The times., 1897-09-19
LITERARY NOTES.

81. Henri Berenger recently wrote Zolas
literary obituary in the Revue Bleue.
Zola has about completed Paris and the
trilogy of 'Iourdes'' and Rome" Were
the first and second books.
Maurice Thompson is very wroth against
James Lane Aliens The Choir Invisible, {"
characterizng it as repudiating moral re
sponsibility in fiction and linking it
with the other bogies: Tolstoi's ''KreutZer
Sonata" Hardy's Jude the Obscure
and Grant Allen The Woman Who Did. ;,
Maurus Jokai, the prolific Hungarian
novelist and roet, author of more than 900
volumes, which have been translated into
almost every spoken language, is now at
work upon an epic in the form of drama.
The subject is taken from the earliest
Magyar history, from the time of the
legendary Arpad. 1t is to be called lie
vente, and Jokai says he has hopes it VIII
take place in Magyar literature some
what similar to that filled by the 'NfbeIun-
genlied, in German literature"
Tie Allgemeine zeitung relates that the
well-known Italian writer, Gabriel dan
nunzio. having been elected to the italian
Parliament as deputy for Ortona, was OH
liged to declare his real name; and, lol in
place OF the high sounding and archiaR
gelical syllables, the real name turned out
TO be Rapagnetta. Rapagnetta does nos
sound badly to an English ear, but in Italian
we underEand it signifies little turnip.n
The Zeitung adds that so well W as the So
cret of Gabriel Annunzio kept that,
though he has been for many years Il Well
90.
intimate friends have known his real name
The copy of Sarah Grand's new novel
vent 70 the printers last week. The Critics
correspondent writes that it is reported to
be AN introspective study of femal charac-
ter frc,n the cradle to the grave. The book
starts with the birth of the heroine, Beth.
and ends with her death. tits not diiactic,
and. in the narrower sense of the term, is
not novel with purpose. That it will,
however. be founded upon what Mr., George
Moore calls 4 ''moral idca,' those who are
familiar with Nine. GraGd's view of the re-
sponsihilities OF fiction viii readily sur
lnise. For the rest nothing is known about
the book, nor is it likely that much will be
known until it is actually published.
a great many would like to know Just
W iissI is tuC CiiiJiSC uuONtliitilh III IION-
ence, Of which we hear much. The Revue
LarouSse furnishes lucid explanation: The
felibres of Fontsegugne set up for them
selves at the start three very definite goals:
% to clear the langua ge the ProvencaD of
all Gallicisms and har5arisms that dis
figure it; CD TO write according to Il uni
form orthography, established according to
certain tentative essays (tatonncments)
OF Rounanille and eodified by Mistral:
81 To weed out of the Provencal litera-
ture the c3arseness and vulgarities so dear
to gabhlers of patois, to polish it, elevate
it, and, III short, invest it with something
of its ancient majesty"
Hall Gaines critics have aSsailed what
they hint at as the supreme egoism of
his latest effort. The Saturday Review.
for instance, has an extravaganza that
represents him as contemplating in awe his
! own greatness and glory, Here is the style
of it. s.And other forms were there But all
were dead And Hall Caine was the only
Novelist of the World. Proudly modest.
shyIy confident, with an immense en-
velope of press cuttings thrust into his
manly bosom, he smiled and then he sighed,
for Empire means Loneliness. Hall CaiEe,
with Glory before hin, and Storm behind.
was lonely. lie had been taken up TO
Sinai and heard the thunders of une bien
| bonre presSe, and he thought of the happy,
| happy ola IS when he was only a little Manx
boy, geddng for sticklebacks la the pond.
| And suddenly he fancied he was guddiing
| still, gHddling for praise, guddling for the
worthless plaudits OF the millions. All!
| how To our attitudes of the Adult we fall
| simply. sweetly hack upon the practices
| of Childhood. For now mis- glorious hea6
| sank upon his heaving bosom. There was