New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-07

ieNDl0ylnE
Their. is only trace left Of the literary sophisu
cation and convention which marx the Sto's y
predecessor. In his third production. Far From
tn. Madding Crowd" all the academia! elsine"''
aIsanpear. and there is nought within It's pages
but the hux and reiux Of almost paih'u''' ''''
human life The charm Of the authors genius
remains fortunately. and grows. indeed greater
and greater Bu; I, is unimpor;ant beside the
kernel q. his teaching.
Hardy IS empha;ically teacher, and 'hls n''
in any formal didactlc sense. but as ina hefa,
and Balzac and Shakespeare are teachers "'''
ing the mirror up to nature and clarifying inc
reflection through poetic Imagination unti! the
universal lesson emerges In majestic power i''e
author Of Tess has often been compared u '"'
Greek d-amatists. At first sight the compd''S'''
has doubtless struck many readers as so'He"''o'
far-fetched il is So difficult 20 detach 'he "'eeH
Spirit from the English environment II the -
sex tales But once the mere tacKgrNuh" VI
book ike Far From the Nadding crowd OF
The Navor u Casterb-idge" Is put in us proper
Mace ,h4 virtue of the seemingly hyperbocal
Judgment is discerned. II is not. as matter
II fact hvperholical at all Hardy really mas
the irnpersonal and impartial grip OF the classic
dramatists No writer ot his time has displayed
with more OF the reIos.- Of wisdom ana suehs'"
the workings of his chosen company OF chara'-
tiers He has g profound sincerity. 50 eloquent
and far-rea hing that admiration FOR 1t IL pos
s!blv in danger Of diveriing attention from MS
other interesting merits. He is one - the mas
tiers - lanlfcape in English literature yet con-
slider now his landscape. his rura! irasranc-s
AMI simpliciiies are drenched in the spiritual
air which surcharges all the strictly passionate
and human things 81 which the books are made.
Tyen in his lightrsi vein h. wraps the Wess>T
laudscape th- Wessex bloom In one aura with
the W.gsaY nature the Wessex woman OF man
Bathsheba Everiene in her rustic grace and
vitality is ntt-d unerringly into III scenes
through which her drama moves. SO also Is Ga
hrie oak or Boliwood. and while the reader
NAV pause - breathe the pure. delicious sweet
ness = the quiet English evening. or smile over
;he huuor In some episode ~ he market place.
- never wanders FAR from The fatality which
J--rvaies the Very fields and village streets
This fatality. this CULVER u the enc predes;lned
lie r u the ore selected group u lives which
runs through Mr.. Hsriy's novel. whichever IL
may happen . be nigh, seem 20 place him
ar-on6 tie pessinlsts. since u argues In nearly
every case bitter gloom. hu, 70 r.ach this est
mo,e u his genius IS equivalent t. t.shonorns
ne laws - lc, nscl' Il H. not Mr Hardy's
taste r. IS not his imagination. that has crowded
h.s Wessex WIFI spiritual wrecks and SCARED !,
with divine wrath lie lut tells what $ the
truth. and hls genius consists ~ setting down
that truth with lover ~ subtle a. II = original
The s'rane~st reproach ever hroush; against
writer has been the reproach o, lndc,icsry
brought against the author - Tess" and
jade" II. himself yves hint = the sou-ce
- the criticism wh~r 3" says I'm The latest pr-,
acc - Desperate r u-'i-S. with reference -
some slight que-tiors = editing A. - hap
pencil mat certain Characteristics which pro
,uA-a most discuss. ~ 10 ms la'~s, sio-, we're
present .n THIS my frs published 90 III wh-a
there Was No. French name for thcn-.i hs-
seemed h.-t p, joy them stand u1a!ter-t Ap-
rarrnfly to- French name" dil the mis- ch-s
But the repnoa~h g incpmpfehenslble just the
same ~ French novelist living could have
told ,he stories q "r~ss' or Jude" without
awakening dI-su=t ia th- r-s d~r's mind. and pos
slhiy il would 30 natural f.- some readers -
esst.rnr ih~r-frpn that DISCUS; belonged n
necessity to the certain characteristics " As
matter - fact the r,-at-r - Hardy's novel.
vii anl 80 much 'ni.iracy a. them ~ D. brings
O. hon himself The books ara really un-poti.g
i0r 'h.y arr written IN pi,f or the i,gridations
and mi-r,r'ur-- 81 mankind Mt IA cynical dis-
section . thorn r purg- the imagination
through terror and iD-that = admittedly -
aim OBJ, tnc highest '-aS-iy. and that = Hariy's
aim H~ achieves u 90 prosecuting The spectacle
= inexperienced natures caught in the mcshes
o, lif-. confused between the dictates II society
ard those - ih,ir inner convictions acting IN
the md attn 10 human grr u,n~n~ss that leave.
,h, -,-lt-- br,-,il.ss IN TIE prer,rce Il such
ir;cn-" realities 4s ni %" epic q Judes carer
- ls childish ?, tax o, inl-nracy. = motives
rnl oniy "a rntu sou, vii tank ~ ,hcm The
spectator ~ such A l-irna g. assisting IN -
solemn l~lEr~s~.on. De- Is got studying work
= literary arr The art Is there. ard the
literature. tut th- heart = humanity = t-eatins
through both. mo ta~ surr-tngs O., Jude enter
ini, tho thre o.. experience
lanc p~orle Nigh, have said q him" w-i,cs
'hc novelist d~cr;hirg JuIes emotions wien -
church. Win sue rear hy and his love r,r her
combining win the organ music - III, him
into rapture. "-.m- p.oil" might have sal. %
HIN that the atmosphere blow as distinctly
from cyprus - r. n Gtlii-. Hut m one Wa
there - tel him. no ono there - tell sue
and a. those two striving agoniz-d souls who
shall cas-, 'hc IRE; stone That = The thought
urpcrfnosi NJ ~ end - ihe long review - what
Thomas Harry has done with hts genius lie
has painted some exquisite picture. the org
and ye, incomplete .isi o, N, had ~ this arti-
Gle viii recall. innumcrahlc pages - pros- inter
penetrated With The iove'iness u poetry Hardy
has an exquisite vein u humor His style Ia So
lucid that the outlines u a character IN one Of
hi- books nre unmistakabie from f-st To- las,
IL ha- q r-serve force 30 - speak u irnagina-
ton. q Invention. which keeps the interest un-
diminished always though the pcrsoragcs in The
drama may - T., and their adventures unrc-
narkahlc Bur most = a. he has shown the
MI and 10 i-aau'v = human 40 -,,os, - al