New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-17
LITERATURE OF THE PAST.
aossE on THE EIGHrEENTH CENTURY. \

VURE (f0OO-1IbUl. by tNutuho NSsSN, 49, -
ismo m yi.i-4iS. Macmillan q CO.
whoever writes tho history of . century must
ind his material dropping almost automatically
into periods and the actors arranging them
selves into groups. This has happened to Mr..
Gosse in preparing Ills @History Of Eighteenth
!. CANARY Idteratures though in his preface he
shows plainly enough that he was aware Of and
on his gusrd against, the tendency. In actual
fife no such symmetrical arrangements occur, ana
IL follows that to introduce them in history is to
create an Illusion and to develop errOne Gus ideas
concerning causality; but, since it is extremely
difficult to paint an effective picture, without de-
serr;ne to the rules of composition more or less,
few writers are able to withstand the tamptason
90 substitute arifcisIly ordered combinations and
sequences for the often apparently haphazard and
inconseque initial progress of actual events. Nor
can there be any doubt that Mr.. Gosse has made
a more interesting II in some respects less
trustworthy volume by the method adopt
ed than he would have been likely TO
accomplish on more strictly reahstc
and scientific plan. His history OF eighteenth
century literature is moreover really in part his
tory Of seventeenth century literature also, for it
covers forty years of the latter and eighty OF the
former century. Necessarily it proceeds upon sew
eral lines There is the history Of poetry, that OF
the DRAMA and that of prose literature, to be con-
sidered and these branches do not follow identical
courses by any means.
The work is divided into twelve chapters, the
captions of which indicate broadly the mode OF
treatment. These are Poetry after the Restora-
ton Drama after the Restoration; Prose after the
Restoration; Pope Swift and the Deists; Defoe
and the Essayists the Dawn of Naturalism in
Poetry: the Novelists; johnson and the Philoso-
H. Deaf Of he naaadeucp the Prose OF
the Decadence; Conclusion Mr.. Gosse separates
the literature Of the 120 years covered by his
studies into these nearly equal periods. Each
of these he says, " is dominated by one figure OF
far greater intellectual prestige than any other Of
the same period. No one will question that the
first of these is the generation of Dryden, nor the
last that of johnson. 1t may not, perhaps, be
ouite so readily conceded that the age of Anne
Law under the tyranny of Swift Il will, how
ever, be found, think, upon close examination
that neither Pope nor Addison has an equal claim
to be considered the centre Of the action or the
hero of the story Some may demur to the al
legged supremacy Of johnson during the third
period, even more than to that OF Swift during
the reign of Anne. for Johnson's sovereignty was
maintained, not by any special influence produced
nv his writings, but by his oral criticisms and
judgments and, though Boswell made these part
of the common stock OF information, it is perhaps
too readily assumed that during JohnSon's life
time they had proportionate circulation ana all
the weight commonly ascribed to them. y lhe tact
that Johnson's style and mannerisms were adopted
nv none Of the great writer's Of his period renders
Il the more doubtful whether it is correct to as
sign him the position OF leadership. OF his
cminence there can be no question, but there may
be much concerning his critical strength; and' IN
writing OF his y Lives Of the Poets" MF. Gosse
observe that though charming companion IL
is one of the worst Of guides. johnson was COM
wtent critic only within a certain sharply denned
arooye.r Precisely; yet it is mainly upon his
cst,c,sr, that the claim for his leadership rests
Mr.. Gosse himself would be the last to put it
unop his writings. The Rambler" as we know
noy ,sas much more praised than read. The pub
fisher complained that the encouragement as TO
raies was not in proportion TO the raptures eA-
dressed by the few that did read itS The truth
a. that Boswell has done so much for Jonnsons
fame as to impress his figure almost overwhein-
iuaiy upon his successors, and to create an ex-
aererated idea Of the view taken OF him by ms
contemporaries
Mr. Gosse deyotes some space to o Vindication
of the prince of biegraphers, and certainly TINS
"a a deserving work well done. Z" 1t is peevish''
he saws to refuse credit to those who DO things
admirably well, because there is something incom-
prehensible in their capacity. Those who think
James Boswell was vain and shallow coxcom5
of mediocre abilities, without intellectual glits
Of any eminence, are confronted by the fact that
tbis supposed fool was the unaided author of two
Of the most graphic and readable works which
the eighteenth century has left us. 1t is right
that Boswell's claim TO q high independent place
In literature should be vindicated and thu fact
Is that after Burke and Goldsmith, he is by Tar
che most considerable Of the literary COMPANIONS
OF johnson. That he has risen into fame on inc
shoulders Of that great man is true, but the fact
has been insisted upon until his own genuine
and peculiar merits have been most unduly over
looked This is high praise but it strikes us
rs no more than just 1t Is indeed unreasonable
and even absurd to maintain that the empty
headed follower Boswell has been commonly rep
resented to be could have written Work which,
es Mr.. Gosse observes. has been placed by the
universal verdict Of manknas among the five
d, six most interesting and stimulating of the
&orld's books He Is quite within tho mark
too, in asserting that there has never been since,
and there probably never will be, seen literary
portrait so rich so wellpr0portioned, so detailed
johnson lives in BoswelIs pages, and lives st fun
Length fl1 "H SIDE
The FIRST three chapters Of the book deal with
The poets dramat3sts, and prose writers OF tic
Restoration: Mr.. Gosse holds that John Dryden
at this period stood between English poetry and
stagnation He considers Dryden as the greatest
poet In English literature between Milton ana
WORDSWORTH At the same time he evidently
does not bold him to be q really first-rate poet.
To Waller be owed the distieh, which he made q
more powerful instrument than his teacher could
do. or course we all know what Mr. Gossc thinks
Of Waller, ard that he has not large following
In that opinion. He was the poet who restored
Chaucer's ccuplet he was the eorypheus of this
long procession Of the commonplace he was in
great measure the founder OF eighteenth century
poetry. Few besides Mr.. Gosse are prepared TO
accept this view OF Waller, and many are pre-
pared to contend that in the matter Of the dis
tich several Of Walters contemporaries employed