New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-26
AMERICAN LITERATURE.
WHAT AN ENGLISH CRITIC SAYS ABOUT IT

! FROM Inc NItlOndl IcN4cW llIOnuOn)
American literature begins with Walt Whit
man, and has as yet got 10 further" This is the
opinion of many people; there are others who do
not admit that It has even begun. If there De an
absurd cant, in country where King Can't rules
despotically, it is that OF the discrc1itns OF the
Americans in the matter Of their literature. They
nave no voice Of their own, their novels ana
poems derive from the more potent works or onr
own poets and romancSts" they have 10 critics,
| because literary criticism Is an arr tlal comes
| after, and not before, the formation OF u litcra-
ture, and so FORTH in varying degrees OF prejudice
| or Ignorance, or both combined; such Is what one
! commonly hears, and sees IN PRINT, even IN cHtl-
cal periodicals which should be above the Vul-
garitleS OF Literary parochIaiI5m IL does not
need a wide knowledge Of contemporary trans
! atlantic literature TO realize now potent are the
forces at work. how strong and original the intel
| lcctua Vitality, how sUpcrbly rich and complex
| the mental inheritance, among our distant kindred
oversee. or all the nations of Europe, the making
Of England-more even than mat of Greece or
| !taN-tcnded 10 the creation OF a Super-cnlncnt
intellectual power; but, to judge by like analoges,
! the making Of America is much more varied,
| complex, and potent even than that OF England,
| that literature of uncquallcd range and power
| ought ultimately to be the outcome. Bat II l.
not merely in contemporary literature that the
| and the unmistakablc signs OF one far richer the
| whole history of American literature since the
foundation of the Republic is charged with Wig
! 0fOus testimony. We do not require TO listen t.
Walt Whitman to hear the voice Of America 1t
! can be heard long before him: before Emerson,
and lhoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne: it can he
words even of 50 early chronicer Alexander
whitaker, one of the first of the godly Puritan min
! listers to settle in Her Maic>,y's own province
| lGl and author Of Good NcwcS from Virginia"
| have shut mp mamie things i'm few words, and
have alleged this only TO prove thot the finger Of
tod htth been the only true worker here: that
God first called MS hithcr, and mere God, by his
! special providence hath maintained Us Nay,
there Is ring Of the true >cniW.nS in the stirring
! vcss' ~ good Michael Drayto", who never even
saw the far land Of which he sings 50 enthusiast
| cally in his "Nirginian VOYAGE Whenever In
mct. the notc.O independence Of England makes
lisrl heard there are the first stirring utteranccs
TIE design Of the Library" the editors are
| careful 10 cNplain Is 10 AFFORD the reader gen.
crol view Of The course of American literature from
the outset. Made for Popular use and enjoyment.
tAr compilation has no rivals among the numerous
/ an'hoo-icS which have preceded it. II has n
| wc-luown standard "Cycloparda." with its
! plethora 81 uohodics and their "ctTusions" TtS
| aim, moreover, Is not primarily 20 be- cNhaustiyclv
! complete. hut 10 give what is literature. and.
| above all, what Is ot once good i'm quality, and
represent tive. W criticism is attempted. Authors
are represented with singular lilcrafv and readers
/ are lrii 10 form their 0Wn conclusions. So wise
/ has boon this libcrlity IN the matter Of space,
/ freely given wherever needed and So kccnlV dis
crlWinltIyc the taste and insight Of the editors,
/ knowledge Of D. cyoiltion, actual ACCOMPLISH
mont. and prospects 81 American literature, from
/ n c1reful T"ruS1l "i trc eleven volumes 81 the
! Library alone. ON tho whole. moreover there
| is no raluSayiug the wisdom Of the choice which
! declined the oncrous responsibility Of critical
! dlD'C \ work whose meet is in no insignificant
degree educational would lose much Of lis value
! i II clt little 10 the independent activity Of
! TIE minds of readers. TIL" intellectual apathy
which IS the result of habitual pcruspl IF the
| opinions Of others upon the books If mrn Of talent
and genius instead Of the energetic formation Of
one own TASTE 50 rs - rIucate ana control thoSH
! opinions Tor oneself, IS extremely harmful. We
are IN an arc Of primers and hanl-hooks Of books
upon books, and even Of booklets upon these eN-
! planatory books: and the omcns. 10 understanding
far ria Into l4pft fn1
| cm2Sculaton i the order OF the day: il may. in
good hap he hut vogue, reaction. n pregnant
! hut The SIGNS seem - indicate loss Of ihv'. Of
! nerve. of energy The theory Of cvmEas'irs in
/ tcrc7ts MS more than the practice. There should
! DO no complaints therefore. ttlt neither i'm tho
volumes OF the Library" nor I'm the ro-ficuIorIv
! serv.cr1b!" and welcome 8pprnIiN If suoci1ct
! biographies complied by Mr. Arthur Stclnar. ere
! there any critical estimates So one indeed
/ c'uld more S2i'lr have been entrusted with the
| delicate and difficult task than IN" author of
victorian Poets and Pocie &C America '-ialc
! them all in AL tie best hooks Of their kind in
! the language: but Mr.. +. e. Strlraan would him
| self b. the first ~ deprrcatc n complaiSart no.
ceptaucr OF his dlcta upon the whole rance and ac-
! compshmrnt Of American literature in all It's
1t is the literature Of the last fifty years that
! presents the HIGHEST accum pllshmcut OF creative
intellectual emery Three volume. are needed for
! anything Ike icIuat" representations OF Poe
! Emerson. louglcliow. BlucroN. Motley Nathaniel
/ Hawthorne. Russell Lowell and other di mn lore,
] Is.
! ciirl writings belong 90 the pplio1 cumDri,ed
/ brt'crn 1850 and l~o0. Tire, more Volumes
are required for c\cupliiclt.on of tie pro>r aad
verse OF thc mos. "..rn, period that iu1u2urated
! 10y the wa Ter tlc Union and thr subseI ucut
! abolition 81 slavery.
II j, altogether mpuctcablc to give here any
! just H'i u TIE r'u.c and power and prlnli,,
OF this Later literature. That there stand iortli
no s"'h cpmnau.Iua minis no SUCH great literary
artists, rs Emerson Edgar Allan Poe and
Nathaniel Hawthorne. j. uo proof that th, intel
Nalnv ol.s,patcd, THAT the tide has sgbSi:,d or NJ
cbhuS VITA NO promise Of return. or that t.c.
channels % lDrdlN expression are rhulcI m or
aie becoming lnrequcut and widely dispersed
There H. "a" energy. tumultuous uuder-currrnt
IN the lnielccth1 LIE Of America, which. il sud
Denly coIce tiaicd by pressure of fO.c.n menace
or civil strife, If long CONSTRUCTED by the dan
apathlcs Nnd hcwdering commonplace of n
national lie without high ideals viii tovv C,r,G
with ~ irresistible and overwhelming force n,
the loug-cnecndcrcd. longsimmcrine lava loolc
from the rent cundults Of n volcano
y lew years ago the promise Of q stirring Immcd.
ate future IN literature was ~ close an4 uupr,u-
diced observers. distinctly more marked il fLc
lnttcd Sidcs than in Great Britain. In rvcry
literary arr. save that Of criticism the younorr
men exhibited a readiness t. be indcrcn,nnt ar
convention, betrayed that heAbity toward n
new point of departure which Sointc- Bruyc in
dicatcs IS characteristic of the potent shirts Of
our epoch, which aSsurcIly alone tcsttics to original
and liberal motive power. But within the last few,
years. both III art and literature, there has been
among as = growing fcrmcnt The few first
fruits Of which have passed almost unnotcd but
on, of which strong and rcgercrativc influence
Is 10 grow rcI0cingly, and bc militant dominant
sovereign among rs, late interiors though WE be
Nevertheless. the new movement which is
rather Gcinablr rs the new spirit. is more gcner-
ally ana actively at work among onr cousin, Owe.
SEA than among ourselves. II Por's plea that
"a long poem is simply fiat contradiction
in terms be- acceptable then the contemporary
younger tranSatlntic poets are ahead of oilr own
as are. iagi-puiabiy, the short st0ry-Hrcrs over
their British confIclcs. Tho brcf lyric and the
quotrain arc cultivated with refined tast, and
skill. The quatraln hardly exists among us
ore or two lovely ana enduring examples of his |
poetic species i Is extraordinary what com
pcic and "iiHtHinG e1c'i can he pro laced by
quatan which iulfls in the highest decree the
requirements OF the form. go.
As for short stories which are works Of art as
well entertaining tales rare in our literature
as sprays Of white heather among LEAGUES of pur-
ME thesn arc 10 be fnunl in Arnnrinn nln.nst o..