New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-25
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
SOME MINOR NOVELS

,owcE s0" nv Mrs oiiphant. 12mo, PIP lel. Har-
LOYALTY VA GEORGE BY Mrs parr 1emo, PIP. s's.
mi, He1 MEw EO 51,pe eS OF PARIS BY Philip La
tsrcne 1emo I'D. 314 Macmillan a. Co.
LEN GANsETT BY opic p. Read. lomo' PIP $685.
pp gSS1" AN AMERICAN COUNTESS. BY Mary
Clare spencer I2mo PIP AL. Spencer Publish
ing Co. o..o,s rooro
imagination than constructive capacity Inc ceh'rai
a.. a, hQ story is decidedly original, but after he
RS introduced Il he is unable to handle It, During
scenti6c expedition English warvessel IS pio"h os
a protracted gallo on TO tho leo oariio,
Of the Antarctic Circle, but finds chahhei
~ tho barrier and reaches comparatively
,.r., .ea ON tho inside Then strange phenomenon
a sea Of fire. apparently-js encountered, and out Oh
this dery sea presently cmerges shf with woman
IN IL. She IS taken up by the Hereward.' ono Is
Marahuna lovely fire spirit. or rather ma'eriai oo
ing constituted TO live easily In that element as
human creatures do in air 1t is obvious that the OK
rlotatiou of this beautiful Saamandrine ahordeo ,he
rportunty for very free play Of the fancy and Tor
daring and ingenious theories and combinations. hu'
when this author has once caught his saiamahurie no
is as much at loss what to do with her as inc n0'
tious teller OF the story and he gives up the attempt
h frame plausible Tor indeed any explanation Oh
her. Thus she Is a mystery from beglhnMs W ono
and so utterly incomprehensible creature ,ha' 'n0
reader finds IL difficult to acquire much interest IN her
Notwithstanding her abnomalty. She IS repreSeh.oa
as being wholly void of passions; as MOI hno",u'e
what fear pity, love, mean; as being in'ohoo'"aA'
very active and full Of curiosity but ior ho ""
eeyable reason unless 1t be to save himsen 'ro"po
the author makes her forget all about her origin anu
a.. n,svo,s TO her abduction by the Hereward, anu
sshat her nature IS, what are tho norman oon
dltions OF her existence are questions lei. oo'i
pletely obscure. The same silence Is ooSeNo"
concerning the fiery sea whence Marahuna came.
DIN ed of things
,.u for expapson and the reader is apt to get tired
NJ puzzing ever this impossible she ana 10 become
exasperaed at the perverslty of the writer IN putting
forward so fragmentary and inartistic conccPuon
II is good story spoiled in short and Tor lack OF 'he
constructive power which enabied bui"er " hi"A0
classic of Zanoni."
aJovoer seems to be a new experiment. 1t is not
IN the usual olIphantino ne at all events, but what
n gains IN originality It loses In the sadness OF us
outcome The young girl who plays the uue-r9ie Is
a stutH af incongruous conditions Reared 10y
Scotch peasant couple she proves TO be OF good brh
her father being an old East Indian officer, ana her
mother having died al her birth, while travelling, I'M
der tragic circumstances. joyce finds herself very
miserable being transpanted from the humpie COZ.
tage of her foster parents to wellapponted Englsh
Silia and far from adapting herself 40 her new sur
roundfngs, She becomes more uncomfortable as ume
passes This is largely due ITO tho unfrendliness OF
her step-mothcr who, while earnestly endeavorng 10
do her duty to the girl unconscousy Influenced by
jealousy Of the newcomer
In @Loyalty George Mrs. Parr has written strong
and we'll sustained story of West of England life, the
socne being mainly laid among the fsher-folk and
VILLAGERS There are many graphic portraits of pro-
yncal men and women, nearly all Of them belonging
to that class Of terate people whose preJudces and
narrownesses offer much inducement to the artist,
because they are so easily made TO appear pictur-
esque, and afford sharp contrast to the smooth
uniformes Of educated conventionalsm. Loyalty
imee fS draw holiness
patty She is an excellent picture Of a natural, I'M
formed sweet-tempered faithful peasant girl, modified
by strain Of gentle blood none the less influential
because iegilmate Unfortunately English novelsts,
when they are lucky enough to conceive such char
acter, seldom think 1t possible to employ. 10 TO
other than tragic end. In the present case nothing
Is gained by adherng this tradition, and 1t is quite
uncaled for by the exgences of the plot. nasmuch
as poor Loyalty not in any danger of a misallI
ance, but might have been perfectly happy with the
OF her choice. Aside from the needless gloom of
N the ending, the novel is a good one.
The NEW Judgment of Paris IS one Of those
novels which deserve to be called brilliant, yet which
hardly seem to touch real life closer than did the
dramatic work Of the Restoration Written by edu-
Gated men and women, this class of fiction seldom
offends good taste, often appeals strongly TO the
Intellectual appreciation Of the reader frequently
exhibits high skill in composition, with clever, even
sparkling conversation and bright, vivaclous descrip
tion. Yet far any insight into human nature is
concerned, IT is almost blank Mr.. Paul Lafargue
writes well, unquestionably. He is dull or
clumsy His characters are clearly drawn, and act
consistently In a set, mechanical way But there is
no humanity in them, II there be- 1t is only such
remains after the dreadful pressure of nineteenth
century social competition has ground of all the
angles noduoslties which diferentiate character
and constitute individuality. Modern society has
evolved types of men and women much alike that
any number of them might have been turned out of
the same mould, and with these as the vehicles of
thought and action II is exceedingly diflcu to pro-
nuce vitalzed fiction. The New Judgment of
Parisn is good example Of this kind of novel, but 1t
Is an example of 1t none the less.
The Editor of " The Arkansaw Traveller has written
story of Southwestern rural life, which exhibits the
pecuiarities Of the region in detail There is plenty
Of action in II, and rather superduity of villains,
though the worst of them keeps his mask until the
end is nearly reached. Len Gansett, the hero, gets
In life with rapidly not often experienced out Of
fiction. Dockery, the country editor, is, It may be
hoped, a carcature upon the newspaperman Of the
Southwest though a decidedly amusing person Colonel
Bentley, the Squire Of the village, who robs his
stages, is rather impossible character, but Braey,
the shiftess fellow who never work steadily for
himself and his family, though he is always doing
service for his neghbors, IS true to the life and
described, with all his queer ways, very skilfully.
The story is enlivened by quiet humor
The American Countess" IS carefully, and in
parts strongly written tale in which burglars, wicked
women, stolen children and virtu0usy inclined crimi
mails are mixed up with English dukes and earls,
learned professors wonderful musicians, detectives,
lovely girls, and good many more Instruments of
and incentives 10 romantic action. The felicity with
which o stabe-boy with very unfortunate antecedents
develops into a Wall Street "Magnate' whose touch
turns everything TO gold and who not only piles up
millions for himself but makes his fdends wealthy
beyond the dreams Of avarce," is not little sIrpns
ing, and scarcely be suspected of aaliaton with
realism. Indeed, the whole story is rather in the
line Of the old-fashoned novels, which, notwithstand
ing their total departure from solid matter offact
human life, have ever been, and very likely viii
always be, read with undated interest by the
majority.