New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-17
MIR. JAMEss CRITICISMS.
AN ADurRER OF ART FOR ARTS SAKE.
PARTIAL PORTRAITS. by HENRY JAMES i-"o
I'D AOS. Macmillan q co.

volume TO Mr.. Jtfmess FRENCH Ioc'o on" ~
ists' They are somewhat more genial tn'in .,,'
latter, and they are even more charming We
NAV quarrel with Mr.. James's fiction, but however
far we may be from agreeing with his meehou''
we must frankly recognize the beauty and subtiety
of his critical style and the thorough readaplehesS
of all his comments on his contemporaries. IN
this volume he covers wide range OF supJeo'',
There are papers on Emerson, George Eliot, Dahiei
Deronda {" Conversation'), Anthony Trollope'
Robert Louis Stevenson, Miss Woolson, Alphonse
Daudet. Guv de Maupassant, Ivan Turgenieh,
George du Maurier and The Art of Fiction. All
of them have been published before, but I'll OIL
them deserved to be published again. Mr.. James
is at his best in this kind Of composition Notn-
ing accords so well with his literary temperament
as work which is by turns analytic ana lniasn'"-
tive Synthesis is however, not at all in his llhe'
and this explains what many regard as d serious
defect in his novels. He loves to dlssecb MS
characters and no one could do it more brilliantly
and incisively. He examines them at all points
notes their pecuarities, uncovers their inosU h'''
den propensities. He cOuches his exposition III
fine and delicate humor sharpened by Ilooie ac,u
now and then; not cynicism exactly, but seh'iy
mordant irony which heightens the rellsh IL 10
all very refined wonderfully clever and workman
like, kind of literary cabnet-making Oh inc ucl'
est and most sltilful. But yet somehow wheh VIZ
draw off as one does from picture, to get the en-
semble there is all effect Of vagueness, OF inde1er
minateness, in the view.
There are men OF science, most useful invaluable
indeed in their departments, yet who never 90 DC
yond details They take some one branch ana ue-
vote themselves to it. They know 1t thoroughly
and they furnish information to synthetic scIeh-
tsts but they do not synthesize themselves. NO"
Mr. James resembles these departmental mVesVi-
gators not indeed closely or in many respects puv
in his defect Of synthetic power. NOBODY can tell
us more lucidly, infinitely or delightfully."- now GER
tain people live and move and have their oeihS
But when he undertakes to bring number of
these peope into definite relations, and to construct
from their interaction social drama, a certain
paralysis seems to seize hm-a failure IN capacity
for coordination appears-and after vast amount
of interesting analysis and preparation, the story
trails off into misty indstnctness, the sympathies
Of the reader are chilled and the book ends with
out being finished. Something of this limitation
is discernible in these admirably written papers
We do not know who among living writers, can
be named as even a good second to Mr.. James IN
this particular kind of composition Every SEN
tence he writes has an interest. All his ideas arc
we'll clothed and gracefully. His criticism IS
delicate subtle, and even at times has an appear
ance of depth This however, is one OF the TIL
umphs of his art. for sOdty and virilty OF be-
lief must not be sought for in these fascinating re-
views II the reader cares only for passing I'M
pressons he will derive much satisfaction from
Mr.. James's surveys. If, on the other hand, he
is of those who require to carry away from the
reading OF critical work some clear and distinct
views concerning that which is the subject OF
criticism he is apt to be disappointed IN the pres
ent case.
Daniel Deronda: A Conversation" is in point
Two ladies and a gentleman discuss the novel
They talk brilliantly, and all round the SUBJECT
The gentleman has trick Of saying: les
quite understand" and he able to take this
attitude toward every view advanced by his com
panions. Now, Mr. James himself not infrequently
reminds one of Constantine in the Conversation"
He is perpetualy saying: Yes, L quite under
stand" and he keeps on talking beautifully ana
brightly and filling us with sense of being
interested and benefited. But when he ceases to
talk and we try to gather his views under some
comprehensive head, they suddenly develop an
elusive property, and vanish in the void inane."
There is nevertheless rather curious illustration
in this volume of the tendency in multiplied
negatives to produce the effect of positives. 1t
is Mr. James's purpose to live up to the axiom
Art for Arts sake' fully as possible; to be
broad and catholic in his appreciation, without
undue regard to the limitations of Anglo-SaX0n
PhilistiDism In itself this is not an unworthy
aspiration yet it is not to be attained without en-
countering perls, and of these not the least
formidable have been affronted by Mr.. james in
his review of Guy de Maupassant This review
is almost entirely eulogistic, and because of the
strength of admiration expressed it constitutes
strking-we had almost said startng-com-
mentary on the axiom supposed to justify its
tenor. Guy de Maupassant. regarded from the
plane of unregenerate criticism, is perhaps the
most deliberately immoral writer who occupies
any position in letters. lie is leader of the
erotic cult. He holds that animal passion is the
principal spring Of human action. To this philos-
ophy he adds cyn.cism which has filled his novels
with Incorporating brutalitfes, and which has
created a gallery Of monStrosities in depravity,
manners and all sordid vices.
This is the French author chosen by Mr. James
for one Of his most apprecatIve and approbative
notices. He indeed frankly admits nearly every
thing that can be said against de MaupaSsant,
and such admission is unavoidable in any kind Of
a portrait, partial or otherwise, since to paint
this writer without putting in his salient char
acterlstics would be to miSrepresent him in
curably. Mr. James is not chargeabe with such
" prurent prudery." He takes his author as he
u.s. Cheerfully specifies his pecuarities, declines
to consider the moral aspects of the question, or
even to admit plainly that it has moral aspect
but proceeds to glorify de Maupassants art and
to imply most obviously, that high art may be
altogether independent of ethics His view seems
to be that from whatever plane the writer regards
life, he is only bound to present what he sees
and that to deserve fame and honor
it is only necessary that in the presentation of
his peculiar views, whatever they may be- he /
employs good style. This reminds one of Bishop
WarburOn's definition of heterodoxy and orho-
doxy. The RELATIVELY of art was surely never more
boldly declared. According to Alr. James there
IS criterion of taste morals but everybody's
particular view of life is entitled to precisely the
same resoect and even Observation-Disclosures nro- !