New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RAMBLES IN BOOKLAND. BY w. Davenport
Adams. 16mO, PIP. 30. y. {. Armstrong

eAM hdahs IN lc nook p PAS s!a ~ w. %
The subtitle of this book is short Essays on Lit
erarv Subjects and certainly the so-callod essays
are short enough. Mr.. Adams has, In fact maze the
mistake of endeavoring TO cover too many SUBJECTS
The result is that he Is satisfactory upon hohc' MS
range is wide. lie processes to deal WIN Inc
Treatment Of Books" Initials "Bards ana inc
Bottle Popular History Amenities of Authors
.Tbc Reign of Romance cupid in Comedy"
pocket Books Personal Satire" The stage Hand
kerche7-n Maxms" Faust In England VIII IN
Quotation The Married Muse" and many othcr
sufficiently interesting subjects. But the truth IS
that there is hardly one of the topics INTRODUCED
which does not require at least ten times the space
here allowed to it, and while in the fragments wmch
omhodv prose or poetical quotations the superfciaty
NJ the treatment may make little difference to the
average reader on other matters the tendency OF
his method is to mislead. Take for example such
subject as Faust in England" Here no indication
is given of the German Of Marlowe's play,
while the prcposterOus statement Is advanced t"d'
Goethe was greatly, if not mainly indebted TO Mar
lowe for his own conception. Mr.. Adams appears
10 be unaware that Goethe in his boyhood was maze
familiar with this essentially Teutonc legend through
the puppet plays, which in Germany may DC sau
10 have occupied the place held by Punch III fnH
land The Faust literature, moreover Is VoIuh
mons in Germany, for perhaps no medaeVal Iesehu
has been exploited industriously and fully \
mere glance into schedules Klostcr' III WHICH COM
pilation all the Faust narratives are brous' !"
gcther, with the legends which preceded ana 1le cN
foliations which followed them, would nave SduS
fed Mr. Adams that Goethe had no hced 10 ,"
abroad for his inspiration. Besides it is well known
that Marlowe took the story directly from the l'"o
translation of Spess: and above all il IS necessary 10
realize that Goethe tied himself to no eEehudIF
form, but merely employed the latter to pofnlarlAe
a drama whose fundamental purpose was the Illus
tration Of human life. All the English FaustS ana
the Continental versions also, outside OF Gcrmahy'
arc distinctly modern. Another error III wmcn
Mr. Adams falls in this connection Is III
his estimate of the various TRANSACTIONS vi
GOethe's Faust" He puts llaywards before haN
, Taylor's which would We think scarcely DC uo'o
by any writer at familiar with the o"Shal anu
with these two versions II is tue that no translation
docs iustice TO Gocthe'S masterpiece, but Taylor ;
comes far nearer the ideal version than laywaNH :
indeed Ansties several particulars preferable TO
the latter. In the excellence of the notes ana COM
mentaries not one Of the English ran>ators has ap
prosched TAYLOR and for the of the student MS
work is to be recommended before any other
4 history of the Faust legend written with German
thorouChness would be welcome addition to English
literature and important also, since there Is no
legend the study of which throws 50 much hght upon
medieval supersttion habits of thought and religious
tendencies The early edition of Wdmann, for
example, shows the avidity with which the Protestant
spirit of Germany seized every occasion to denounce
and dscred Rome. The "maccal doctor Is there
made handle for the ferccs polemcS, every chapter
of his history having tackled on 10 it sort OF moral
called ernnerung7 reminded in which the theology
cal aspects of the are carefully emphasized. Eut
The roots Of the Faust legend strike down into the
dark ages. They have been traced back almost u
the sixth century, and it is not too much To say mat
whoever desires TO grasp the processes of religion
and intellectual development fully must master this
extensive and deeply interesting. though often ian
tastic and groeSQuc. literature. Mr. AdamSs indoen,
performance has led rs into somewhat Of DEPRESSION
here. but in showing how he has continued mot To
do it, particular, we have sufficiently Indicated
the character of his book whole. 1t is collection
of literary snippets. short there being just enough
on most Of the subjects to stimulate curiosity, ard
never sufficient 10 crafty H. There nav be readers
10 whom this kind Of literary hash appears Savory and
satisfying: if there be such must decline To express
the that their tribe in0reasc.