The Portland daily press., 1883-03-06
American Literature in England.

American Literature in England.
Mr.. Howells, the novelist, in recent arti
Gle in the Century on English and Ameri
can writers, made some remarks about
Dickens and Thackeray, and among other
things declared that 1--WE could not suffer
the confidential attitude of the latter now,
nor the mannerism of the former, any more
than we could endure the proixity of Rich
ardson or the coarseness of Fielding This
statement in common with others in the
same paper has called forth good deal of
antagonism, and in the current number of
Blackwood's is this scathing rebuke to Mr..
Howells
There is one great advantage which the
artist who looks fondly back upon the past
has over the worshiper of the present-his
position is one of humility at least, and gra-
cious decorum. He does not challenge a
comparison between the old gories of his
fathers and his own bran new and dazzling
achievement. When writer of fiction
commits himself so terribly as to
allege that the art of which he is professor
is finer than the art of Thackeray, the pun
ishment which he prepares for himself is so
prodigious that it becomes ridiculous. But
10 one we believe will be cruel enough to
make the suggested comparison, and meas.
ure Mr.. Howells against Thackeray. He is
so far safe in the inferiority of his stature.
little while ago it was Scott whom all our
young cockerels had outgrown. For that
matter, Shakespeare has been outgrown a
number of times in the chronicles of the
ages, both upon the stage and in the closet
but somehow has come back again, and still
holds his. own-though Pope and Voltaire
were very snre that the dramatic art had
improved immeasurably in the interval be-
tween his barbarous age and theirs. So we
don't doubt that even in America the old
gods will outlve the temporary dazzling of
Mr.. Henry James's fine style and delicate
power of analysis and even the setting down
given to them by the critics. Mr. Howells
proceeds to add that the fine, nay finer, fin
est art of fiction in America is largely infu-
enced by French fiction, especially by Dau-
Diet. Now M. Daudet is SO largely infiu-
enced by Dickens, that we might, without
extravaga' ce, call him the literary son and
heir of the great novelist; so it is evident
that all this brave talk about that manner
ism which cannot now be suffered, means
only that the American likes a literary infu-
ence better when he gets it diluted by way
of France and through strange land tn n
when it comes to him direct from his ancts
trail shores.
The writer of this paper considers the
"Modern Instance" the best of Mr.. How
ells's books, and says:
The Century magazine declares that Mr..
Howels has Influenced public opinion in a
powerful manner against divorce by this pic
tufe. We confess we cannot see how it
should be so. Had it been plea for di-
vorce, we should have comprehended it bet
ter. For, indeed, there would appear to be
no human advantage, apart from the most
sacred view OF the matter, in keeping to-
gether by force two people so utterly I'M
adapted to harmonize, and to whom clearly
life has become impossible in any pre.ense
at union. The scene. however, is not with
out power; though we are quite taken by
surprise by the elevated diction and correct
language in which Squire Gaylord, inspired
court at Tecumseh on his daughters behalf,
falling prostrate at the conclusion in fit
of paralysis. (By the way, is paraly-
sis understood to be brought on By ex-
cessive emotion? We wonder what the
Lancet has to say on this subject
1t is so, invariably, in novels. Even
here, in all the whirl of indignant rage,
and passion, with the really tragic figure OF
the old father rising against the strange
background, we confess to a certain indul-
gent sentiment toward Barley, thourh he is
a cheat and liar. The virtuous and gen.
teel people in the book are, without excep-
ton, odious If be will forget the
foreign reviews and the stupidity AID hostil-
ity OF the English, and illustrate frankly,
without any polemical intention, the society
he knows, there Is no telling how far he may
go. A Modern Instance is better than