New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-13
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE AMERICAN TAUCHNITA.


MISS FRANCES MERELY. BY John Elliott Curran
lGmo PIP Ao5. Boston: Cupples & liurd
Nessrs Cupples & Hurd have had the happy
thought to issue collection Of American authors
printcd and bound in the style OF the admiraole
Tauchnitz edition, and they have given ne"
American author the honor of opening the series
Not. indeed, that Mr.. Curran is altogether an
amateur in literature. but he has heretofore VIII
ten only short stories, and this is his hrst novel
As q rule, nothing can be argued from the qua'i'S
of short stories. There are writer's VINO succeco
wonderfully in that form of fiction, ana can 90
nothing with the novel There are others VINO
fail in short stories and score their first success
with q novel There are yet Others who write
both short stories and long ones almost equally
we'll Mr. Curran gives more than little prom
fse Of belonging TO the third class. He has shown
that he can write good novelties, and in Miss
Frances Merey" he has produced novel WHICH,
if not entitled to be termed first-rate. is yet
so far beyond the average of first attempts as 10
justify and merit careful examination.
The leading motive IS o study of young woman
of an unconventional type; young woman who
while inheriting an ample fortune. has grown INTO
the conviction that life has duties for her' 'haV
she ought not to idle because she is able to do So
that she is under obligation to be of some use 10
the world She is an orphan, and her guardian
and sole relative is an elderly uncle OF the old
fashioned mercantile school. who has made money
honestly but in the process he has come 10
cxalt money and the capacity for amassng IL
unduly He has an ingenious respect for all the
evidences Of wealth. and cannot at all uhderstalu
how any one in possession OF fortune c"h uo
other than estimate it at the value IL mas lor
him Frances is out of sympathy with TINS view
Young, inexperienced, unconsciously romanuc'
and deeply atruistic, she can,Ct rest content Win
a merely passive existence Going to i've WIN
ber uncle in village on the Sound, she is brought
in contact with the principal OF the hgh-school'
n bright Young man of good tendencies buoyant
,omr,prament but shallow mind. lie is one Of the
men who need protection from the women they
love: bright sunny enthusiastic, but incapable
of provision prone 10 let things drift, living
wholly for and in the passlGs hour. Frances Is
clearly the stronger character of the two ana
ms clearly realizes this Perhaps that Is the reason
she marrics Archie Hitler. and it is certainly
sound reason She marries him. too, with the
full understanding that her own money Is not
TO be used They to earn their living
The account of their married lie Is clever
and artistically restrained There no differ
ences no excess of detail The brief experiment
stands out sharply and wildly. First unailoyed
bappiness: then a struggle for work. steadily
becoming more oppressive; then approaching IN
diligence, privations, recourse to the pawhshop'
SILENT concealed sacrifices on the part OF the young
wife; and, when the clouds arc lifting and pros
perity seems assured. sudden and fatal Illness
leaving her desolate. Her career thus DroKen' inc
hope of personal happiness apparently eXtlngusheu
COMPLETELY. this young woman naturally becomes
inpatient of the monotonous round OF conVehtlon-
alitics upon which she is thrown back, ana as
naturally after n time of brooding, feels drawn
toward a religious life and presently joins sort
of Law Protestant sisterhood who have convent IN
the neicbborhood One feels sure from the irst,
indeed that Sister Frances is not in her true voca-
lion and perhaps she herself always had some
oualms of conscience on that point But she
makes brave struggle, and this part OF the story
shows decided power and analyuc skill anu
adroitness The convent life Of Frances, the effect
upon her of external influences, the heart question:
incs and psychical conflicts to which she Is SUD-
iected the contrarietics with which her feminine
moods and subtle complexities of emotion perpieN
and discourage those who are trying to understand
her-all this is wrought out delcatey' clearly ana
INTERESTINGLY The denouement is perfectly IN chr-
acter and not strained at all
Mr. Curran has strong feeling for nature and
describes scenery with the warmth and detail of an
artist. He has many very pretty bits OF tins KIND
He has also made a study of certain kind oil
American village life and here too, he tries &c
make us see and understand his people as clearly
as possible and generally he succeeds, though MOI
always II is not to be expected that in hrs'
novel all the faults natural 10 the experimental
stage should be avoided, and Mr. Curran has fallen
into one. which may be easily thrown OIL. lie
is rather too fond of INTERPRETING comments IRON
the chroniclcr's point of view. This is pracuc'
which hardly any one but Thackeray has been abe
TO follow without giving annoyance and sometimes
offence TO the reader, and diminishing the lntcreS
Tho Cfn
sometimes overdid il. The temptation &c VIII
natbetic passages is also one which young wr'tcr
,bould resist heroicay. Pathos expressed is scuoh
nm addition to the strength of situation. VIVA
moves men is the latent pathos OF events them
selves. Tragedy in action needs no Greek O
other cborus for its Interpretation. All that i
roouired is that the artist who sets the seem
for rs shall show us genuine human emotion ah'
nasson. and not try to delude US with melodra
matte shams, based upon morbid imagination MT
Curran has sound tendencies, light touch'
ouicl, fancy and for the most part good judgment
Ha NAV 90 far, and we heartily hope he VIII
INIT he must prune and repress and concehtraV
in his work. even though this advice may appea
d,stasteful before he can attain the place 10 "'c
n right use of his abilities may very well carr
him. .r.-----