New-York tribune., 1897-01-31
NORTH AND SOUTH.
STORIES OF ENGLAND AND SOUTHERN
ITALY.

nv Charle
Memoir OF the Author by J. B. Capper' oc'a'o'
DID, XVII s79. The Macmillan Company
To project a soul into inanimate things ana ."e,
by to make the latter tremendous FACTORS III ''e w"
velopment Of story touching the entangiemen's Vi
a man and some women-that Is reat OF no "e""
s,rniHcance II Is the feat which Mr. James mas ac-
complIshed IN 1.-The Spoils OF Poynton' Wnen ne
frat published that novel, in the pages OF The Al
lantic Monthly" he called 1t "The Old Things
The title now employed is a better one inasmuch
as II indicates more exactly and more supuy u'e
part which Mrs. Gereths treasures play In the
drama of her life and of her sons love afiairs |oi
ceve Of the artistic at Poynton as merely
"od things" merely a collection of bric-a-brac, ana
no matter how precious they shown to be IN the
eyes of the they do not rise to the lever o
passion. Regard them as "spoils"; regard them as
objects exciting strong antagonism between lhoi-
viduals; regard them. in short. as forming pone
OF contention and they Immediately stand, as mas
baen SAID in full possession Of soul. Mr. James
has not often acquitted himself well as upon this
OCCASION "The Other House., publisned TWO UT
three months ago, had more dramatic force IN IL
than 'The Spolls of Poynton,' but the latter Is
much more substantial book, one that promises 10
last much longer. 1t afford to be without the
brilliant patches that marked the tour de force to
which we have Just referred 1t is the better book
FOR showing power well sustained from the nrst
page to the last This observation should not be ap
piled perhaps to the working out OF the climax an
concluding d.
god from the machine But 1t must be acknowledged
that there is only hint of artifciality. and that
bility aside the terminating episode has GER
tain poetic fitness.
In fact the whole story has suggestion OF poetry
about It which Is not common in Mr.. Jamess work
1t springs from the character OF his muteiy eo-
cuent bric-a-brac at Poynton. Those snurpoxes
and carvings bring into the novel an clement OF
color and ouartness which Is never STILL Like rich
TAPESTRIES waving and gmmerlng In some old
fashioned mansion. they figure now In the distance
now in the foreground Of "The Spois OF Poynton
until every page suffused with the atmosphere OF
a beautiful scene. The book Is one Of conversations,
as is invariably the with Mr.. James. but he
has repeated In his dialogue the quality OF his al
lusions Poyntons adornments. One may not nnd
in the speech of Mrs Gereth or OF Fleda the touch
of art which distinguishes the house that causes
them both so much difficulty but the influence OF
that aesthetic haven is implicit in all they do The
narrative deals with several poignant situations
with Of comedy that have a tragic element in
them vet the key never changes II is derived from
Poynton and fl ON nowhere else. 1t shows the more
vividy the consummate skill which Mr. James has
exercised that his unity Of design has not confined
him, as It so often has confined him In other sto-
ries to an excessively sequence OF episodes
On the contrary, there is considerable incident in
the narrative and play OF character which eX-
tends over fairly wide scale What Is perhaps most
alluring In the novel is the really unconstrained
spirit Of vivacity which pervades IT, The stream OF
Mr. James's humor does not always run smoothly.
II Is apt be intermittent and indeed, the whole
progression Of his narrative is often jerky and OBJ
scure In ''The Spoils Of Poynton' he moves with
effortless and unfailng ease the attack never fal
ters the little play unfolds from one scene to the
next without a single hitch. Altogether. 1.-THE
Spos of Poynton" is Joy to read. Mr. James re-
veals himself in It the absolute master Of his ma
teral and his style
The pcsthumous volume In which a number Of
short stories by Charles Grant have been gathered
together is In Its way unique The writing Of tales
of Italian life Is essayed by OF romancers
and reasts every year but rarely do they produce
veracious work. Mr.. Crawford has portrayed
cellently some classes Of Italians. but 1t is only
necessary to compare him with native author like
Verga how far he can go without touching
quite the last note In the gamut. Mr.. Grant touched
that note. We believe, and Mr.. Capper, who writes
q brief Introductory memoir of his friend for the
present volume might have euogized him with
greater emphasis This modest of letters. go
ing patiently about among the humblest types of
Naples, made himself acquainted with the
primitive instincts Of his friends. He had power
full Imagination. and put some OF 1t into the con-
struction OF his stories, making their plots to
extent dramatic: but he cared most to penetrate
beneath the exteriors Of his models and to prove
his imaginative insight by Interpreting the spiritual
character OF the low-born Neapolitan. He portrays
the latter 10 tne l11e Peppinello the nrst tale IN
the book IS less enchanting In its pcturesqueness OF
incident than in Its exquisitely sympathetic repro
duction Of the very form and color o, the childish
heros life. The three other narratives printed I'm
the volume have the same fine reality. Were 1t n
reality of mere scenes and manners, the work
might not make n strong appeal. But here Is the
reality of natures as curious mysterious, as they
simple. The fishermen CT the Neapotan beaches
may seem. and are. among the least complex peo-
pie IN the world But there are labyrinthian re-
cesses in their unadventurous minds. Superstition,
caste, passion each plays Its part. and. though un-
conscious Of its power. leaving the individual very
child in most matters. 1t makes the study of that
individual peculiarly battling. Grant was never baf-
fled. He had insight amounting to divnation
Above all. he loved the people he studied The re-
suit is contribution to literature which, II small
is. nevertheless destined achieve permanent re-
nown.