New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-11
BITS OF CRITICISM.

THE MODERN NOVELETTE, modern novel is
n rival of journalism. II strives 10 keep ny with tho
very experience of the world and certainly closer
up TO the margin of times tide than the large aud
derOus Quarterly Reviews The consequence Is that u
modern novel Is often relief or foil 10 modern expert
ence. You meet just the same young men with short
shiny hats. young women with the contemporary rendcr-
iny OF the female waist, politicians with the prob
les artists with the same Accomplishments intense and
people with the sane pulled sleeves aud asplla-
tOns In the novel as you encounter IN real life Fiction
has tendency become emaciaed IN romantic interest,
and 20 dwndlo branch OF reporting considered as
fine art The people love to4have it 90 doubt and
particularly enjoy prrs nal Journalism descriptions OF
we'll known people under slight disguise In novels.
The fiction IN these contemporary carlcatures docs
exist no doubt but rather by virtue OF defect OF knOwi
edge and OF imagination than by excess or fine fancy
THE BLACK-AND-W HITEISTs The new school
has decidedly protested too much. In putting forth
its reason being. and the calm superiority which
its leaders and followers have carefully picked up and
packed up and sold to the ragen the works Of Dickens
Thackeray and Hawthorne has gone far TO justify tho
aspery which the movement has called forth There IS
law forbddng artists TO work In black ana white ana
great triumphs have been achieved therein Critics
have allowed these productions TO have merit ana nave
recognized the masters IN the art but SO far as We arc
aware no critic has assented To the proIosu0n nne
black andwhltests are so superior to c0OrsS tha the
latter should he bdnished from galleries ana coeCuo
and the opinion OF the ages reversed sun ife Is charm
Ing but Hat life. after all is hat-lBoston Transcript
RICHARDSON AND HIS WoRKs.-lle shows an
amazing knowledge OF the various motives, great ana
small that sway the minds Of women His best char
acters arc women, or what may be called wOmens
non" All the details OF the passion of love he has an
alyzed The reader who Is curious enough to ask whore
his author learned his lessons will find II difficult 10
understand how Richardson. whose life seems TO have
been spent chiefly In back parlor OF shop where ne
sat intoxicated with tho fumes OF tea and vanity fed win
praise at the hands OF commonplace spnsters can have
so deeply penetrated the heart OF woman That he Is
immensely long and at times deplt rabiy dull that his
characters are Ike himself filed With inOTdnate vanity
cannot DO denied. But II the reader get through
what Mr. Leslie Stephen calls the initial difficulty
there Is wealth OF Imagination below which viii re-
ward the effort Those who love have the sanction OF
others for their likes and dskes In literary matters may
care hear that Scott had tho very highest opinion OF
Richardson. and that Macnulaywho was often led into
indisorlmnate praisestates that all the people at
station In India in tears Clarissas msior
tunes Our author has caused the human race 20 shed
tears than any other writer. 1.-THE London Tmes