOrn, where each
phase OF her disappointment Is more miserable than
the last, where she loses her love iOr nor lather III
fighting for worthless lover, and loses her love
her lover by the exposure caused by her fathers
refusal to give her his money. and where, finally,
her aunt makes everything meaner Dy heI Jdde SEN
tlmental falsehOod, and yet Is never sufficiently
ound out TO be got rid of and sent away In short,
Washington Sduaren might DO described as tho
story of how dull girls nature was llt up by pas
lion for mock hero how the father tried To cut IT
'ut of her rs he would have performed surgical
operation, and only succeeded III cutting ont OF her
Il love for himself; how the aunt famed the flame
Nth her fancy fasehoods and made 1t burn |
Brighter and brighter till the object Of tho passion
hO wed himself In his true colors; and bow after
hat, 10 smOuldored away and went out leaving the
fe In which 1t had been llt little blunter, little
uller, and little tolerant Of bare surround
The story Is marvellously clever. To our minds,
othing more unique In the presenting OF human
ature than DR.. Slopers cold. hearted experiments
n his daughters nature. and utter failure to do
nything except rob her Of her admiration for him.
~ ever been given us; nor IL Mrs. Penniman's | n
lily love Of intrigue, and her brothers scornful q
eatment OF It, less admirably drawn. Gatherings o
1mb, slow tenacious nature. too-whicb. In spite "
its occasionally rather needless and meaningless
pses into falsehood Affords us the only glimpse OF Il
iything toerable In the tale, IS ne study OF ts O.
ank leaden sky not merely OF absolute hopeless ct
ss, bnt absolute Indifference TO hopef why are al
made TO feel that there was nothing elastic In OF
ltherine which against her troubles, nothing RI
ft found for her % gain In loss. nothing that VI
rcngthoued and sweetened her nature, ami mnde +
G permanent and sole companonshp OF such ! III