New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-01
MR.. HOMELESS NEW BOOK
REALISM AND LOyE-MAKI.G.

Mr. Howells told us q few months ago. ~ ono or
his GENIAL papers tho fatity OF criticism ana
| the arrogance of critics chat IN considering the
works of the creative intellect business was
neither to praise to blame. but Simply 10 GLASS;
Ify and aaayze as the naturalist ciasses his drled
herbs and impalsd bcetlos 1t is not our privilege
to dislike books at leas, 10 Is not prvil'g, TO
| say No. We are e. assume that the au.lOr knows
| infinitely moro about its quality than we do, ana
| infinitely more about his own fitness for writing
| IT; and he is not in anywise on trial before u.s.
Let us approach tho novelist then in tho chastencd
! and Lowry spirit which he enjoins. and see il We
| can classify and analyze the fruits of his mind.
| without the presumption of advancing an opinion
| upon their beauty or their usefulness.
| We can remember when Mr.. Howes wrote
| stories which we all found delightful He never
troubled himself about intricate plots. or placed
his little romance outside the realm of possible con-
| temporary experience; but close around in these
familiar bounds, he discovered all the elements OF
a class of fiction in which the pictures Of real life
| arc the decorations of real story. The old pas
sions the old impulses. the old strength and weak
| ness which have governed the conduct of men and
| women from the beginning of tme-love. resent
| ment, vanity, piquc, high-mindedness self-devo-
| tion-are the never-faillng springs OF human
| action But as thcy play under new conditions. In
| a now social environment. upon Compartments mod
flied by new rules Of life there ia always the posi-
| bity of fresh story and fresh exhibition OF
| character All the good stories, says Mr.. Howes,
| were told ages ago. Re has uDdervalued himself.
Homer could not have told of the Lady Of the
AroOstook" nor Scott of the undiscovered
Country" The author of those books. and
somo Others which will spring into the read
er's mind, should be the last man to declare
that the story. with q tinge of romance is an abso-
forn of Etprarv
IIowells quiet as they ,re used to be full of the
interest Of adventure of SURPRISE of complex SEN
tment, and Of striking character: their motive
was always delicate their tone often poeti
cal and what fine, Ovablo. sympathetic people
used to act the simple drama.
Looking back upon what we have written. we
see that we have already broken the novests in
junction. and presumed to praise when we ought
to have been content to classify But. truculent
and bullying ruians that we are, 1t is an old habit
of ours TO praise the first manner of MIR. HOwclls
and we are not sure that wish to break it. His
second manner began with that odious product OF
realism, BARLEY Hubbard in 50 Modern Instance"
Here Mr.. Howells still held to the practice of tell
ing story but he carried into ruthless execution
his theory that the commonplace men and women
around u.s. in all their native vapidity and acquired
dulness arc good enough for the purposes of the
novelist. and that fiction. provided 1t be true
to certain aspects of life. may safolv BIO disagree
able. Mr. HOwels in short took TO low company
not the vicious, but to persons OF low ideals ana
vulgar desires, aud little minds These. he tells us,
are he people who make the world and the literary
artist must take them and do his bost with them,
If he is to show us tho facts Of existence. Yet the
impatient reader will persist i'll believing that our
clever novelist quite as true to the life when
he gave his smiling fancy free play among the Gre
80 L.; r,a, onI fnup
them with n grace all his own. and making them
bright and winsomc, pathetic or amusing with that
poetic fidelity 10 character aud temperament which
cannot DO reached without the aid of little mag
in alton After all for the novelist IMAGINATION
is often the great truth-teer; and we shall con-
tinue to hope that Mr.. Howells had ulster per-
ception of the world ten years ago, when he fore
gathered with lovely women and refined men. than
in these harder days when he turns his camera
uOon the Hubbards aud Bankers. the Marcas and
Statlras. and bids observe that there arc tho
facts of existence and the proper sdbJects OF cton
1t is not clear to our mind whether or not Mr..
IIowells has yet reached the third manner toward
which his course naturally tends; but April
Hopes" confirms the impression left by The
Minister'S Charge that even the story may now
bc omitted from his variety Of the realistic novel,
That the personages shall attract us rs little by
their actions as by their characters Then the new
M of fiction will be reduced to lis bald actuaity
the representation of common and uninteresting
persins dong and saying common and unnercst-
ing things We are far from pretending that Mr..
Ilowells has yet reached that point Apiil
Hopes" on the contrary contains amusing char
actcrs, although it has no high ones and in vi
vacIty. variety and novelty it Is better
than 1.-THE Minister'S Charge" Mrs. Pasmer
is n study in tho artists best style. the person
i'll the book whom can almost like, not because
she has single amiable trait but because her in
genious and unslecping dupIcity is such safe
guard against dulness. The Mavering household is
m attractive family group, better together than
any member Of II separately. Dan Mavering,
with his lmpertuIb abe good nature. and his want
of moral FIBRE is little to our liking: 1t is only in
real life. in felton, that one sympathizes with
mon of pleasant manners and negative virtues
Twice. in attempting to propose marriage Dan cont
mts the offence of seeking to force ayowal of the
iady's sentiments before he has explicitly con-
fessod his own, and he Is fittingy punished. Ono
such act Of meanness seems to us enough even for
villain of fiction yet Dan Mavering is Mr. Howellss.
hero. if he be said to have any. April Hopes"
at any rate is primarily concerned with the
troubled and oft-nterrupted love affairs of this
weak Young gentleman and Miss Alice Pasmer of
whom we are repeatedly told by their friends that
they are quite unsuited to each other and certain TO
be miserable in the married life upon which they
embark in the last chapter. What did happen Mr.
Howels does not tell u.s. he is wholly destitute of
the nOveists sense of implied obligations in such
cases of baified curiosity; but we have no doubt
that the worst predictions were realized. Nobody
could be happy with Alice Pasmer Jealous. exact
ing unreasonable, hasty she has coddled herself
into moroid habit of pietistic self-indulgence
which she mistakes for self-sacrifce. We confess
to keen enjoyment Of the savage chapter in which
Mrs. Brinkley tears the poor girl to pieces decar-
ing that from somebody that the Pasmer dulness
and seliishness must have driven mad. she's got
| crazy streak Of piety, and that's got mixed up in
her again with nonsensical ideal of duty; and
every thing she does she not only thinks is right,
but she thinks it's religious and she thinks it's un-
selfish" Dan Is unable to understand why Alice