New-York tribune., 1884-03-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
BALZAC.

- sot;or &c not the greatest The Work OF hohoro
do Ralzac was not merely enormous IN qu"i'V'' 1"'
Il was of the first quality, and II rep'esen'ou q
scheme of literary philosophy altogether un'qu0 anu
exhibiting profound insight. Banac unoei'ooA ~
10 Gov human society what Cuver had done Tor the |
s;r,oi creation but the analysis and classhcation
,f ,be writer embraced not only the physiology out
.he nsvcholopy of his complex subject. lie was the
founder of that realistic school which Aoi" n'S |
broucht into disrepute by his lack OF the SENSE VI
nroportion and affinity for the unclean. balzac soe
t;mes fell into the same error though not III the
came degree His mistakes consisted IN a 700
minnie description of accessories, haDit "h'en
tended to become 'wearisOme to readers not gnteu
with his inexhaustible fertility. The Comede
Humaine. however, is beyond doubt the most am
btious comprehensive and splendid intellectual en-
,ernrise ever conceived or executed by writer OF
Gction and the success of the execution is not less
remarkable than the loftiness and audacity OF the
couccption In this great work he set hmseil u
portray and analyze the French society OF MS uaS
i'm all its phases to follow the human Dehg vi tno
period that is to say, through every stage ana con
dition and relation of life; 10 trace ana eAh'oV n0
springs of action under all CIRCUMSTANCES :"
demonstrate the operation of master passions uiu',
the most varied conditions; 10 dissect soclai ana
1o,ast;o relations: TO examine the foundations ol
A. family unon; TO show the effects OF poItlcs'
or lave commerce. literature, crime upon the
average man; to hold the mirror mp TO nature III
sbort in a way never dreamed of even by Shake
speare. .,..;
And the marvel is that he succeeded in realizing
tbis vast conception, for the COmede humane Is All
that is hero indicated, and more. In serleS VI
novels each perfect in itself, yet all parts Oh one
bor,Doniors whole Balzac depicted the emotions
1be actions. the habits of his age, with minute
ness leaving nothing to be desired and with
o,d
of his genius. no class no rank, no POSITION no
+vne is omitted What Dickens did without any
higher or broader purpose than that OF amusing MS
nnblic Bazac did as incidental to the construction
of vast complicated but Ineligible and faithful
nicture of his generation. Should French clVlilza-
tion perish: should the nation become extinct
.bopld some catastrophe change the face OF the
country y-ten thousand years hence IL "ouiu uc
nossibe to reconstruct a complete picture OF the
France of the nineteenth century, if in some foreign
library n COPY of the COm(Clie Humane had been
preserved
Nor is there in this great work any limitation de-
noting defective observation, but, on the contrary
the penetration OF the writer not seldom ontstrps
his own time and assimilates as by prophetic
power the ideas of coming generation one
oniors exomple of this is to be found in the story
"S6raphita," in which are presented those myStlcaI
and supernatural doctrines which were, not less
than thirty years later put forward by the lheo-
sonbi.ts of India There was no phase OF human
tbonpbt and speculation which Balzac had not
sounded in fact; and all PHILOSOPHERS are repre-
sented in his Kaleidoscope pictures II is hdeeo re-
markabe that no attempt has yet been lnade 10
translate the whole of the COmede humane lhto
English Certainly not TO know TINS masterpiece
;sa distinct loss 10 the Engllsh-speakng peoples,
and after all the number who can read IL IN the
original must be comparatively small. Such an en-
Dloto +rop LAT N RalXac
he a good commercial venture, moreover, when we
consider that the immeasuIably inferior writings of
Zola find ready market
The personal career of Balzac was stormy anu
nainful He agonzed for the success he Won' ana
he only lived to see the Canaan lie was not per
,nitted to enter For years his work was rejected
ond for cause. and he himself always frankly con-
Cured in the public Judgment ON his earlier
writings. But indomitable resolution and tremen-
lous toll at length won the day for him. He was ex-
1rovoeant only in the expenditure of brain power
For vears he worked sixteen hours day, often eat
inc bnt once in twenty-fOur hours, but drinking
prodiaious quantities of black coffee. Ihe C0med'e
E.laaiae still not quite finished represents thirty
wears of Titanic labors and it is magnificent liter
arv monument. Balzac desired two things: to be
loyed and 10 be celebrated He attained his
wishes; but he only survived his happy UNION
with the Countess Hanska five months, and he only
1ea IN realize that his books were at last bringing
in handsome revenues.
Mr. Saltus gives a valuable photography OF Bal
7ac's works and a selection of epigrammatic SEN
fences from his writings. The book is beautifully
nrinted and can be cordially commended to all who
desire TO know something concerning the greatest
literary genius France has produced this century,
not excluding Victor Hugo.
AIRS FROM ARCADY AND ELSEWHERE. II. c.
BUNNER. l6m0 Pp. 100. Charles scfipher 5 sons
Mr. Burners pretty volume entities INN 10 the
credit of holding here though III minor degree, the
position mold in England by Mr. Locker While
some of the elder American poets have written ex-
cellent rs DE- socet6 no one of them hasdevoted him
self almost exclusively to this fascinating form OF
verse Mr. Bunner has thus far done so and with the
success assured by a sprghtly Imagination a
natural gift of melOdiOus measure (Which he some
times abuscs and above all delicate and attractive
kind of humor. 1t IS this last quality which lends
witchery to his of sentiment and delightfully."-
wooes his reader past divers hating lines ana uh-
intentional reminders of both Dobson and Locker
Mr. Runners Muse IS at present laughing lass,
prone to asgay selfmockery, pensive shade some
times coming across Der merrlment not very deep
in feeling yet but not without suggestions about
her OF the strength of poetic passion. She wears
The stavs that bet the drawing-rOom, but there Is
now and again mettle in her song which shows the
wild thing of the wood and stream, of unbound hair
and flying feet. There is charm of tenderness and
melancholy in " The Way to Already" which is in
dicative of something much higher than the senti-
ment that finds expression in the always artificial
Tonde and the ingenious triolet
IT'S strange you cannot sing tquoth he
The folk all sing i'll Already.
But how may he find Already
Who hath nor youth nor melody
What know you not, old man quoth he)-
YofIrl IA \
That Love must kiss that MOrtals eyes
Who hopes 10 see fair Arcadyf