New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-01

defect is that he had vertically but one idea he
never got beyond the superstition that real liter
arv greatness is TO bewlder the bourgeois"
Mr. James presents the brothers DE Goncourt
rs writing in similar key, but he is not piii'
IN their merits any more than he is to their lauI's'
and he concludes with q generous charac'eriHa-
ton Of their nrccisc ard interesting literary style
II i. this principally, which gives them t'eir
nosition-ond here We come back TO another sue Oh
the proposition made in reference To fia'''r'' "
we come back to il still another side III speaN,
ing OF Pierre Lott. or Flauoert, IL may w '''u
that he is writer's writer in the stric'es' ''n'o
Neither of the brothers De Goncourt was 'i'''
nor could the title be given 70 Lou. Inc GNU"
oroun an tlic other hSld. is above all group
az literary phenomena. Aside from inc Na"'l'''@
music Of the sca which runs through LOUIS hi''''
work there il moro that is morbid IN III" Wii''''s
Of the four authors whom Mr. james na' ~
viewed more that is destructive oi ,'o w
qualities than there is OF stimulus OF u'iis".
what Mr. James has to ray about th'hl II !" "
turn described delightful ana s'im"a''''S'
10 for very simple reasons They are interesting IN
their literary way, from the point OF vie" Vi '"o
man OF letters. and Mr.. James, who has an en-
,husi.sr for Thorn is an uncommony entertaining
writer.
Pertaining, and that is one reason why Ills no"
,o,rmo has more interest than usually attaches
10 Il collection of magazine articles. lie II WY
ohscrvant and very sympathetic He shares inc
horror with which he has credited Flanbcrt' inc
horror of tho stcrcotyped phrase; ana THIS mas
cultivated in him an occasional tendency W
forced. nigsling touches Of style. w''ch obscure
the sense But on the whole, he Is az poih'euiy
eypressiyc AS he il shrcwily aware OF what IL
Going on before him, and his essays are luli OIL
revealing lines. Sometimes the humor i'll ""i.i'
he is not ut all rich will shape ITSELF INTO 'hc
crisp outlines of an epigram. II Il @leVeriy Sa'u
of the notes by which social London Maihta'hs
communication through its hurrying ranks 'ha'
they have nothing but postage stamp III conf
mon with the epistoary art The paper on the
British capital is not Of sufficient importance u
have been given the first place in the DOOR, out
il is worth preservation as a graphic account OF
what the sum total of life in London means to
devoted resident Of the town. Mr.. james Is
nothing if not graphic after a minute ana closely
analytic fashion Of his own. His picture Oh
Lowell i. an excellent prcsentment, within ncces-
sarily narrow boundaries of that authors oc''
traits and the full length Of Mrs. kemble is en-
tircly charming.
The studics in the booklet called Picture and
Text" which deals with four or five artistic
figures. are all miniatures. They sketch III niue
the characteristics and careers of Mr.. Abbey, some
other black -and-whitc artists, and Mr. Jolh
Sargent II is not necessary 10 take them very
.criously for there is moro psychology thah ar'
in their criticism. Mr.. James misses altogether
the most important point in Mr.. Remnants work.
IFS uncommon strength and purity of lire. Oh
that. a technical mattor he does not say any
,hinx on the other hand, he very skifuliy de-
tacAc. the point OF view OF his various sters, ana
has made u series Of vignettcs which, without
having any permanent value, are u'efui ana
amusing.