The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-22
BRUNETIERE ON POETRY.
a CRITICS DUTIES DESCRIBED BIZ
THE LEADING FRENCH RITIC

Revue deS Deux Nondcs on French Lttern-
ture-The Revolt Against Romnntician-
Tho Farnnssinn Movement - synboiists.
An audience that nearly filed the floor of the
LenoS Lyccum and ovcrfowed into tho boxes
and galleries greeted NJ. Ferdinand Brunetiore
Of the Academic FRANCHISE yesterday afternoon
Mt the first Of tho five lectures on the French
literature OF tho last twenty-five years, delivered
under the auspices OF Columbia University. The
many Easter bonncts made q bright showing,
though fully n quarter OF the audience consisted
OF men, tho faculty of Columbia being out in full
force, and many professors from colleges at u
distance being present.
They came TO hear tho man who is at tho
head Of French literary critics Of the present
day, and who. through his position rs editor Of
the powerful Rcrue dcs Denr Mondcs, yields
an extraordinary influence in tho literary life of
Paris. Tho Rcrue is the broad gate through
which the French Academy is entered, and the
editor, like st. Petor. holds the keys admitting
TO tho Z" Immortals." He may not always sue
coed in getting tho Rcrue's candidate in;
he can. however. usually keep an unde-
sirablc candidate out. The Rcrue's influence is
believed to have much to do with NJ. Zola's ox-
cluslon. NJ. Brunetiere has been director or
chief editor OF tho Rcrte since the reorganiza-
ton in 1898, when, after tho husband OF Mime.
Buloz. tho proprietor, had nearly wrecked the
review financially, the chief contributors, MN.
Cherbuliez, Brunctierc. and others took charge
OF the property themselves. Before that he had
been for many years the chief literary critic OF
the review, the successor ionD3 interrallo Of
Sainte-Bcuvc
M. Brunetiere Is u spare. dark man of medium
height, with closely cropped beard and mus.
tachc. and a rather nervous manner. He Is not
yet 80 years OF age. He speaks in n natural,
conversational tone. with a clear. resonant
voice that becomes somewhat shrill Mt times.
He talks slowly and distinctly and can be under
stood easily by any ono who understands spoken
French at all. His manner at times betrays
the professor. for In addition to his other duties
NJ. Brunetiere is n professor In the College de
France. or course he has the Legion OF Honor.
He was introduced by President Seth Low of
Columbia College in a short speech in English.
NJ. Brunetiere spoke for an hour, and
was followed closely by the audience, which
a%pplauded the bright things he said and
some things he led up to and left unsaid. The
first lecture was on the poetry of the last
twenty-five years, and though the lecturer de-
clared at the beginning that he should neither
pr aise nor run down individuals. the audience
formed a pretty clear idea OF what he disliked.
NJ. Brunetiere's definition OF the critics duties
is Interesting. for he is without dispute the
first Of French critics, and criticism holds a
higher place in French life and literature than
In those OF any other country.
The critic must never follow his own tastes"
said the lecturer. and must be ON the lookout
necessity Of guarding against mere pleasure in
moral matters holds good for intellectual mat
and morality may not DO the same thing. they
are yet not entirely distinct. IL is not true
cadence and the Italians OF the Renaissance
held. Art has a social or sociological function
In assisting the development Of human progress,
so that the cry OF art for arts sake Is nhuman.
Finally. the critic must have a thorough knowl.
is. the laboratory of criticism. We can under
stand nothing OF the present pr unless we know the
the place Of historical knowledge"
After asserting his absolute disinterestedness.
that he belongs to no school, not even his own.
to no party or clique, and that his are
only on authors OF books. and not on the men.
NJ srunetiere began to talk Of poetry.
Romantic school, had fallen twenty.dVe
Sand and Victor Hugo. and for some
OF their best Qualities. Il was not expressed in
racy. but men made up for il by abuse in the
cafes and parl9rs. OUT Of this contempt 6! onMtssm2t rose
jose dc Hertdia. and suiIy P~rndhomme.o the
last four of whom entered the Academy.
NJ. Brunctiere's short characterizations OF
verse Is described precisely by marble: it is
and hard sully Prudhomme's philosophical OBJ
security he compared TO that Of Cowper or u
i GslsAS OF Rant nh0 and ni0I Darwin Sf S's snd fa IN hne
with Pasteur's experiments. The, Parnas.
Sast ,boI lIid no, d s%snk ~ M Sjms rSle T that w.s the G
reaction. from the practice Of Victor Hugo and
Alfred de Musset. who speak OF nothing. else.
OF art the institution OF Nature and History.
Both In poetry and story telling they must re
peat what nature represents. without additions.
like the photographer. They made of form a
hrst essential:
school in that they have tried to fix what is per-
manent In nature rather than what Is %iecting.
Theodore de Banville carried out the theories in
verse, as Gustave Flaubert did in romance and
Gustave Courbet in painting. They are OBJ
posed not only to the romantics. but to a
generation OF young poets that has arisen since;
These say. rightly enough, the invitation OF
Nature cannot be the only object OF art, because
there are arts which do not place that object as
an ~ideal-for instance. architecture and music.
That to restrict him to nature Is undue restraint
innate and delicate emotions of man, as well az
the whole domain OF dreams.
The opponents of the theory Of art for arts
sake call themselves Bymbolists and spring from
different tendencies Baudelaireism. Wagner
ism. and Rstheticism. The last originated with
in France, has exerted influence through
Dante, Gabriel. Rossette. and Burne-J2nes.
It is a distinct English influence; was,
phors from music in Describing literary works.
both in England and France. In the seven:
teenth century the fashion was for architectural
epithets, in the eighteenth the adjcctives were
taken from paintiHgs; our century has turned TO
music: Poets became less poetical and more
musical"
With Baudelairc. whose influence is SO great
among young authors, NJ. Brunetiere seemed to
have no patience: He called him " the most
tealpgs ri %i did not an thihp4 G'n very 0f his KY OF oi' 6 SGm.
He devised the theory OF the intimate relations Of
form. color, and sound.
some form of comparison. II you furnish the
key to explain 1t. 1t Is mere poetry: II you do not
furnish the key, 80 that one can tell what 1t
means. that IL symbolism
In this way Baudelairc Is, the spiritual father
of Stephane Mallarme. and by being the first to
minglc ideas of dcbauchery with those OF relig-
ion, he Is the intellectual ancestor OF Paul Yer
laine.
The names of the --latest poets NJ. Brunetiere
held back. They are very young; they haven't
done much; perhaps they will do better. Tho
Poles. Americans. who are trying TO teach