New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-13
A efoRY ~ WlLtit COLLINS.
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eTORY ~ WlLNiE COLLINS
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The vnpuianty 1T Willie coinss a. hhlheS'''h'
able as his naunaism, anl nav s'"iy w W. ,'.
eysht ia the literary world, oven ''""Hn '''' ,...I
ara far apart from those 1T the niospefN" '''''"'
AT present, or hat recently, 81 much ah"''" "",
vet there ia in this very clever writer "'"' y,
oriinaIitv and an incapacity to conceive rear
characters which are tho more eNId'hi 'h'
marc stories he produces. When the No'h'n ="
White bappeared his peculianties were ne" IT. '''
nublic and seemed plquant ahu on"'"
ing But since then the Sd"o
logues the same melodr tmatic sltnatlonS' ''
same studies in morbid psychology, have app1'ie"
again and again under thin DISCUSSES until u i
upon the subtletv of the plots alone tha' 'io ~
terest OF this authors work depends mere - d.
WAYS secret 10 discover, and 1t IS almost always
announced in the first chapter. There IL uSuA''S
detective of preternatural astuteness: not the de
tectiyc of real life but sort of glorihed thlei-
catcher aud probem-so'ver, who does every ming
WITH SO much mystery that if Mr.. Collins had not
drurged all the other characters they could hardly
belp noticing his exaggerated professionalism
The pcople who keep journals in Mr. Collins
novels arc also remarkable lot. They always
EXPRESS the same kind of sentiments, ana are even
addicted to the idiOms aud pet turns OF IAN
guage. And his characters generally are prone 10
make themselves miserable over matters winch
would not at all disturb live people. lhey are
much gwen 10 what old women ca ], or used to call
nerves" The villains are seldom suliicenty
wicked, either. Mr. Collins, drawing all MS ch'I-
acters directly from his own breast instead OF hhu
ing them created outside him. as Dickens anu
Thackeray did is often at loss to express the evil
ho, Iooly in lis
position. Count Fosco was his ideal rogne; ana
vet Count Fosco is in some respects really agree
able and even fascinating person whom 1t IS qu@
impossihle To wish serious harm TO- l}nt with All
these drawbacks, the stories OF WiNie C"lilhS
are sure t. be welcomed eagerly, and by the most
various classes. For tins sustained interest oi MS
tales is undcuiahlc. and if there is deliciency ol
life in his characters it IS equally true that all th'v
say and do Is carefully weighed, and has ITS bearing
upon the outcome while no living writer more
resolutey esohcws every thing In the shape OF pad
ding.
Mr.. CollinssIafcst story bears the title Say No;
or The tnyc-Ictter Answered "; and 1t ~ chaih'-
teristic OF him That the meaning of this title ~ not
made clear until thrcr-fourthV of the novel has
been roa1 The plot IL. "a usnll very
carefully aud strongly conceived and the reader ~
allowed Ia ihn, that hc has the clcw ~ the secret
At an early pcro whereas the a'cret is t'alyGnil'
dtnrrpnt FROM what srnms most ptnhnhl". Ihr M
untput secret IN mud a. which turna ont ~ the
end not ~ htyo hr'l murder ~ a. nud ii" reader
IA le,i tftoiup iho iuhu uu tpoet"1 nf having con-
mtiod the crime. and ia t,lltdol pl"nlv dt orrnpt
tinn no tryuu ~ truhnr De- ha ohnrtti"r htothihiI
ID IN hls dn,ly lifc with che lholy ol h1 quit All
lhists,ort al,lmlly dolo. bui set n qlo1iionl.
bic whether the mystery thrown over the real ~
,uppo,od real nature Of Browns death doo7
frI Al ItI.
probable that m actual he all sorts Of people
would do an sorts of thngt, sono If them of more
han doubtIll morality, and put themselves 10 al
manner OF Inconvenience ~ urdor to kcop u young
prl from learning that her father did not de oi
heart disease. a. sac hll hc'n informed. but W"
murdered. Yot this II the chnoi motive OF tho
story and In fact nearly all there IL of active pru-
cpe m It.
Tho general effect of (" I Saw No" - much less
ons,tioual than mlny of tho authors former
gtorc. The situations are not yold OF theatrical
tone. but thoy are distinctly quictcr and IN r.
,ubdncd. II IA 10 fact more tho society
play than the moodrrml hut II
IL dnmatic. Tho women OF Mr. CollinTs
novels are usually weaker than his mcn aud hls
old and eccentric women are better than his yonnF
girls Perhaps this ia because ali his womon are
really men worked over, 80 - speak, aud his old
women are the most natural because age has a
tendency TO asslmlla.c the characteristics OF the
sexes Miss La Sar. in the new story, ~ decidedly
disaerceable but her vices are rather those OF
human nature than of "A woman, aud she ~ drawn
with a certain vague ndeterninatcncSs, as though
the author originally meant her 10 fill much more
important place. bat had thought better OF
his purpose. The story indeed is considerably
shooter than most Of Mr.. Collins's novels, and the
plot il IA. Intricate. This the reader will be
apt to resent f0I II Is plot, and p.onty of 10, he
wants when he goes TO this author. Wllke Collins
has a ways had large audience, however and uu-
less his powers fail this latest of hi, works GER
tainly does not appear to indicate, he Away will
be read widely. Aud this is right, for he is Il thor
oughly wholesome aHd sweet writer, who over pun
lsheS Vice and rewards Virtue, and gives us the
most fascinating and complicated Of plots aud
thrills us with Cunnias detective enterprises, aud
surprises US with novel modes of committing
crimes and getting married and pcrpctfdtIng
bgamv and ali kinds of exciting affairs. And the
world will probably always prefer n0vclsts of this
school to those who delight IN anayziug thoughts
and sentiments, and who oschew action and plot as
vulgar and coarse.
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