New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-01
FRENCH WRITERS.
MR. JAMES on FLAUBERT AND TIE BROTH
ERS DE GONCOURT

Inc clet value OF Mt. James : new N"'""' va
essays and its note derived from its discus
sion of four French writers, Flauhcrt. Lott ana
the Brothers dc Goncourt Whether any of these
authors need TO be grated upon the sympaInies
of American readers is more than doubtful. That
the latter should understand them II they ap-
proach them even at distance is a matter OF no
doubt al all. and TO the furthcrancc OF that cna
no one can lend more assistance than can Mr..
James He is specially qualified as an Interpreter
Of Flaubert. for example: qualified both By his
fastidious taste which. if it did nothing else.
would guard him against conformation of his au-
thors grave defects, and by the character OF ms
critical method Consciously or unconsciously,
Mr. Jane. is disciple OF VI. Tainc. His general
views are flexible and broad, but the "pctits fats
d'nn vie, have the same fascination the same
illustrative significance for him that they had Tor
,h r,oncb historian The sOundncsS Of The
method. in capable hands. is proved by the vcri-
similtudc of his portraits. the justice ana charm
Of what lie himself would describe as his evoca-
tons
Mr.. James presents an authoritative image OF
FIaubcrt. who il, indeed, rather more susceptible
of analysis in the vein lie prefers than wouh orai-
narilv be- expected In the light Of his spiritual
content. and especially of tn" Correspondence
which is the occasion of his American critics
ce.ov flo GREAT styl,t does not loom mprcssivclY
upon the horizon of French literature. There -
tho greatest DISPARITY between his aim and the
substance of his performance He wanted II do
.he battle of Thcrmopylae" says Mr.. james. and
he found himself doing Ronvdm ct Pecuchc'
In other words. lie dreamed of cpcs, and yet,
through his hatred of the bourgeois. was impcileh
TO celebrate the latter There is the same curious
disproportion revealed in the development ol ms
STYLE "ICcst toujours lc phrase, ana tEongh inc
plan of Salammbo' is Grandosc. that, Ike all Ma
other works, lis perfection TO his etcfhdi
polishing Of it, smallest parts. II has not III"
grandeur Of n broadly executed work. liz l. one
Of the martyrs of literature: hut somehow Flau-
bert immohisait sur IN adicctf' is not mag
niiccnt spectacle, and the sacrifice is slow in TAX
ing hold of the imagination. " II Is only reader
here and there in all the wide world WHO under
stands to-day. or who ever understood. what Gus
fave Flanhcrt tried for and il j. only when such
q reader i also a writer. and tolcrably tor
mcnted one. that he particularly cares These
last words are significant They 60 % the bass
nj Flaubcrt's final message 10 his time, "A message
Of exclusively literary import. In 20 far ~ II
uttered any Of the inner >pccuations OF the frame"
Of the fortics his accent was indrtcrmina'c ana
futile Ii inspires no hope. l. conc rn"d WIN
none Of the nobor incentives To- cndnrilr"
philosophicaly Madame Hovaiv adds not Oh"
rurifvino mr. elcyaiinQ atom 10 tine moral fibre OF
tLe race What it dor, add 20 our possessions -
an extraordinary cNampl" OF unll"lnlHll'l w"iA-
uansbir: and il il the intellectual source" "i
such a treasure, - he finds them in Flaubcr', that
MFR James eIows most contagionsly "nthu-ii-tir
With somrthinc Of a professional satisfaction ~
repeats the wcll-worn Judgment tlat Flauhtt wa
essentially a writer's writer. ial1ac ana NUS
set were not ~ his measure. writers, says VII
lanes and BE- maintain, that, be II IN verse hr
il in prose. il j. only far a. they write tlat
authors live between tie two cai"g"ri'S he miArS
a fundamental distinction. No man has ever
been moro consistently and continuously pr"'r'u-
pied with the honor Of letters considered strictly
As such Literature and life were a single bn,i-
ness with liin, and after all III" nc9n'N' concur
.ions of his writings there remains tli" superb III
tcerity OF his literary ideal.
IL Will not b. said Of the writer lof III" Cor
rcspondcncc =" says Mr. James. That II" himself
never once speaks Of art: il viii b" said Of MN
with Il near approach 10 truth that l." almost
never once spcAks Of anything els" Ia bon-
ward ., Pccuchet he deal. with thu ""pic'r. hi-
favor,e aversion. but Ut least the very intensity
Of his adherence throws some light upon the
lof,iuc,s of his own STANDARD That standard was
Mfr James admits. Int they We're very few. ami
Shakespeare. Radicals. Montagnc, Boil'au. Goethe,
HUGO. Iccontc De- Isle. R"nan and Gauti"r ar"
olu,os, the ONLY ones named here. Mankind,
for him. was made up Of the three or four persons
Ivan Turccnicr in the number who perceived
what II. was irving for, and of th" innu'nerabl'
millions who didn't" His friend. VI. Maxine On
Camp. for example, belonged to the horde OF I'M
r.cenorate and despite friendship Flaubcrt scored
him mcrcilesey in the private letters 10 which Mr.
james, frequently returns.
In touching upon the publication Of Flaubcrts
correspondcnce Mr.. James dwclls approximately
upon the lattcrs familiar passion for sclf-ciiace-
ment but his more personal tOucistonc IL the taste
IN which we have alluded. II is extremely deli
cate. and serves him not only in the apprchcli-
sion of shades Of literary excellence, Of the tech
meal fclicities Of Flaubert but in IN" detection
Of the infclictics of his authors point OF view
Why. he asks, does Flaubcrt assault his cor
respondents with malodorous comparisons? The
bad smell Of the age the main thing he
knew il by Naturally, therefore, h" FOUND NE
a chose hileusc'7 The same refinement when
turns from the lowncs' OF Flaubcrt's outlook -
Justly offended by the mere pnblication oi ms
opstolary intinacies. il nnderlies also the ciap-
tcrs on les Goncourt.' Mr. James can never
forgive the brothers for their vulgar treatment
Of Saintc-B euvc. Nine de Pava and the Prin-
cess Mathildc Bonaparte. lie fills several pages
with consideration OF the motives which NAV
have prompted the publication 81 their now
famous Journal; il is plain that he dcpre'ate'
lis appearance at all. and. the disagre"aDle ii''
having been rccIloncd with at last, he discusses
from a ccnsorious point Of view. the tone o! anI-
madvcrsion by which it is chiefly distinguished
AZ critic Of intelligence, he naturally has more
confidence in the Saintc-lIeuvc Of the " tauser"'
than in the Saintc-Ecuvc Of the la't"rs de-
tractors and in referring 10 III" impression when
takes the larger hold of u.s. he says The
reason is that it belongs TO the finer part Of
/ saintc-Beuvc, whereas the picture from
the Goncourt gallery representing him, for IN
stance, as IA petit mcrcicr do provnc" Ell partie
fine deals only with his personal features" That
| is apt 10 be the way with picture from that
/ NJ is nowhere "A