The Portland daily press., 1881-10-29
Recent Publications.

A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories.
By w. D. Howells. Boston: j. r. Osgood q
Co.; Portland: Loring, Short & Harmony 1t
is always charming to read whatever Mr. How
ellis writes from his Venetian experiences. He
is penetrated with the essence of modern Ven-
Ice, its poetic pleasure and its historic sadness,
and expresses the subtle influence which
gradually possesses the spirit of the soiourner
in Venice, in most apt, delicate and
original fashion. A Fearful Responsibility
may, without much stretch Of literary bound
ary-lines, be classed among the prevalent Sin
ternational' novels. But its period Of action,
in the days of the Rebellion, gives an in
teresting point and variety to the information
al relations of the story, lacking to those nov
els which turn upon merely social contrasts.
The opening chapters are very spirited and If
the story itself is little vague and falls off in
interest-that is literary fashion of the day,
which delights in the most graceful and fin
ished ado about nothing. Mr.. Howells has
been much and deservedly praised for his por-
trayals of women, and the minute and telling
observations which hold the mirror up to
feminine nature with such lifelike semblance
that one can only marvel at the dainty and
painstaking touches. But this miniature
painting has not been for the strengthening of
Mr. Howells's talent. And none Of his stories
prove this more conclusively than these. The
bright revival of social sentiment in the
wartime, the keen and strong touches OF char
acter, and the fine descriptions which make
the first chapters of A Fearful Responsibility
admirable-are those in which the author con-
Germs himself with men and affairs, contrasts
the political and social states of New England
and venice-Qhis with rapid and unpremedit-
ated strokes, and with no poltico-economical
remarks about the Bank of Venice) The
men whose talk sets the story in motion, are
capitally drawn. European and American
every one of them is an individual and lifelike
sketch. The women seem to lessen the vigor
of the novel as soon as they appear They are
mysteriousy silly, and that the Fearful Re
sponsibility of so bright and efficient man as
Owen Elmore should consist of neatly declining
several pretendants to the hand of Miss Lily,
the young friend of his wife, leads the reader
to believe that either his energies were nearly
dormant during the Venetian sojourn, or that
his more active and entertaining deeds were
left unrecorded 1t would not seem grateful
for the pleasure which Mr.. Howells's stories
never fail to afford, to note so regretfully the
falling off of interest in this novel in tho
oyer-prominence of the affairs Of heroine
whose attractiyeness we take on Mr.. Howells's
assertion only-and on the uncomfortably silly
matronizations of Mrs. Elmore; except by way
to contrast, to point out how perfect is the
writer's success in the following sketch, and
for the very cause that the manly element is
prominent and that there is fire and motion in
the story itself. AT the Sign of the Savage is
pure comedy, fresh, delicious, and charged
full of bubbling and sparkling liveliness- 1t is
not too much to say that, as a portrait of an
American citizen, agreeable and ready, hu-
morous, warmhearted and thorough-that of
Col Kenton is unsurpassable. He has all the
brilliance and good-fellowship Of the ideal
club-man, and all the strong native virtues
that-in Southwestern river phrase-are good
to tie to. The rapid aud picturesque fashion
in which he gets up professions of bewildering
comicalites for the confusion of his wife, and
the promptness with which he gives up his
favorite line of witticisms so soon as she be-
comes somewhat sensitive on its account with
only a murmur of "It's no small sacrifice to
give up joke that you've just got into work
ing order, SO that you can use it on about any
thing that comss up''; the irresponsible FASH
ion in which he and the consul go off for
stroll through Vienna; the increasing comedy
of errors of which the plot thickens until its
exqusitely touched conclusion-it is not too
much praise of this story to say that in its way
! it has no equal in the language. TonellPs
Marriage is sketch of Venetian life, pictur-
esque, shadowy, sub-humorous and ItalianisSi-
mo in tone. 1t calls for no criticism but
praise Mr.. Howells can write to perfection
| in his line-and nothing less from him will
satisfy those who appreciate his genuine, bril-
liant and natural genius of the novelist.