The times., 1898-06-19
Evelyn Innes."

From an artistic point of view, one of
the most remarkable books of the season
is Evelyn Innes." by George Moore, au-
thor of Esther Waters" 1t is an ex-
ceedingly skillful and elaborate study of
character, and every line of il betrays
the touch Of the experienced workman. 1t
is the story of the life of an opera singer.
who while brought up a Catholic. for
sakes her father and her religion for the
sake of a man whose wealth serves her in
her career In course of time she finds
that her lover does not satisfy the whole
of her nature and feels herself drawn to-
ward another man. Eventually she eX-
periences a sudden revulsion of feeling
which drives her toward the church of her
girlhood and away from her profession
and her lovers. That is the bald, plain
story OF the book. In the way in which
it is worked out there is nothing melo-
dramatic, although the plot in itself would
| serve a skillful melodramatist very well.
The entire theme of the book Is the close
and minute photography of this woman s
mind and heart, and it is done as quietly
and as dispassionately as if she were the
subject of an anatomatical instead of a
pSyCuOIOSlCdl study Inc DOOh as Il WhOle
| may be compared to a sunset scene paint
ed by one Of those artists who have an
| irrepressI3le tendency toward mono
| chrome of olive green and indeterminate
| brown. While the theme is essentially
| dramatic, the working out is the very
! opposite of dramatic effect.
There are only three or four prominent
| characters in the story; the canvas is
| not crowded. Evelyn, her father, Owen
| AoI, On IA
| second, receive practically all the at
| tention of the author. Where he intro
| duces minor characters they are drawn
| with skill and eXactness, but they are
| dismissed as soon as may be. Monsignor,
! the Catholic priest who endeavors to win
| Evelyn back TO the church, is less a
! character than an embodiment of his re-
| ligion; the same may be said of the nuns
| with whom she makes her retreat. The
| four above mentioned are the only real
| characters; the others are mere super
| numeraries.
The book is full of musical references
| and suggestions, although these are not
| couched in technical language. The life
| of Mr.. Innes is almost wholly In his nlu-
| sic; he is a student of sixteenth century
| songs, Gregorian chants, and old-fashion-
| ed music in general When he and his
| daughter first appear in the story they
| sichord, the other on viola da gambia.
| From her mother who was an opera sin
ger, but lost her voice at the. height of
her fame, Evelyn has inherited a Won
derful voice and an instructive under
| standing of music. The voice has been
| neglected, the other talent cultivated, by
her father. Sir Owen Asher, wealthy, idle,
| epicurean, selfish and an enthusiast in
music, makes the acquaintance of Evelyn
for his own amusement, as he would buy
| a violin, and finds her interesting, so inter-
esting that he offers 10 take her away and
| make her a great singer This he even
| tually does, and she wins her fame in the
| singing of Wagner's operas. A fine dis
| tinction is drawn here between Eyelyn's
| dramatic power and that of the born ac-
tress. In all her parts she interprets the
| heroine by the light Of her own life. She
| can sing only what she has herself felt
| The strongest illustration of this comes
in her comment on her own Brunnhilde
| when she says that when she is told OF
the ruined Walhalla and the fallen gods
she thinks, not of Odn, the All-Father
but of her own father. She is the ele-
mental emotional, unintellectual wo-
man; everything with her is personal
nothing typical. Her intellectual attain.
ments are gained purely by intuition, moi