New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-13
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CRITICAL ESSAYS BY WALTER PATER.

In many respects this is remarhapic 'oi"ine
OF criticism The opening essay Oh
STYLE is itself hne eNsmFe y.
STYLE and the theory it propounds is developed
and supported with subtle and cogent reasoning
Some Enclsh-spcaking readers may fail to under-
.,and why Mr. Pater should have drawn most ot
his illustrations from French writers; why ne
sbould dwell so mistakenly upon Flaubert as "a
,oas,er of stvle But Flauberts philosophy OF
style. though perhaps carried TO dangerous OK
tre,re, In the application, has Tor EnSlsh anu
American authors of the present day lessons "nlcn
H. is most desirable that they should learn. Inc
central principle IN Flauberts theory was as MI
Io.or nu,s il "The one word for the one thing,
the one thought amid the multitude OF "ofos'
terms that might Just do; the problem OF s'Nic
was thcrc-thc unique word, phrase sentence, para
pranh essay OF song absolutely proper 10 INC
SINGLE mental presentation or VISION "l,nih
Flaubcrt himself labored with enormous pains o'ei
lis work and with enduring aui Impressive re-
suits Other writers holding somewhat sniiai
theory. such as Stcudhsl, for example, have Inn
;,oa ,hor exnresson too much by the exclusion
Of decoratvc language. Now, as Mr. fater Says
hsartiful STYLE NAV exist without the many
n,iroc,, and removable beauties" which charm
us but by rejecting these ornaments wholly III
l. reduced 10 ausierity and while aus'crity may
command our respect, il can scarcely uehsio "'
The enact expression of the truth as 1t appears
"a the writer-the faithful recording oil DIS III
ner visOn-is he first necessity oil ar'Suc "ii'ns
To the true literary artist all surplusaee Is a'-
horrent. and because it intcrferes win STRUCTURE
which is the aim and er3 of all purposeful com
po>ition as Mr.. Pater observes. structure is thao
architectural conception Of work winch iore-
sees the end in the beginning and never loseS
sight of it. and in every part is conscious OF all
AaaC Inn
diminished vigor' unfold and justify the first.
,ccordinc 70 this canon, no bampering limitations
are imposed upon fhe writer. He must, indeed
strive IA be true to his own conception and 10
ds,elon H. artistically and symmetrically. but III
10 has resarI TO Conference and 10 harmony he may
cmnloy what aids and ornaments he pleases The
rule by no means interfercs with, but may
even prescribe much variety in the building OF the
sentence for instance OF in the manner argumen'a-
rive descriptive dscursive of this that part or
wember Of the entire design. The blithe, crisp
sentence. decisive as a child's expression OF us
needs NAV alternate with the longcontendlng,
VIGOROUSLY intricate sentence the SEN
tsnce born with the integrity of
single word, relieving the sort OF
sentence in which: If you loos closely. you can
see much cortrivance much adjustment, to bring
highly qualified matter into compass at one
view. But where, among modern writers OF
English. are such conscientious stylists to be
found ? The late Matthew Arnold and Mr. Pater
himself may be cited as illustrations, and per-
hans n few more might be discovered but the
literary weakness of the time is diffuseness. sur
plusase and this again is the visible manifesto
ton of inartistic ana confused conceptions 1t
would be difficult to bring forward any English
speaking writer who, in respect of disciplined
STYLE. could he compared with Flaubert. But
f,11n in far and a
few great English styliss have nothing of the
kind
Not that Mr. Pater asserts style TO be more
important than matter His argument admits of
no such misapprehension. The perfection OF
style is what might be termed chemical union
of thought and its vehicle; such an identihca-
ton of the thinker with his expression as is i'm
Piled in the saying" The style is the man.
But good art in literature is not necessarily
great art for The distinction between the two
depends not ON form but on. matter " 1t is on the
quality Of the matter il informs or controls, It's
compass its variety its alliance 10 great ends,
or the depth Of the note of revolt. or the large
ness of hope in it, that the greatness Of literary
art depends, as The Divine Comedy Paradise
Lost Les Mserables,' The English Bible are
great art. Given the conditions l have tried 10
explain as constituting good art then. if it be
devoted further TO the increase Of mems happi-
ness. 70 the redemption Of the oppressed or the
enlargement Of our sympathes with each other,
or TO suoh prcsentment Of new old truth about
ourselves and our relation TO the world rs may
cnnoble and fortify us in our sojourn here, or
immediately. as with Dante. 10 the glory OF God.
IL will be also great art: II. over and above those
qualities I summed up as mind and soul-that
color and mystic perfume. and that reasonable
structure il has something of the soul of hui
manity in il. and finds its logical, its archi-
tectuIAl place in the great structure Of human
life The whole essay is admirable for breadth.
depth. and beauty of expression. and it should be
read more than once. Such dehverance Is
distinctly uplifting in tendency.
The critical papers which follow are upon
Wordsworth, Coleridge, Charles Lamb, Sir Thomas
browne. Loves Labors Lost" Measure for
Measure" Shakespeare's English Kings, Aesthetic
Poetry and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The critique
on Wordsworth is sympathetic, delicate, but more
laudatory than seems warranted. Mr. Pater ad-
n1ts that Wordsworth wrote great deal Of
rubbish and regrets that the poet did not himself
purge away that alien element" OF the resi-
due after such process he says How perfect
would have been the little treasury, Shut between
the covers of how thin a book. That the book
would have been thin agree with Mr.. Prater.
but We do not find even in Wordsworths golden
pieces" the divine virtues ascribed to them-read
into them, one is tempted to say-in tins per-
suasiye paper The essay on Coeridge IS, we
think, far ulster and truer in its conclusions.
The appreciation Of Charles Lamb is likely
TO be thought one Of the most interesting In
Mr. Pater's volume. Certainly it is marked by
clear insight and the fine judgment which is SO
greatly helped by spiritual accord. No critic has
better measured the latent pathos, which, en-
gendered in sensitive nature by domestic tragedy.
lends an additional and subtle charm TO Lambs
writings, and above all invests them with a
certain nobility approaching at times to austerity.
In the paper Sir Thomas Browne we find some
what less of sympathy and do not feel quite sure
Ill al..tia l.a.S