New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-05

HENRY JAMES'S NEW BOOK.

EMBARRAssMENTs. BY Henry James. 12mo.
Macmillan K co.
BRIsEIs BY William Black. l2mo. Harper &
Brothers.
WHEN vALMOND CAME TO PONTIAC BY
Gilbert Parker l6mo. Stowe & Kimball
HIS HONOR AND \ LADY BY Mrs Everard
Cotes Sara Jeanette Duncan. l2mo d. Apple
ton & Co
THE VALLEY OF TopHET; By Henry W. Nevin-
son l6mo. Henry Holt K Co
Mr.. Henry James has produced more clever
and subtle than is TO be found in his latest VOL
ume which he issues under the vague title Embar-
easements" There are four stories between the COW
ers entitled respectively, Tho Figure in the Car
pet" Glasses" The Next Time and The way Il
Came" ALL we believe. have seen the light III
periodicals during the last twelve months; but Mr..
James is distinctly not author TO be READ IN
magazines one should be able to take as much or as
little OF him as one likes. Applying this rule to the
present volume the quality Will depend very iarses
on how well likes James. We DOUBT II IL "ou.'
be prudent to put OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES IN the h'uius
OF any one who had read, for Instance. The
American or THE Tragic Muse for liking Il
these last stories implies r knowledge Of what the
author is able to do when he IS in. more natural
and less subtle mood
To nut the matter differently, 1t may be said that
"Fmbarrassmerts' Is the exaggeration or one OF MI
James's characteristics defects-of his tendency to
excessive retrospectlor. to the over-compcatoi OF
simple matters to an almost vicious prediction fo'
STYLE as the beginning and the end of the art OF i"
ters "Embarrassnents Is as perfect an instance as
can bo imagined Of the tyranny OF sheer ceVeiheSs
Witness TO be specific. the theme OF the STUDY caeu
..rhe Figure in the Carpet" gentleman by the
name OF Hugh Nereker Is the author OF several e*-
traordinary novels. and becomes. In consequence
the centre Of adoring clique Now. after the man
ner Of modern literary London Nerekers laSt doom
Is reviewed by OF his admirlng frieilds an" al
though the notice Is highly fattering II misses 'he
point Of the story entirely. Nereker declares that
every one misundersands him. or the critics ne
says: 1T always seemed TO me that they missed my
little poin. with a perfection exactly as admirape
when they patted me on the back as when they
kicked IN the shns." 1t Is this casual re''a'N
which sets the ball Of Mr.. James's ingenuity roillhs
Through cghty-two octave pages he Pursu's YER
eker's little point" He conjures up company OF
young literary enthusiasts whose lives are prac'cai-
" wrecked by their inability TO corner the eusNe
wil-o' -the-wisp. one man, George Corvick uiscoV-
ers the combination. but while he Is ehs"seu ]"
writing the article in which his ma IS 10 ne an
nounced eXasperated and curious puohc ne
dies He colfded his discovery TO his VIE put
she does not reveal it to the next man she marfies'
and the person who tells the story and Is more
curious than all the Others and thinks seriously OF
marrying Corvicis widow just TO hnd out ner se-
cre does not got her. and the curtain goes down
midway on the eghty-second page on myser.
which is all the deeper because. as we suspect IL
has solution.
Here Is indeed an Improbable, exasperatinS tale.
which is all the annoying because the author
forces one to read 1t by the mere charm OF his
style. AS the author OF "Embarrassments. James
impresses a magician who lures one to FOLLOW
him into an empty cul-desac. He entices the curl
Gus as the Sirene charmed Ulysses. by sonorous
phrases by sly lnsinuatons. by fnhn!tude OF IN
genious tricks OF style-and what does he give at
the end? Nothing! Expectation Is shipwrecked
Curiosity Is leased into activity ony to be senced
with o scornful laugh. "Embarrassmens" illustrates
the triumphs which may be achieved by pure arti-
flee. and by virtue OF this quality must remain
an object Of admiration for the professional
writer and an object OF annoyance for the general
reader In conclusion. wish To note that there
arc in these tales passages OF splendid realism the
portrait Of Godfrey bowling. which opens the fourth
chapter OF Glasses. Ia masterpiece OF character
ization And there sentences. unobfrus've
asides which fash with the brthancy OF true VIII
The only regret is that the competitions as whoe
should not have equalled tho perfection OF the de-
tails
Rriseis the heroine who lends her sonorous name
70 Mr.. william Blacks last novel. Is a young woman
Of singular charm Of person as well ms OF character
she boosted an ntermixture OF Scotch ana Greek
blood, and was given. on the many moments w"ea