Omaha daily bee., 1890-11-30
LITERARY TOPICS.

A new book by Sir Walter Scott is phe-
nomenal literary sensation. The private
journal of the great poet and novelist cover
ing the last seven years of his life, is now
first published from the original manuscript.
Manifestly the reason for so long a delay in
the publication of a book that the world would
have welcomed at any time is found in the
nature of its contents. 1t deals frankly
with many of his contemporaries
and with names that have but recently
passed away, and could not pr opcrly see
print until the last of those mentioned in it's
pages had gone to join Scott in the ranks of
the silent majority.
The work is full of gossipy details of the
pleasant home life of the author, of his little
trips about the country and abroad. of his
meetings with famous contemporaries and of
their convers atoms. Byron, Campbell Tom
Moore, Sheridan and others pass in review
as Scott saw them in the last days of his life.
We have charming descriptions of them, in
which the author seeks mainly to exhibit their
good points and show that they were as
agreeable fellows as great writers. But it is
the record of Scott's own life that is chiefly
interesting. Here, for instance, is glimpse
of his literary methods
February l2.-Having ended the second
volume of w oodstock' last night, / have to
begin the third this morning. Now 1 have
not the slightest idea how the story is to be
wound up to a catastrophe. am just in the
same case as | used to be when l lost myself
in former days in some country to which L
was stranger. l always pushed for the
pleasantcst road, and either. found or made
it the nearest. 1t is the same in
writing. l never could lay down
plan-or, having laid it down, l
never could adhere to it; the action of compo-
sition always diluted some passages and
abridged or omitted others and personages
were rendered important or insignificant no t
according to their agency in the original con-
ceptOn of the plan, but according to the sue
Nvh hi..h hln 70
bring them out L only trled to make that
which | was actually writing niverting and
interesting leaving the rest to fate. l have
been often amused with the critics
ticularly laborcd, when the pen
passed over the whole as fast as it
could move, and the eye never again saw
them except in proof. Verse | write twice
and sometimes three times over 1t is a
perilous style, grant, but cannot help it.
When | chain my mind to ideas which are
purely imaginative-for argument is differ
ent thing-it seems to me that the sun leaves
the landscape, that think away the whole
viVacity and spirit of my original conception,
and that the results are cold, tame anG spirit
less 1t is the differenc &C between the written
Grafton and one burstin & from the unpremedi-
tated eXertions of the speaker, which have
always something of the air of enthusias IN
and inspiration. Iwould not have young
authors initiate my carelessness, however"
1nthis extract from letter OfhiS published,
James Balantyne shows how light an esti-
mate Scott placed on his own work:
''Sir Walter at all times labored under the
strangest delusion as to the merits of his own
works. On this score he was not only mac
cessible to compliments but even insensible
to the truth; in fact at all times he hated TO
talk of any of his productions; as, for in
stance, he greatly preferred Mr.. Shelley's
'Frankenstein' to any of his own romances.
remember one day, when Mr., Erskne and l
were dining with him, either Immediately be-
fore or Immediately after the publication of
one Of the best of the latter, and were giving
1t the high praise we thought ii deserved, he
asked us abruptly whether we had read
'E'ranlensteIn.' We answered that we had
not. 'Ah,' he said, have patience, read
Fran kenstein,n and you will be better abl o
toiudgeof-.' You will easily Judge of the
disappointment thus prepared for US. When
l Ventured, as sometimes did, to press him
on the score OF the reputation he had gained,
he merely asked, as il he determined TO be
done with the discussion, why, what is
the value or areputation which probab bly, will
not last above one or two generationsr One
morning recollect went into his library,
shortly after the publication of the Lady of
the Lake" and finding Miss Scott there, VINO
was then very young girl, / asked her,
We'll, Miss Sophia, how do You like the
LADY of the Lake" with which everybody
Is SO much enchantedP Her answer was,
with affecting simplicity, 'Oh, l have not
read it. Papa says there's nothing so bad
And yet, such was ScOtt's thrift that he
wrote review of one OF his own works and
compared Its mysterious author'' to Shakes
pearel
An interesting passage Is that in which he
discusses his views of God and the hereafter
In devout and eloquent strain. The pathos
in the volume is reached when he comes to
deal with the question Of his bankruptcy,
ana the brave attempts TO eXtricate himself
from his debts, This was the end of the
memorable experiment of his attempt to be
the publisher of his own works, and IL
brought his life to a close in disappont-
ment. The book is one of those
rare and charming works which
Is not so much the product as the incident of
lilo OF genius, aud il will be laid away in
the corner of the book case reserved for the
most precious volumes.
The Harpers publish "The Journal OF Sir
Walter Scott in this country
The Christmas issue of 1.-The Cosmopolitan
Magazine' contains a unique feature never
pefore attempted by any magazine, consist
ingof4 l25 cartoo MS from the brush OF Dan