New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-24

the rsdious attacks of those free-lances ~
I.emaisre or France. who fascinate by thei, ANe
sonaI force and give US permanent judg,ro..
On the other hand, as we have san =.
Brunetiere Is not great critic, nor, az h.
represented in this volume, does he even A.,
close the promise Of greatness. The essav
"Impressonist Criticism" is a good bit O, o,'
troyersial writing: the apology for Rhe.o,,'.
states q difficult case with cOmmendable Mo-.
Utility: and we like the nervous force the D.
ness and precision, Of the review of NJ NJ.
grass book "Quereles de PHILOSOPHERS: yol,.,.
Of 7 J. Rousseau" But the initial essay ar,
Essential Character OF French Llteratun.
which. from the very nature Of its subject ou,s,
TO be rich and impressive. does not desc
either of those epithets. The main idea
freakish. and 1t is developed obscurely Herr
a case. and a most modifying one, Of FRA.
operation which Mile. dc Bury describes as IL,
casting of paradoxes like flaming torches al n.
critics audience. But where flame Is thor,
should be light, and NJ. Brunetiere is singular,
murlIy. His paradoxes not only fail to illumina,,
they are sometimes stupid. "In purifying loye"h.
saws. in an essay on the influence Of women I,
~,
Cling sentiment with it-yet without letting n,
devil lose his share, as the saying goes-I,
making it topic of conversation, women hays
made it, in France. the great question Of Il.
nation; and H. goes on to declare that no Ii.
crature is richer than the French in tales 0,
gallantry and emotion, generally of love" Nov
who that had not an acquaintance with Ii.
love stories in French literature would suppO0
from this talk about the publication Of Low.
that no literature had ever equalled he French
in debasing that passion 10 the level o. tn,
gutter. in dragging it through indescrbabs
Does NJ Brunetere mean 10 teg
us that q lofty treatment Of the passion Of lOy,
is characteristic OF French fiction? That Is
what he seems to imply. and 1t Is 50 false an
implication that it seems almost funny. But L.
US leave NJ. Brunetiere at more agreeab.
point. Let us smile at his failure - interre.
the essential character Of French literature; L.
lis deplore the absence of consistency AMI
charm from his work; let US regret that he has
not the originality and power Of a master AMI
that his opinions are sometimes narrow, With
the narrowness that only pedantc Frenchm,r
can boast but let US also rejoice in the gener.
ally wholesome trend of his criticism. in h,
many sound judgments he advances. IN MS Just
and sometimes amusing castgaton OF prefer.
tlous writer's, and in his honest devotion-ac.
cording 10 his lghts-to the purest and strong.
est elements in ancient and modern llteratgr
IL. is a vastly overrated critic. but he is worA
a score Of the smart writer's who IN all cornen
Of the world. usurp the critics noble iuncton
~ Pellissier is a writer who shines best Vhsr
he Is briefest. His study u Inc LIeraN
Movement in France During the Nineteenn
Century" is respectable exploit In analysis
regarded as a whole. but il is not really en-
loved until the reader finds out that the az
thor's best work is done in portraitlf". We ga;
\ clear notion II the literary development
tho century from his pages. following the DE-
cadence Of the classical and the rise 81 the 10
mantle schools with ease. but there IS Soma
thing missing: NJ Pcllissier does not know hoH
T. make genera! discussion interesting and
the reader IS thrown back upon pa" on Coppee
or n sketch II Alfred Dc Nigny. or q series o.
sparkling vignettcs in which AuSus,n Their
Guizot. M.chclet and other modern historians
are summed w with faultless taste ana SKI
The student will value the book because II VIII
help him t. clarity his ideas abou, the nine
tecnth century in French literature the gen.
cral reader will skip many pages and be aH
lighted with others He viii be even more d.
lighted with the little volume Of Etudes e
Literature Contemporaries" in which NJ R'
lissier has brought together number q
fugitive pieces Here in the hrief reTspaps
he seems more at his ease m IN u'
formal thesis Of great length and profoah
seriousness. He IS light and airy .n his coz
mcnts. and at the same time that h' showi
warm sympathy flr his subjects h" is not oVs'
awcd by them ION connait ga physionons
quasi lGgendairc De satyre." he says 81 's'
lainc. and continues Out dit satyre dit I'
scrte de demi-dicu. mais aussi une sore
De brute. I'm. tout cas-. Yerlaine naH'
rien de rhomme reasonable 70 consclent