New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
ENGLISH LITERATURE.

ures in English lerat uTe attempt to state the
laws which have governed literary development.
For Mr. Perry is a sircnuOns and some perhaps VIII
saw au extreme, supporter of the theory that let
ters are cont oen ry law" and that genius is so to
sneak. the product OF evolution. Hence Instead OF
tracing the influence VI the most illustrons "re'S
rnon the taste. the aspirations. the culture Tue
progress of their owD and OF later times me- TASK
has been to show how the spirit OF THEN time ruled
ami limited and moulded them Thus be takes issue
directly with Mrs. Oliphant, whose bi' ant HIS
tory covering paIt OF the same period which NJ.
Parry has chosen sustains the contrary doctrine,
namely that every sIDgeT IL new mifacle'
created If nothing else is created-n" gro" oeNei-
opcd ont or precedent poets, but something sprung
FROM an impulse not rcduclble TO law" III may DE
that the truth is TO be found in the Hldde pe'"eeh
these two extremes. If, as MIR. Perry observes
81 the centuries like the magazines, always appear
in advance of tner date" parallel figure oil speech
might best describe the relation OF the INSPIRED poet
TO his epoch. Tie same general causes which pro-
duce the spirit of the age determine also the mani
f.tot,ons of individual goniUs, but IN the order OF
time genius takes the lead MI Perrys position Is
TINS stated IN his concluding chapter:
Ii is demanded of us thai we regard genius as
,ometning absolutely ineXplcable. as a miraculous
uuaIity that OCCASIONALLY Hashes over tue aHd@eu
word IS "A cumt does over the midnight SKY more
militant than the munOtonOus STARS ana apparently
fo
of cuncts j. obscure their paths are all marked ont
beforehand: AID iIold them they cannot swerve
save in obedience 10 law Genus is no less wonder
hui for being modified by ciTcnustducts oh'N "heh
these ATE favorable docs II attain ITS highest devt-
Nopment. mau must have hearers Oeloit ne WIZ
sav ms nest When talking to our-elNeS we
sneak below our breath: Ouly when we are address
ing some obe else do We Use oar lull voice. he ulth
,Io - snre # an audience from that feeling
the acllgB bat speaker knows when he stands
heivre nv Eager multitudc. " lGuout that he Is
dumb. DOubtItss TIE ora'ions that hrm"sIhenes
uttered on the shore were inferior 70 Lose W
winch he fred the Atnenians agdinst Fhllp ne
Imam who bows to his time may waste nls strengih
I'm lncougeniai aud inferior work as '.id Addison
w hen he ceased TO ne natural ana wrote as talo
The writer y hO ueieS his time rs fortunate II ne Is
merely eccentric: II cannot lie SIMPLY CON, dtfce
that Collins and Blake, tle mos, rarely p"eCCdl
tnInds OF the last entury. were mad Gray saVo up
trying to deaf ears, ani cCnsocd himself Win
7 YET the opposition to REGARDING the laws by
Nv MICH genius is limited lies deeU We cannot hear
ho think that the Iutellect rs shbect To law IKE Tie
EuiI stone. We cannot endure Tho thought that
kybilo our bodies linn C.! III power as IA SIZE our
Luinns are not superior 10 restraints and shackes
les all history goes 10 snow the existence OF L.
l. ntrol OF the mind DV heTcuIty and rcunstauccs
whether these iGsple assent or contradiction. Ia
Eme doubtless. the extent OF these lnhurnc's VIII
be settled with greater deEniteneSS than Is now
possible when even their existence Is widely
! Genius ia no less demonic than il vas.
Science does not destroy tho mex nlcable- merely
brushes IL back iitie It wirSnS tne horizon. out
liz caunOt widen 1t infinitely. We dscnt eT some IL
THE things that control genius, but NOT hs whoie
Secret. We hat great writers 1re iotngulshed
from nladultn by the cuherenCe OF What tuey say
with what has been said before. This taey may
contradict, but yet their words are inspired Dy H.
I,ielv literature IA vas conversation; 10 strays
over large number of subjects. discussing, Hurn
ing or denying. pointing ont an unsusprctcd appl-
cation or uuansweraGle aI4n lent' always
atfrcted by " hat has goue before Just as in talk
wltticism "a profound pathetic remark springs |
from something already said or done This lact |
that there parthenogeness In intellectual NE
sLonld not he looked upon as degrading the man |
who uttrrs the witty profound or pathetic remark
for it certainly does no..
Mr. Perry has chosen the eighteenth century as
the period of his review because it is with the au
tho,s of that age that what feel to be modern |
English literature begins. The exuoerant life of
The EizaLethan era. with the inspiring conscious
ness of newly awakened powers. had exhausted it's |
first creative imDulse; civilization was becoming |
settled old beliefs discarded and the current
of mems thoughts was turning strongly toward |
material progress. Tue whole movement In art |
land literature WAS directed against the Middle |
Ages as o period of barbsrism every trace of which
had to be cradle sed from the human mind Hence
shc classic aud the pseudo-classic were extrava
gantly admired false value was set upon eTter |
hal polish anu formal refinement and it was only |
at the very close Of the century tnat the new era
tnre advanced to the love and cOmprehe nsiOn of
nature. 1t is of the merits of Mr.. PerTys review
fhat he seeks to the prevailing spirit oaly
in the literature of England but ia that of the
tinental countries Also and his book abUuuds in in
Struutive and interesting pages upon the progress
t,f taste aud letters in France Germany, Italy. and
Spain. As we have already intimated, his plan does
mot require a systematic discussion Of individual
iauthors; but ere certain writer's to whom o.
representing successive phases Of the general move
Iment. he devotes considerable space. These |
principally Dryden, Addison, Pope, RICHARDSON |
jGoldsmlth and johnson. With none of them has |
he much sympathy. If we think of them only the
products of their age. shall have difficulty in
approaching tho acuteness OF MI Perrys remarks
upon them But the TACT tina. we fad these re-
marks often disappointing and unpleasant is per- |
,baps an indication that his theory is really made |
'quate TO the duty which lie lays upon IL.
Ten Drinks history Of Early English Litera- |
ture has the rare distinction OF presenting diff
lcur we may venture TO say rather dry, subject In
Ia singuary attractive and easy style. His subject
,incnIes the literature only OF the English Ian |
guage but of the English people; taking in There
lore the copious productions in Latin 10y which |
early English scholarship advanced toward the !
purely literary form. His investigations have |
been pursued with the thorouehness aud ingenuity |
characteristic of the best German school and the |
results are set before with grace and cearness
which do not often illustrate the fraits of minnie |
research. The interest of his narrative ID owing |
not merely his literary art but to his just and ap
preciative intellectual position lie DESERT es the I
dawning culture Of o young not from the cold |
altitude of modern superiority but with such |
Keen and sympathetic understanding of tho tme |
under review that tue ancient Gleenan, the rnym- !
jng hOmlsi, tae monastic HISTORIAN the poet Of |
heroic legend, appear before us as tDeY lived. and
their work is exhibited not merely it seems in |
our eyes but IN is relation TO tins society OF its
epoch. In brief, applies 10 thu history of litera
tire the same vivid method which Macaulay, |
rh. haya
applied successfully to the general narrative of
affairs Tho Translation by Professor kennehl of |