The National tribune., 1884-08-28
AMERICAN NoyELIsTs.


"Who ever reads an American book?" asked
the Edinburg ReUiew some decades ago. The
gauntlet thus thrown down was taken up, as
the older generation will remember, by the
witty John Neal, of Maryland, who forthwith
crossed the Atlantic, and from the very seat Of
English literature bore away the palm of origi-
nality. That, as we have said, was many years
ago. No one for moment thinks of raising
the question now. Not only are American
books eagerly sought abroad, but American
authors are coming to be known and honored.
The truth is that the race of great English
writers of fiction is dying out. Neither
Thackeray, Dickens, Eliot, Bronte, Reade, Troll
lope nor Collins has left successor. 1t is true,
however, that among the minor English nov
elsts of the present day there are many of de-
cided talent, and first of these, in our opinion,
is Besant, whose stories are thoroly pure
and wholesome, and at the same time clever
and entertaining. William Black. too, has
achieved great reputation, despite the weary
ing sameness of his style and subjects. He
doubtless owes his fame to the skill with which
he paints nature in her various moods, yet by
far his strongest book, in our judgment, is
Sunrise" in which, notwithstanding its title,
there is no landscape painting whatever. Aside
from Besant and Black the only novelist that
has attracted special attention of late is Mr.
Anstey,-a nom de plume,-who has written
two remarkably clever books" Vice Versa"
and The Giants Robe" The latter is work
of striking originality, genuine bumor and
strong dramatic power, and it warrants the
expectation of still greater things from the
author. Upon this side Of the water, on the
other hand, we are able to producea constantly
increasing number of promising novelists.
Leaving out of consideration authors of such
established reputation as Henry James, w. D.
Howells Julian Hawthorne and Bret Harte,
the list includes such brilliant names as those
of Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett George W.
Cabse, E. P Roe, Frank Stockton, Marion Craw-
ford, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Grace Denio
Litchfeld, G. P Lathrop, a. S. Hardy, Blanche
Howard, Joel Chandler Harris, Miss Alcott,
]. 7. Trowbridge, and Richard Henry Stod-
dard OF these the one who has deservedly
won the greatest reputation is unquestion-
ably Mrs Burnett, although her last novel
Through One Administration "-was severely
criticised. Her Louisiana" is certainly equal
in point of pathos to anything that George
| Sand ever wrote, and as we have had nothing
from her pen for more than a year past, it is
to be presumed that her next story viii dis
play her original power in all its freshness.
| Next to Mrs. Burnett the most fortunate Of our
noyelists is unquestionably Mr.. Cable. He has
| leaped at one bound into the full current of
popular success, and although the Creole dia-
lect and idiom is but little understood in the
North, the quaintness and prettynesses Of his
style have captivated the entire American pub
lie. He is undeniably writer of the purest
| English and in that respect is worthy to rank
with Julian Hawthorne. As for Mr. e. P. Roe,
it is universally conceded in literary circles
that his novels show steady improvement in
characterization and form of construction, and
that his last production =" Natures Serial
Story"-now appearing in Harper's Monthly, is
a work of remarkable symmetry and strength.
His style is easy and graceful; familiar yet
never slovenly, and as he is still in the prime
of manhood it is reason able to expect that his
future novels viii be of still better quality It
is fact which cannot be gainsaid, we believe,
that Mr.. Roe's novels have had a wider sale
than those of any of his contemporaries.
Frank Stockton is another author with prom
ising future. Up to the present time, it is
true, he has not yentured beyond the limits of
a short story, but it must be admitted by every
body that the author of the "Lady and the
Tiger" is capable of anything.
Of the rest it is unnecessary for us to speak
in detail They are all well known and their
books have been popular successes. 1t is true
that none of them ranks with Thaclzeray OF
Dickens, bat it must be admitted that Ameri-
can literature has reached a stage when at any
time it would not be surprising to hear of the
advent of a really great American novelist.