The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-27
BOOKS AND THEIR MAKERS
Wide Field Offered in Au. umn
Publications.
FICTION is ABUNDANT
Frederic Harrison's Preten-
tious and Scholarly
Essays.

n pursuing his scholarly investiga-
ton OF the place In literature which
the works OF certain admitted lead
ers have assigned them, Frederic
Harrison has In the very act estab-
lished his own place, at least in contempt
rary literature. lie is one of the Few solid
English critics. His criticisms may not
carry him beyond his own generation. but
in the matter Of last word Mr.. Harrison
is silent to but one or two. The works
which have placed him SO conspicuously
and firmly as Il literary critic are series
of ESSAYS on English writers an, sjheir place
in literature. winch the Forum IN this coun-
try and prominent London magazine pub
lished in their monthly issues during
1s94'95. These essays are now gathered
together for the first time by Edward Ar
mold, who republisnes them In a single vol
ume under the significant title, Early VIC
torian Literature"
The limitations of the title make 1t easy
guessing who of nine choices are included
in treatise on the writers who adorned
the early years Of Queen Victoria's reign.
First OF all there is Thomas Carlyle. Mr..
Harrison puts the question, Do the chief
works of Carlyle belong To that class of
books which attain an enduring and increas-
ing power. or to that class which effect
great things for one or two generations
and then become practically obsolete? and
he infers that they will ultimately tend
to the latter class. However, through no
impeachment Of their greatness, for many
a great book ceases early to comma nd read
ers and many books continue To be read
although they are far from great.
LORD Macaulcy, who counted his years
Of life 10y those of this century," is as
signed pre- commence as having had the
greatest body of readers and having been
the most admired prose writer OF the Vic
turian age. Mr.. Harrison, however, points
out a marked disparity between this popE-
lar estimation and the judgment Of cN-
perts Benjamin Disrael on the other hand
is extensively known as a statesman and
diploniatist, while to the library OF the
savant he is a precious and esteemed treas
ure Even as swift, Fielding, De Foe and
Goldsmith, did Disraeli write much stuff.
hut writers must be judged by their best,
however limited in bulk.
In final estimate of Thackeray, IL is
just as well as Interesting to note that
of all the eminent Victorian writers bis
life was the shortest Mr.. Harrison is an
adniirer not an enthusiast in speaking Of
the author of Vanity Fair" He does not
concede with Charlotte Bronte that he
was the first social regenerator of the
day" but he asserts that he enriched our
literature with some classical master
pieces in the comedy of contemporary man
ners. And the most striking feature of
all, to Mr.. Harrison, is this, that in the
twenty-six years of his productiveneSs, i'll
so many mvdes, prose, verse, romance,
parody. burlesque. essay, biography, crit
csm, there are hardly more than one or
two that can be put aside as worthless
and as utter failures: few can be said TO bt,
irksonIe to read, to re-read, and to linger
over n the reading.
Charles Dickens has a part in the early
Victorian era, rather than in that portion
which has survived him. Acknowledging
his supremacy in many ways, Mr.. Harrison
distinguishes that the junior critics make
too little of Dickens, his seniors too much
of him, and if we mean him to live we
must Tx our eyes on his supreme gifts
alone. 1t is hard to do other than share