New-York tribune., 1896-11-15
AMERICAN FICTION.
Mp cpAwFORp's NEW STUDY OF HIS
OLD ITALIAN TYPES.

rAouIsARA BY F. Marion era Tfo Tford im"n IN a~0
Volumes Octave, pp 39, 3l'. Inc Mac"''
Company.
m THE FIRST PERSON. 4 Novel. by MARI, Maria
Louise Pool. Octave. PIP. 3lo. Harper ' h'o
IN 6ctavo d. 2S. chicago: Herbert S. Stone
Il Co.
ALONE IN CHINA AND OTHER sT0RIEEsii Esiadn by
Jnlian Ralph. Illustrated BY Z. H. "c'"o''
THE sPRIGHTLY ROMANCE OF MARsAC: Hy
Molly Elliot Seawell iliustratea by yscribner;s
xerbeck Octave pp. iS'' N"'''''
Sons.
To read all Of the first and just tho opening
pages OF the second volume Of '"raquisara II 10
conclude that there Is no limit to hr. 'ra"io'"
fertility In the invention OF meodram"uc p'o''
To continue through the remaining chap'cfS - ~
wonder how hi, resources could be so slender Ihe
first half Of tho story Is well knit natural iu Vi
interest and so cunnngly wrought up TO cnhhaA
that when the latter is reached. IL Is oouS '"'''
the readers temples will throb with teVeris' e
citcmcnt. Then the narrative travels siuesi7"''
onward toward a spasmodic afterclap OF ingenuity
and boredom settles down upon 1t ike n wet
blanket The better portion is so very gooo Una.
nerbans In Justice to Mr. Crawford. the rest shouu
he forgotten For tho present purpose at least IL
Is tempting to dwell upon the skill WIN "hich iic
has set forth the Intrigue OF Gregorio ana Aa''ue
Macomer TO oyerreach their niece Neroilca oe'r"'
t,cpaton in the evil conspiracy. and the lurd ca
,,s,r,nhe In which the whole sordid affair IL en-
vcloned AT last so fucntly ~ all this described so
well imagined and well drawn are all the chat-
acters that Mr.. Crawford can almost be Forgiven
his failure keep UP TO concert pitch. lie moves
I'm his mos; characteristic and mos: authoritative
manner among the people to whom he has re-
turned as he always must return. In the environ
nsnt he knows so well The scene IL Neapohtan
this time but whether In the south OF the PENN
sula or In Romo there are few trnits OF l'ailan
character which escape Mr.. Crawford; ana all the
weaknesses OF Boso. all the cruel strength OF Ma
tide all tho rirl,sh incapacios OF Veronica. are
dellnoatod with that touch OF sympathy as well as
OF understanding which has made him master or
italian romance 'Taquisara" is Of the soil II Is
not merely that the situations arc such as couid
be discovered nowhere else in the world; It Is THAI
Mr. Crawford remembers all the pttle subtleties
Of tornpern rent all the little local habits which
keep the Italians a race apart He writes as an
old member OF Roman society might talk carry
Ing conviction because his personages seem to be
his neighbors. his intimatcs. The tale Is grew
some dealing. as II does. with a plot Of profoundly
malicious wickedncss. yet for all tho meodrama
for all the calcium lights and mutcd strings. the
no,c OF nature Is preserved and Mr.. Crawford
strikes fire The pity OF II Is that he should not nave
stopped when the legitimate end Of the tragedy
had been reached Taquisara himself could then
have been made the central figure In another story,
7
pcarcd Now the later chapters so obviously put
him In training fjr book. without making
him at once important To this plot or Impressive
In himself that he inspires resentment for having
been mentioned at all. He gives the title to the
novel. but just why this should be so It IS i'm
possible TO say. unless. AS has been observed. we
to regard him merely introduced with a
F View to closer acquaintance I'm the future
Tho appearance In book form of Miss Pools
novel, I'm the First Person." which originally APP
peared In tho columns of this Journal. comedies
With the publication OF n new volume by her called
I'm Buncombc County" The two works are the
more interesting FOR being taken together. I'm the
First Person Is a tense drama. full Of the gentle
yet unhinching analysis which renders the author
one OF the serious OF American novelists. The
series OF sketches written among the mountains OF
North Carolina has just az much and just true
analysis, but the key Is lighter. the mood Is mer-
rcr. and derives Increased sense OF Miss
Pools range which the strenuous tone OF her
els might obscure There Is more tragedy than
comedy In the novel The proportion is reversed
in the hook which may contain some fiction. but
seems In the main. to be based actual expert
ence. The contrast suggests no preference for one
fofm OF Miss Pools work over the other 1t simply
intensifes admiration OF both. showing more
clearly how humane her spirit is how fruitfuly
her imagination plays around the characters in
her books whether they be fictitious real. Crit
icism has spent much time upon tho fidelity Of
the school TO which Miss Pool belongs In mat
ters OF pure realism and We have been told that
she mirrors the village life of New England In
way to make that life plain for Its own sake. The
point Is Justly taken but there is far more than
local color In this work. We have praised Mr..
Crawford for talking like Italian. 1t may seem
sufficient TO praise Miss Pool for talking
who Is OF the life which she describes But she
goes further. 'In the First Person has depth
of human reality in 1t which transcends the boun-
daries OF New England The whole drift OF R!lly's
I ann IL Of deer
anywhere and the conditions OF her life only
to bring out the traits in her which are really uni
versal ''In Buncombe County" has this same
quality Of touching veracty. II is brimmng over
with humor, and the reader who can follow
the fortunes OF the rcdbird alone. who iutters
through tho first few chapters and not be moved
TO long laughter. must be sadly insensitlye. But
laugh he may. he Will always revert to the
graver vein which unobtrrsively runs from the
first to the last page In the book. He will lay
down the narrative OF almost grotesquc adventure
with n keen remembrance OF Its tenderness and
pathos.
/ There Is considerable fun In Mr.. Ralphs stories
OF China but the special virtue OF his book Is that
1t gives a straightforward account OF Chinese peo-
pie and scenes. The fiction Is good. The descrip
ton is better. Mr. Ralph has eschewed the high
falutin. which has resulted In so many cases from
an emulation Of Mr. Lafcadio Hearn's Oriental
papcrs-in fact he could not indulge In highfa-
lutn II he tried--and for vivid cean-cut sketches
OF land in Itself quantity interesting his book
can bs chserfully recommended. Mr.. wedons
pictures pretty
Miss Seawers "Sprightly Romance Of Marsac'
Is Of excessively fragile texture. yet 1t wears we'll
and beguiles A haf-hour with unfailing spirit
The style IL brisk. the situations give dIverting
picture Of a Partisan Bohemia that Is clean we'll
as artistic. and the personages. II thnly bodied
| FORTH at any rate comical. The pen-drawIngs
I which are scattered through the book deserve 70
| be mentioned for their skilfui vivacity.