New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-04-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

DPECIMENs OF ENGLISH PROSE STYLE, from
Mallory to Macaulay. selected aud Annotated, with
an 9ow IntIsSdpo'9sy Essay nOaoa Regain Paul
Trsnoh 800 G.; pehi oaso; SSns.n, mcclure Co.
Mr. Saintsbury has done difficult task in
Sorkmanlike manner. To present in one handy
volume examples of the most distinguished EnShsh
prose writers from the invention Of printing to our
own day required combination OF scholar
ship. literary taste, and practical ingenuity.
Specimens of prose masterpieces would not De so
difficult to collect and assert; Mr.. Santsbury has
prepared something much more valuable Tor the
student OF literature by displaying the character
istcs of the most eminent writers seratim including
those who are llustrious by the quality OF their
thought and not at all by art or beauty OF express
sion. Masterpieces arc hardly 10 be found IN
English prose until about the close of the seven
teenth century, although the roll of 81 endd names
which make the glory Of our literature had grown
before that time to imposing length Style was a
quality which the great writers were slow in ac-
curing appreciating In several of the specimens
included by Mr. Saintsbury, and rightly inclnded'
the style is extremely bad The Introductory essay
embraces an admirable sketch of the historical
developer ent of the art of writing good Enghsh
prose a consideration of the characteristics oil
diiierent epochs, and an explanation OF WHAT con-
stitutes pure and elevated style; the crltsclsns
are sharp and Just guided by severe and enllgAt-
ened taste. aud stated with the precision or wde
and mature knowledge; and the discussion OF the
rhythlns Of prose, while ii may not command gen.
eral assent will he found suggestive and interesting
In considering the appropriateness OF MI. saints
burys selections it must be remembered that he has
undertaken to give examples not always OF an
authors best manner but of his most characteristic
manner; in other words he has made a book OF typ
ical specimens not of elegant extracts Such oelhs
his scheme there is probably little fault TO oe
found with the execution of it. Sometimes lie con
tents himself with too brief passage for example,
the only representation OF Gray is single snort
paragraph from of his letters; it is very goOu
paragraph but it is neither an adequate sample OF
ore of the most elegant of ettor-writsrs nor is 1t
even a fair specimen Of style 1t are to regard
style as something more than the manner OF con-
structng separate sentences. If it includes organic
construction, the combination of sentences, tho
form balance variety and harmonious movement
OF the compositions it is plain that choice morsel
IS not enough to exhibit it, We should have had
more satisfactory pTeSentmcnt of Waiter savage
Landor il the editor had printed the whole of the
boautiful Dream of BoccaciO.' instead Of Ovid
Ing his space between a fragment OF that master
niece and a fragment OF something cloc
line as both extract, are. The selection of passages
from the letters of Gray and Lady Mary Nortley
Montagu suggests the inquiry why Cowper, whose
prose is distinguished in the same line .hors. Is
not also represented Pope might be judged Oy one
of his letters much better than by the paper from
III. GUARDIAN; his letters contain not only ms best
but his most characteristic prose, and were really
signed rs literary essays rather than mere friend
" epistles. Hume ana Gibbon ought to have been
accompanied by RObertsou-a lesser light but still
prose master of uudeniable rank and Hume
should have appeared in passage from the history
rather than the essays since it is in his NOBLE his
torlca style that he is to live longest The de-
fects we have mentioned, however do not greatly
mar the value of book for which all lovers OF good
English ought TO be grateful.
The brief notes fixed to the selections are gcner
ally excellent They include criticism explanation,
md some happy characterizations OF authors, and
With few exceptions they are models OF terseness