New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-05
BALZAC IN ENGLISH.
FOUR STORIES OF VARYING MERIT.

ALBERT sAvARUs. ny Honorc de Bs,ac. Trans Trans
lated by Katharine Prescott WOrmcley. l-mo'
PIP. 30l Boston: Roberts Brothers.
This volume contains not only Albert Savarns
but "Paz,7 or -" La Fansse Matressc,' and
Madame Finniani,' and the inclusion of the two
latter tales should have been indicated on the
title page The principal tale Albert Savarus.'
is one OF feminine treachery evolved from an
immature and fantastic passion, awakened I'M
consciously by the lcro who never knows that
ne loved but whose life is ruined by the vindicve
and unscrupulous yourg girl who bcsitates az
nothing 10 secure him for herself; only TO ina
in the end that her methods have overrrached
her, and that she has defniively lost him. \
girl Of nineteen who is capable Of violating the
mail, OF committing forgery 70 create preach
between two lovers, Of playing the spy and caves
droppcr Of running the lives Of people she does
not even know, is not an Agreeable parsonage.
Resale, in fact, il an odious little WRETCH an"
quite monster OF iniquity. But she IL by no
means one Of Balzac's masterpieces. Her bold
crminnlity strikes one as unnatural, and as having
false and hollow ring. Her character as hrst
presented docs not account for her conduct IL
would he too vcnturcsonc 10 say that such n
Young woman is impossible but her improbability
we take 10 he beyond dispute.
That girl brought up in the strictest seclu-
sion. in n remote provincial neighborhood should
on a sudden appear armed with all the au'iacity.
Onessc and craft that conld he gained from long
training in ill-dong is not credible Neither docs
hcrcditv help MS in explaining the abnormal phe-
nomcnon. And this is not the only unnatural
feature in the story Probability Is again vio-
lated in the ease with which Rosalic persuades
two old servants 10 become her sccompccs IN
~. 4 Lxt-. ,.fs tt,oet Gov
Rosalies course does not impress us greatly, he
cause IL has no affinity with the real. We feel
that the author has done himself wrong in trying
10 create a situation to which nothing seems 70
lead up At the beginning Rosalic is presented
AS an almost characteres1 schoolgirl, knowing
absolutely nothing OF life, never having read
romance Then, having merely heard Of Albert
Savarms and not having seen him, she plnngcs
into passion which evokcs in her capacities for
action and for evil action. worthy Of n mature
adventures of the totsine Bette order. THIS
is crude and clumsy and far below the average
work OF the author.
The love story Of Albert and his Neapoli'an
Duchess is much more skilfnllv conceived and
rcconntcd and this story would be nearly perfect
in lis way but for the dcnoucment The Duchess,
however dislusionizcs ne by her sudden marriage
10 stranger after twelve years Of correspondence
with her loyal friend and lover, Savarus: nor
is the impression Of her coarseness mitigated by
the knowledge that she was the victim OF Rosaic's
intrgnes and forgcrics. for had she really appre-
cated and understood the character OF Savarus
she could not have been 70 deceived. In the final
catastrophe Of Rosaic. moreover, there Is dcci'cd
awkwardncs II is far too melodramatIc and
far too realistic, and thus again falls below Bal
zacs standard "Paz" is Il much better piece OF
I.fo no "a tha
story of young Polish nobeman who makes
himself the factotum Of a friend between whom
and himself tie closest ties Of friendship exist
The friend marries. and Captain Paz discovers
that he has fallen in love with the bride. His
first step upon this discovery is 10 keep ont Of
her sight as much as possible. Finding after
a time that her curiosity about him Is reused
and fearing that il they are thrown together much
she NAV also come 10 care for him, he determines
20 render this impossible by pretending TO be in
fatuated with circus performer. and contrives
that this supposed infatuation shall he talked
about
Paz Is LOYAL to his friend Adam in the most i'm
prcssive and moving way. AMI what is. perhaps,
more curious, he succeeds in deccvng Clcmentine
s. completely that she takes an aversion 10 him.
and at length plainly expresses her wish that he
should leave the house. The whole conduct Of this
difficult situation is mastery and Captain Paz is
drawn with skill and snbtlcty Gcarcely 10 be sur
! passed The third story In the volume, Madame
| Frmiari" IS short but excellent In TN. we have
an illustration Of OF I'azacs prculiarics which
dispeascd Taire EHncwhor irrfdonalv The,
critic complains that Balzac often began his short
stories az deliberately as il he intended TO write n
| three volume novel, and that all this pomp of de-
tail proved TO be preface only to some brief cpl
/ en1a 60 for stafcm il frua ,ut hos
| Tame msjudgcs is in the deduction Bal2acs short
stories as rule impress the reader very wildly,
and remain in the memory and this is largely he
cause Of the elaborate intrOducticns and the wealth
OF detail which give life and verismilitude TO the
| whole.
| Madame Firmani" is quite a short story, but
| il frames a beautiful incident. noble woman, by
the force Of her own character, pcrsualcs a young
man whom she loves and has married 10 give up a
fortune inherited from his fath,r. ami which the
latter had acquired by iniquitous litigation The
incident is beautifully and most delioately mar.
rated and the reader i, made 70 know the he roine
more intimately In few pages than most people
know their nearest neighbors in years The trans-
laton is as usual with Miss Wormeley's work.
excellent, but the proofreader must have been nap-
ping when he allowed in Paz-) the family name
OF Count Adam to be spelt with final a. instead
Of an H. through the greater part OF The story
| JOHN GrLPfy's HOUSE