The Portland daily press., 1888-06-09
CONCERNING BOOKS.

MONSIEUR motte. by Grace King. The
literary debut Of Miss Grace King is the
most brilliant, in performance and in prom
Use, which has yet been made in the depart
Sment OF American fiction. At single step
and by such step the true goddess is
known-Miss King comes into line with the
foremost novelists, domestic and foreign, of
the present century. Her art, powerful,
delicate and impassioned, is essentially femi-
nine and does not attempt to disguise its
disposition. She has apparently developed
her native gifts by study of the best French
school Of fiction; and has imbibed the per-
fume and honey without the poison of the
literature in which the verb raconter is most
at home. The result is style of blended
impressionism and realism, flexible, SYM
pathetic and picturesque. Miss King is
equally competent to paint. with patient
touch upon touch, the delicate iris lights of
the dreams of young girl; the half cynical,
half coquettish disillusions of woman of
the world; or with rapid and superbly gov
erned dramatic force, to portray the wilder
passions Of Creole or African natures. Her
artistic instinct is never at fault in deciding
whether situation shall be thoroughly
ascertained and detailed, or whether pause
in the narrative will be its most perfect elo-
quence. The nucleus from which the thread
Of the story unwinds itself, is .he supposed
benefaetion of Monsieur Motto toward the
little heroine, Marie Modesto; and although
the mystery is solved in the first of the four
sketches which compose the romance, it
influences naturally and logically, all the
ensuing action. Neither has Miss King any
lack of that rather rare trait in a feminine
mind-genuine and genial humor. Her
epigrams, never audacious, are always origi-
nal and often extremely brilliant, sparkling
against the milder illumination of the fine
smile of gentle amusement. In her quieter
narrative, the criticism once in while sug-
gests itself that Miss King is tempted to
employ too many and too long words-but
even this slight structure is almost refuted by
the Immediate perception that these repeated
strokes OF ADJECTIVE or adverb succeed in
giving precisely the effect which the artist
has desired; that no word is placed without
a delicate justice, and that to the pen of an
author who, like Miss King, is equally at
home in two languages-the English and a
Latin deriyative are natural and of
every day service which to writer limited
to the English only, would seem the occa-
sional pomp of attire Of ideas.
The precedents of the historic cycles of
other literatures, as well as the signs of the
times in American society and letters, APP
pear to indicate that dramatic period is in
preparation, Indeed. phases apparently the
most contradictory confirm this impression.
Here group of novelists hold the photo
graphic plate up to nature-choosing for the
most, subjects that do not require the instan-
taneous process. Others search the darkest
recesses Of consciousness, to evoke in
single character the traits that conflict and
conspire in the plot Of the comedy or the
tragedy of which every mans soul is the
theatre-himself, alas. not always the man
ager. There are not lacking romancists who
juggle with the impossible, and connect it by
some magnetic current with the realities of
existence. Just now the public demands to
have Its problems recognized; its joys and
its sufferings depicted 1t likes dramatized
psychology, ethics clothed in fiction; most of
all-with curious mixture Of yearning for
sympathy and Of thirst for sensations-it
claims from an author the extreme portrayal
OF passion as he may understand it, no mat
ter at what cost. This desire has been met
by certain examples Of recent fiction-in
what manner, need not here be defined,
since the present review concerns itself only
with the beautiful work of Miss Grace King.
The passion which she depicts is powerful,
pure and unexaggerated; the characters are
mingled of virtues and faults, while from
none of these personages clean and honor
able mind need turn with loathing, but
rather will follow their fortunes with sincere
interest; the situations are dramatic and not
theatrical. This, the authors first novel, has
the maturity Of work of innate genius; of
genius, moreover, rich, sound and reliable In
quality, that will win new triumphs for its
possessor whenever she shall choose to exer-
else it. Monsieur Motto is romance which
any one of the most eminent novelists,
French or English, might well have been
proud to write-and then to read to his young
daughter. New York: A. c. Armstrong &
Co.. Portland: w. H. Stevens & Coz
EThe Argonauts of North Liberty. By Bret
Harte. There is always a certain interest |