New-York tribune., 1885-01-09
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
G. v. 5.

MADAM. Novel. By Mrs OnPnAST. Harper
Brothers.
Mrs. Oliphant is one of the best living novcsts
| She has written very little that is not good, and
| much which is excellent. And 1t is proof oi the
vigor of her mature powers that her latest story
should also be one Of her best. "Madam is indeed
not what can be called pleasing story. 1t is full
of pain from the first page almost to the last, IN
| fact But it is also full of character and human
nature and the artistic strength which lends real
ism to fiction There are few more beautiful char
acters in literature than that of the heroine She
| is a modern Patient Grlselda the victim of selfish
| and spiteful husband who reaches his hand from
the grave to inlict upon her the bitercst humlia-
| tion the cruelesi deprivation ever endured by a
| faithful wife and loving mother. What Mrs.
| Oliphant has failed to perceive clearly enough
no wever is the obvious fact that no such will as
that of Reginald Trevanion could possibly stand
in these days; and that old Blake must have been
a remarkably stupid lawyer not to see how easily
the magnity of tue testator could he baked. This
really detracts from the force of the story because
we cannot help feeling that poor Mrs. Irevanion
is being made the victim far of the fatuity OF
her husbands executors than of that husbands
baseness. Apart from this, however the story
has few defects Rosalind is. next TO Madam. the
most charming and tcnderiy drawn character
SOphy and her elder brother are Outo remarkable
studies. They represent the inherited meanness
and selfshness of their father, and when they
promptly abandon their mother lest they shoGld
lose money. the action though OF course disgusting
is felt to be perfectly natural. Sophy, indeed,
is O type. We all know the preternaturally sharp
female child who is saturated with hard wordl
ness who is censorious, sagacpus, evil-m'nued
as an old woman who hTingSal her experiences TO
the touchstone of an egGtisni which is as blind as
M l.. IN, 81, tfo no
horrible as this but ii is unfortunately not uncom
mon ana Mrs Oliphant has painted an unlattering
but perfectly faithful portrait of the species
Another good piece of work is Russell the narrow
minded, yndIctive nurse, whose revelations TO
Reginald TrevaniOn are accountable for the altered
will. The plot of Madam has the merit of being
unusual. The incidents are few, but sufficient. and
the interest does not pail though perhaps there is
somew hat than enough of the anal tic descrip
ton peculiar To the modern novel. The conception
| of Mrs. 1revanon. however IS enough TO atone for
| any shortcomings, tor her character is distinct
boon to fiction. What is curious about her is that
| while she 10 the incarnation of all the noblest
Christian virtues, there no indications that she
WAS RELIGIOUS or devout, and her constancy and
sublime selfabnegatlon are not made to depend
upon aids external to herself There is certainly a
sacrifice of art in permitting such heroine to live at
the end, moreover. In the situation at which she
had arrived there really remained nothing possible
but death, and Kents epitaph Lear. 1t is n
| veTtabe anti-climax that restores her to life
| and j. seems also to have been an after-th thought
| with the author. Everything, indeed, proceeds
toward the fulilment Of this purpose. She lives
but to make the explanation which shall clear her
| good name. That done, her poor bruised spirit may
we'll take flight. for there remains only Rosalinds
love to compensate her for the brutal abandonment
she has suffered at the hands of all her children
and Rosalnd is not Of her blood But the tragedy
| TO which all the story led up to have been
too deep for the author-or her publishers; and 20
almost Gu the last page Madam IL recalled from the
| doom to which she had been but too plainly con
! signed by the natural development of the story.
| and the curtain seems to fall on her rubbing her
eyes to find ont whether indeed she still lives For
all this weak surrender to the illogical people who
| insist blindly on cheerful eDdings to all novels,
Madam is powerful and interesting story.
| IN WAR TINE. Bys. WEIR MITCHELL. NJ. d. I6no
| PIP. 423. Hons htDn, Aniin Co.
| DR. Mitchells novel is an acute and interesting
study of q type Of character common in real life.
but not too freely used in fiction. His Dr. Wendell
| is man of ability, ambition, good impulses, kindly
nature and sensitive spirit, whose life is wrecked
| by intellectual incidence. He dallies with serious
purposes; ana Oh energy winch fnakcS MN
| a failure and a tumble in practical pursuits carries
| him INTO ethical delinGuences also. Mental
irresoluton il generally associated swith want of
| moral fibre. Wendell is weak all th trough to the
very core In the face of trying duty he shriI-ks,
| sophistcates and breaks down; and the cOnse-
| ouence is gradual degradation Of his whole
| nature, and final ruin. The process of spiritual
| decline is described by the author with singular
force and clearness; il is demonstration in NOR
| bid anatomy which would do credit to q veteran
professor of analytical fiction and it snstains our
interest in story which, for it's length is rather
| meagrely furnished with plot and incident In
War Timc," however, although it is q tale Of talk
rather than of action, abounds with busting
scenes, including the wards Of military hospital.
| the rooms of ladies' sanitary committee, and
| various striking domestic interiors; and it b0r-
| rows. from its slight connection with the great
rebellion, q reflection of the excitement of the
| struggle Some of the dinner table conversations
| are highly plquant, and indeed most of DR..
Mitchelps chapters are freely peppered with the
| observations of q smart, shrewd and thoughtful
observer.
| CHOY SUSAN. AND OTHER STORIES. BY WILLIAM
| HENRY BISHOP 16mo., pp 49, houghtoh' @'mh
Co.
The story which stands first IN this collection Is
one of the ceyerest of the magazine tales for which
American writer's have lately been earning 80 good
q reputation. few years ago the production Of
short stories was an art little understood in thia