New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-30
COLERIDGE AND LAMB.
AN EFFORT TO MAKE BIOGRAPHY RO-
MANTIC.

THE DAYS OF LAME AND ,CoIERIpGE. 4
Historical Romance. BY Alice f. Lord Up. VIZ
379 Henry Holt Co.
Though the author calls this book a historical
romance. she has kept too close to the historical
side of her theme to make it romantic. Such a
work might well have allowed some daring specuia
ton curious problems in human nature. If one
must mention the insanity in Lambs family and
his craving for spirits and tobacco. or Co.erlges
fondness for opium and brandy it surely cannot be
wrong to go a little further and speculate on the
causes and effects OF these pecuaries in the lives
OF the two men. a little science here would be just
the basis upon which 10 build an attractive. even
though fanciful. superstruCture. Did the small
quantity Of liquor that Lamb could carry without
falling under the burden affect him as seriously as
his conscience seemed TO Indicate? OF course, the
moral quality Of his conduct is not in dispute. In
the case of Co.eridge. opium has been blamed for
much that certain to follow such a childhood
and youth as were his In both Lamb and Coleridge
the proneness to selftormcnt constitutes an in
terestng subject for the pen Of the romantic es-
sayist which need be hampered only by facts OF
human nature in genera. not by the few known in
the case Of given individuals. Il is here that
tempatve genius makes its approach so near 10
madness that 1t Is difficult to distinguish between
the vagaries of the two. Those utterances of Cole
ridge In which he most bitterly complains of neg
lect, certainly have 'algedonc" ring in them.
a sound Of both pleasure and pain. H. takes de-
light in his misery. In framing excuses for himself.
in making out his sinner wholly different
from that of all others. In bemoaning himself at the
very moment when he is evading the OF his
best friends to get the drug which he loves and
oa,hes in the same breath. 1t IS TO be imagined
that a romancer might show very easily how opium
in this matter only assisted Nature who always
strives rid herself OF the abnormal. Fortunately
for Colerlge and for the world. Nature was foiled
for threescore years.
Then. as a romancer. the author OF this book Nigh,
have made more than she has done of the youthful
love affairs of both Lamb and Coerdge. The
episode Of Colerdges Mary Evans and OF Lambs
Alice are true themes for the fancy. since much
has been left the ina gination. and what is given
us Is so bitterly real. love passage that cost
Lamb six weeks in a madhouse must have been
affair to mark his whole life. Indeed. his life Is
one long confession of 1t. And that painful outburst
of Coleridge his last meeting with Mary Evans
significant in his youthful than
the author Of this book would make IT, The ques-
ton for the romancer is not exclusively whether the
girl was prosaic and destined to commonplace
istence in after years. but also what she
In the dreams Of the young scholar and
poet whom she seems to have bitterly disap-
pointed. These incidents far more effective
upon the minds of these two Of genius than
their historic environment. To Lamb. who from his
youth up lived wholly in the past far his in
teect concerned apart from his daily routine.
the state of Europe and the progress of democracy
external affairs upon Coleridge also may easily be-
exaggerated. His life and his fragnentary writings
be made to show plausbly that he was sure TO
get back TO conservatism and the national Church
as people ceased to bar the way In the other
direction and stopped calling him hereto. As
long they did these things his self-tormentng dis
position sure to respond by an impusivc though
perhaps futile reaction.
Historically the book portrays not merely Lamb
and Coerdge, but less wildly the figures
OF English literature with whom they came in con-
tact from the veteran and l-tempercd Rogers to
the youthful and tempcre1 Carlyle. The cscapades
/ Of Byron. the mserlcs Of the Shelley family. and
the petty social ambitions Of Tom Moore all find
a place here The romance consists mainly in
versation and description which link together the
items OF history known TO others. There is clever
though too cautious. characterization in those pas
( sages which specifically the authors own. But
when she passed from history TO historical romance
she should have burned her bridges and left some Of
the impedmenta Of facts TO those who still re-
manned the field of legitimate history ana bios-
raphy.