New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-05

;r that the comic or satrical point Of view he well
takeu ItvWuld seem that a written Analysis III
the same vein or with mildcr humor. We c"nslneI
moro seriously We arc sensitive TO the yrrbal por
trait but no. much to the engraved. we Iaueh ~
| the exaggerdtion of the one. but T)wh al 'o
| hcightenng of the other
The most serious offence that Mr. James has given
! his cOuntrymen is in his critical sketch OF law
| thorne II grew largely out OF misrepresentation
Because he described lIawihorne'E environment as
provincial and did indeed dwell upon it rather 700
impress,yeiy so that local cOlOrng, to some ewes
ovorsnrcod the rortrai of the great romancer him.
solf IL Touched ibc pride Of Ncw-England. when
thought it had produced remaIkG lie writers enough
| to be entitled to share in their fame to WARRANT
! truly a more careful study of the New-En9ia"u
world in order TO ne credited with all those social
moral and political excclencies ont of which comes
| at length. the rare and beautiful flower OF aI''
Here indeed appears the real quarrel bctWeeh Ai'
| James and other observers Of New-England; LOT
one seems to believe and represent ITS Atmosphere d.
rcprc,sivc of art which barely escapes int" forms
of beauty like the acan;hus leaves of the CORN
| THAN captal from under the heavy Puritan weight
| imp0sed upon its natural unfolding: while New
ENGLAND itself is fl IT, red with the thought that us
institutions have been cOngcnial, yes provocative
| TO every talent Mr. James, critical essay on law
| thorne was pitched in kew to which the American
public was little accustomed and 1t was suS2ecteu
| of conccalng n certain amount OF disloyaity'
| Sometimes il appeared to paronize, at others 10
] apologize for Hawthorne. So careful ana DalanceA
| an estimate came periousy near TO both ihPSe
| dancers. And moreover, we have long been used
to that sort of euogv and criticism which hegius so
grandiosely as never to be able to reach climax
never to reserve its word of unresrlined prose
for the Just place Add TO this the difficulty OF
e4,- 10 hot
guage which untes in singular manner the
copousncss Of English with the neat
ness and alroitncss of French. There seems
| to DO no end to the misunderstandIh9S
attending Mr.. James's literary career; for
now the indignation Of many persons has been
| newly aroused nv the rcCcnt bioG,aphca, ana
| critical sketch Of him by w ID. IIOwclS, which has
! curousv enough, drawn more attention 10 H0WciS
| than to James Vet has involved hoth these G'nIIt-
men IN some measure o ccnSuIr on account Hi lc
| mark in regard to the waning power OF DlckeiN
aud Thackeray, and the mpIlod s4cc'SS,Un - at
| places of Mr. James aud Mr.. liowfIs. But we hlbl
nern.t 10 the yelist whose hold Onpuhlcaith'l39
is 80 precarlons and ilaslforV, lodG' ~ sc,
assertion He cannot be expected to enace hhlScli
! with hs readers, though lhaCkeray conld repNIt
that his own little girls asked INN why nc Gu no'
write such stories Dicken>'s; and let ussrcincn-
| Der that il is Mr. HOwells himself who besoVs
| upon Mr. James most ingenious and warm raise
But aside from the slr guar relation which seems
| to exist between MIR. James and his readers VINO;
though they Crlticisc ami scnd. stu WISH 10 ra"
|
| attitude toward tins country and toward huroPe
| when he brings characters from either INTO me
pages of his stories 7 Is il merely that ct an artSl
| in arch of new and suggestive eilec las he
constructed out Of his Imagination the per'onagSs'
| the society and the manners thai appear In MS
! books Ii is hardly possible. His imagination Is
| restr lined apparently. not only by his own ten
| y rament but by prevalent fashion OF Teallsn. |
| What Mr.. James has done is this he has more OF
less tathfuy ep2re Inc present. ana T9ry ho
American abroad the European III America Dul
ofener the former than the latter. And he has de-
| piCted how each behaves, what happens 20 eacn'
and, more than all how each appears to the other.
Ii ia III thus last par ocular that he tTeadS
on dangerous ground when one remembers natlonai
prejudiccs, or, Lord RoscbeTv concealed That
weakness the other dav, III ms Edinburgh address,
in the elevated phrase of " sclI-resuect ~ lac"
We don't like such coOreSs and denauOnazed o0-
We don't ike the things they see aud re-
pudae their representative percentages; especially
their American woman at home or abroad But II
is remark abe that she u never, IN MT. JauneSs
books AT home she is III Europe or just about 60
ing or returning For the most part, indeed, she
must actually be upon her travels TO become inter-
esting to him He likes TO notice the effect OF
European society ard customs upon Americans. AS
formerly described, the American abroad spent most
of his time in asserting HIMSELF glOrilylng his own
country, and snubbing heir Londous, Their ruins,
eternal cities and such RUBBISH. Now he, or rather
she, assmates herself 20 these things easily. hall
wishes to remain among them-WhoIy wishes II
her beauty wealth can win title; and II she re-
turns bugs back hose ideas, manners, habl s.
! which, say what we Will are rapidly UdIlsiorlE ng
the social and dOnes ic lie of al our laTgoc cIi"s
| The few whom these effects are not produced
are the toll Of tie novel treating the international
| theme; and some would sly are the stablcst and
| SOundcst element IN cur social fa'rlc;
| Two three cousldeTat IONS should be noted III
an estimate OF Mr. JameSs work. One Is a literary
criticism his characters are not distinct ere mons
| ana by so much fan of being representative For
Ne often accept as representative teat OF winch We
seldom or never examples bat feel all the same
the inherent possibility Of their existence. On the
| other hand MS characters are 10 certain extent
realistic, that is, for the moment, they seem real
otttrh lint al a NOT
| awav the image and the impression OF one are
| cfaced by the next. They say bright things but
| leave 10 permanent expression OF real being
Society Is full OF Nir. James, pope They are only
momcntanly interesting. We form Watering
| place attachment to them. We think we shall coh-
tnue it i'll other places, but we 90 not, except when
| Mr.. James kindly TcnrOduces them. They are
| facIle US water: they flow round u.s. they almost
submerge us; still we remain dry at heart. They
| are dexlrOus in little social arts; intrigue ana
| huessc ar their easy accomplishments. They know
! how TO fence with every feeling; ana III MI
Jamess pages the converse lDI OF the brightest OF
! them particularly OF those who have iTcquontcd
Partisan society, Is pretty accurately represented
| Jncy can 20 dangerously near temptation. nut the,
cSca c because AT heart they are selfish ana cdicu
| lating aud because, though they have thousand
! adlnIatOns ana autipathlcS, they never know one
| genuine emotion. Nearly ali OF MI. James char
arters tail OF complete revelation OF themselves Oh
account of Just that kind OF repression which accom-
pa5.ics excessive, taste ana ehue.Aent. No g
| dute bad, none ale very good they are simply
! agreeable or dsagTeeablc. When he passes THESE
limits his characters are of very dOuntf1l order
| like Daisy Miller, who puzzles rs. l1e result III
! Nj Jalnes's stories is peculiar With mastery art
| he sketches situations; he writes bits OF admirable
! conversations epgranmatlc and neat ana perhaps
! he has drawn good portrait as any one Of the
! complex and difficult women OF the period with
! nothing 10 90 but travel and find "a husband whom
! She does nor want; but the whole lacks structural
toIm In which beauti III and artistic materials Cu-
| inmate III a grand total effect. But il one does
| not demand tnis, he will hnd III Mr.. Jamess
! work entertaining studies of some OF the mos
modern phases of social lie, ii exists IN tAe
of The New and Old " OrId He loves best to sketch
If IN notion and most of all he is skml in define
ating the experiences and impressions Of men and
women of various types and classes when brought
rt no midst of alien ciyIuzations iie j. here in a