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

FRENCH HTERhTvRE OF TO,pAi. ~ nv Nv
Of the Principal l.omanccrE ana ~ ~ vi ~
Yctta Tl1ze de Bury octave. PIP. W. 80
IIourhtor. Miiilin & GO. ,,,,
EEUNETlERES ESSAYS IN FRENDt /, i Ei,I
ATI'RF Selection Translated by y. Ni,no'
smith win q Preface ~ The Author Oo'1'0'
pp xiv %. Charles Scrihnors Sons. ,-.,.
Iiin ~ ri, NINETEFNTH CENTURY. Hy
GEORGES Pcssicr. Authorized English VERSION i,rn
10y Anne Garrison Brintoh Wl'4 "r'I I,,,ntm's
duction. octave. PIP. lyi. Wi q. T. PUTNAM
sons
Ell RR 'I2 Par GtSrses Pcsscr Duodcc PIP
SG3 Paris: Perrin ct Gle. New-fo Fk' D!'S''
& Plciffcr.
NJ. Brunctitrc informs US that in no literature
is the written style more different from the
spoken style than in the French. In none -
it more difficult to reach the crowd and TO SAILS
fy at the same time the select few. ana III
none In short have the best writers themselves
I mean prose writers-fewcr appreciatvc
readers at home. but By compensation ''o''
admirers abroad" Hence we suppose there hceu
be nothing surprising in the more or less si''i"'
toncous appcarance OF the books enumerated
above They testify simply TO the perennIai IN
tcrcst Of the admirers abroad" they are al
dressed confidently to the superstition SuHl"cu
I'd in the dic,um that "They order these 'hihSS
much better in France" We call II superS"-
ton. because We fear it is unGuosiionapy heiu
10y a Grca; many people who never uf'''" %
asking themselves whether there IS Al any
rate at the present timc-any real foundation
for IT, It is interesting to examine the Oh i''H
by the Iigh; Of some Of the books before Us.
one turns naturally to Mr. Dowdcn's His
tory Of French Lit nature" first Of all lie mas
carried his researches - n remote point -
ginning at the beginning he offers US a survey
OF the entire body Of French literature down 10
1850 and the critical work OF Sainte-beu'''
Rut we fear that Mr. Dowdcn will be Of small
service to any student. He has taken adNdh-
taco Of the Iabors Of his predecessors and made
a manual which repeats the bald virtues oi
some other manuals but he CLASHES the plays
Of Moliere like apothecary putting piiis III
so many boxes. and he is capable OF banalities
like the following: ITO say that Hugo was the
greatest lyric poet OF France is TO say too little;
the claim that he was the greatest lyric poet
OF all literature might be urged. The power ana
marniiudc OF his song result from the fact that
In II what IL personal and what Is impcrSonal
are fused in one: his soul echoed orchestrally
the demonstrations OF nature and Of humanity
Plainly we have nothing TO learn from MT
Dowdcn. He WAS long ago adjurcd by Matthew
Arnold 20 keep his poetic quality OF f"rvor
and picturcsquencss more under control but
apparently he IS incorriciblc. and tho reader
who must have French literature dig,stcd Tor
him an ; set forth in suippcts would better trust
70 Professor Saintsbury's we'll known Vo'uin'
Tho latter has faults enough In all conscience
Professor Saintshury h. often shallow. always
prctcntious and always ~ rur.atinF ~ matters
Of style. bat AZ least d" has a fitacl'us mind
and n certain Kind II cl~ycrucss. and his short
Hist rs u French Literature is th" most salts
factory thing on the Who'll. that he ever did
..wfs hon 10. J.
put into h.s present volume Il u.s. IN br."f, a
superficial and dry production. spoiled hy rhet-
oric when it is not merely commonplace IN iis
Judgments.
We take up Mis- Mar Fishers lt'l" volume
a Group 4 French Critics AMI !or a moment
she is almost as Geprcs Ing a5 Mr po"d"n
There IS a long Introduction Ia which sh" talks
vith dron irr,l,tancc about the iutcsiraiions
4 S.gnor Lombr1s' about the iannihallsn Of
croc,Iiics and tho wicked Instincts which vet
Urinary surgeons have discovered among their
raticnts. But II tho reader IS patient enough
h. pcrc,iycs hy ana - that Miss Fishers i'm
acination is merely playing around thu relations
Of art and morality and he turns to her group
Of critics with satisfaction at learning that they
are all t. be- men 81 lofty ideals. Here We think
Miss Fisher has done us a real service The
men Of whom she writes are liitlc known In
America, and it is well that they should De
known II not In their entirety, at least In
some such judicous summaries As our author
has prepared Edmond 'hcrcr. Ernest Bersot.
Saint Marc Girlrdn Ximtncs Dpudtn and Gus
tayc blanche ar not. perhaps. Of such high sig
nncancc individually that We need "A full &c
quaintancc with them. We are not sure but
that the student might rub along very we'll
without possessing the complete works of any
one 81 them. saving always Nimtncs Doudan /