The morning call., 1893-03-05
NOVELIST BOURGET
Leader of Young French
Writers.
SOME OF HIS GREAT WORKS.
An Author Who Is Familiar With the
Ways of the Modern Aristoc-
racy of Paris.
Correspondence of THE MoRxrSe CALL.

Correspondence OF THE MoRSISe CALL.
Paul Bourgeois last two novels have at
tracted perhaps more attention than the
Others because of their subjects. LA Terre
Promise" treats Of child's right or the
parents responsibility, while "Cosnopolis"
refers to those worldllngs who are seen in
winter at Cairo, Cannes or Nice, in summer
at AK les Bains or Trouville. Never has the
novelist analyzed the emotions Of the hu-
man heart in more delicate cruel manner.
Until the present time society novels
have been, to some extent, despised in
France, perhaps because they were weak
and untrue. Now, however, literature has
crossed the barrier, and the novel borrows
from the fashionable world its types and its
framework. Under the empire Prosper
Merimee and Octave Feuillet were the
novelists in favor; but when they dis
appeared the school of realism looked for
its models in a lower stratum of society,
and new barrier was raised between itera-
ture and fashion. Authors and people in
society seemed TO be eternally divorced; only
popular novels were demanded-nOyels de-
scrlbiug the lower classes-and as a monu-
ment of this century end" Znla erected his
colossal 'ROugon- Macquart." Emile lola
only looks for poverty, misery ana vice; he
paints the workman, the miner, the peas
ant the clerk, but he never crosses The
threshold of the aristocrat. Now the gems
du metier have entered society in order to
describe il with trGthfulness. Faithful
mirrors of complex society, Bour-
gets works will not be forgotten.
Like Guy de Maupassant. he writes
for the future historians Of society
in this age. Perhaps, of the two, BOurget
is the more exact; his novels demonstrate
more fully that love is an invincible master,
for he gives love so great place in the life
of bellies mondanes. Society nOvelists are
very rare. and by society nOveists l mean
talented authors who write of society, not
men and women OF the world who dabble
In literature. And among society n0velists
the greatest In France are Bourget and
Maupassant. for these two have placed the
society novel on its proper foundation, or,
rather elevated 1t 10 its proper position.
Various men of note. men of talent, have
vainly essayed to do what has been done
by BOurget and De Maupassant. Henri Ra-
buss0n. Hervieu, Robert de Bonnieres, these
three have succeeded in relating story in
| most agreeable manner, but their works
| lack the passion necessary to make them
| Immortal. LudOyic Halevy'S "ADbe Con-
stauiin," blanche Couronne" and 'Prin-
cesse" sink into inSignihcanee be-
side the splendOr of Bourgeois works
| BOurget does not allow himself to belong
| to any group-he has made for himself a
place apart from other writer's. In spite OF
"Ls Disciple" "Crime glamour" aud
"Ceur de Femme" "Mens0nges" remains
| Bourgeois masterpiece, but when this work
appeared the poor author was overwhelmed
| with criticism. Every critic is obliged to
| confess that one chapter OF "Mensonges,"
lie plus heureuX des quartre, shows BOur-
| get in a state OF perfection seldom attained
| by any novelist. Minute by minute ne
studies the state OF Baron DeSfOrges MIND,
| and 1t would be i'm possible TO anaiyze more
| minutely the human soul. 1t Is wrong TO
| say that Bourget is simply critic, simply
! dilettaDte, for he Is creator, an original
| writer.
Twelve years ago Paul Bourgeois name
was unknown, and. In reality, SIX or seven
\ years have been sufficient to give him the
| high position he now holds in the literary
world. The young recognize in Bourget.
| master, and those OF grayer years admire
| him, because he makes them reflect, because
| he encourages their pessimism.
He is the preferred writer of women, for
they all understand him-those who love
and those who suffer; those who are
| romantic, because he speaks OF love; those
! who are pedantic, because he treats human
| passion in scientific manner. The word
| romantic certainly applies to this fsshlona-
| bic novelist. whose slightest act becomes a
matter Of interest to the thousands of peO-
| pie who read his works with eagerness.
! Paul BOurget himself realizes that In
! literature he Is two distinct persons. the
! savant and the novelist At first he was
| considered more savant than artistic, and
| his essays on contemporaneOus "PsychOl-
! Ogy" were thought far superior to any of
| his novels. In these ESSAYS he cTiticizes
| freely the works of his cnnfreres and poses
| as dllettante rather than novelist But
! when appeared "MensongeS," then even
the sternest critics were obliged to say:
! Unto us is born novelist, and his name
will rank among the greatest"
| Without sacrificing his dignity as an
| artist, Paul Bourget has always tried to
| please both women of the world and the
| most refined dilettsnti and. in this way, he
| has not only had success but enduring
| glory. To please women, Bourget has
| adopted the method of II professor: for
them he is Dlaintive, for them he accuses
| fate, for them he processes alteration of
! their toiettes, of the bibelOts with which
| they surround themselves. of the objects
| that crafty their tastes. Paul Bourget has
| decided ideas about house decoration: he
| knows how dinner should be served. the
| last fashion in card-eases and watches,
| he is thoroughly acquainted with the code
| Of pOliteness and most attentive to the
| slightest details of etiquette,
| To please real cOnnOisseurs he has given
| all the treasures Of lis intelligence, proved
| that he loves philosophical literature, shown
! great skill in analyZing human nature, and
| Is by some called new Stendhal. Bour-
| get could have invented cosmopolitan life,
| for he is much beloved in Italy, England
:. and Scotland. AS a conyer satonalst he is
very fascinating, both in speech and gesture.
| Some three years ago BOurget married Mile.
Minnie David. daughter of an Antwerp
| shipbroker, a young girl with talent
sufficient 10 appreciate that of her romantic
| husband.
Although Monsieur and Madame Bourget
| travel extensively, they have a home in Rue
| Madame, one of the old streets of the Latin
| quarter, near the 0deou Theater There,
| in the wing of an old-fashioned house, a
| spiral staircase leads to n vestihule, and this
| vestibule opens into study. severe in fur
| nishing. solemn in aspect. Here Bourget
| wrote his essays. portiere separates the
| study from a room entirely different in
character; a room, enlivened by bibelots
| and portraits of Goethe and Guy de Maui
| passant In this cheerful place Bourget has
written many Of his novels and here he
finished "C9ur de Femme" one of his
| great successes.
| When "C@ur de Femme" was published
as serial in Figaro, the author was asked
! continually by women, Tell ME, hnw will
this tragedy finish? What will be the end
of that poor woman?" And Bourget
answered to himself, Probably, madame,
| as II would finish for YOU" This skilled
! analyst well knows what he is doing.
! He Is very careful never TO seek an
extraordinary situation, an impossible n.y.
| pothesis. He confines himself 10 scenes of
! ordinary life. so that each one Is capable of
| forming personal opinion on the subject
! Paul Bourget has now gone to the south of
! France, where he will finish a novel, "Trois
| Ames d d'ArtisteS," to be published as
| serial in new paper called LIE Journal.
| BARONESS ALTHEA SALVADOR
I III Ion