The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-13
i ERMS Ut SUBSCRIPTION
WILMINGTON. n. c.
TUESDAY, JUNE Is: 1899.


Some time since The Messenger refer
red to the obscurities in Mr.. Henry
:Iarnes's writings, and the want OF a
story to tell. That he has done some
admirable writing, and that one or two
of his novels are enjoyable must be
conceded. Some Of his works show
QUITE a mastery in a delicate subtilty OF
treatment, in a elusive mode of Thought,
i'm an exquisite elaboration Of talk. In
fact. he is a clever writer If not a great
one. He wrote not long ago a little
story he called 1.-THE Tour Of the
Screw" It was widely praised as of
the finest by able critics. We of course
have not seen it. But lately he pub
Iished 1.-THE Awkward Age" and the
large crowd of newspaper writers OF
book notices pronounced it fine, adj
mirable, superb, etc. But there were
writers who failed somehow to join IN
the chorus of laudation and found 1.-The
Awkward Age" any thing but a pro-
ductfon of perfect art or ripened inspi-
ration. 1t is damned outright as mar
tfstic, crude, superficial n duh. One
of the most condemnatory critics is the
person who does up authors in the col
umns of The New York Tribune. He
is a clear headed writer, with now and
then a vigorous dislike. We do not
think that James is one of the set he
is disposed to kick. He was, however,
and If half lie writes is merited, then
1.-THE Awkard Age we'll deserves what
is said of lit, and is a story neither
worthy of the distinguished author nor
worth wasting time over. He says that
"Mr. James is not a great writer" With
this as a starting point, he enters upon
a critical sIashing such as we have not
read lately, ind we suspect not a lick
is misapplied. There are many good
points raised, and the reading is en-
tertaining if the criticism is not entirely
just We Will take a few excerpts
from it, as Mr.. James is regarded III
New England ais it's greatest living
novelist and author, and perhaps he is.
ALI who have read any of Mr.. James's
muEtitudinous, long-drawn-out talks
between characters, much of which is
inconsequential, not to say vapid, viii
be impressed with wha the Tribune
writer says, and it is particularly hap
by and pointed:
1--WE perceive what Mr.. James is driV-
ing at. he is seeking to make method
and style do all that they a do to re-
veal the meaning of his dialogue. Like
the engine-builder fitting bolts and
rods to their uses, he fits the right
words, as he considers them, to tine
=; shades of meaning involved in n talk
Naf his personages. But the talk gives
one a headache, lit does not illuminate.
The reason is clear, and brings us to
the great defect in the literary equip
srngnt of MIR. James. If the motives un-
DERIVING his talk amounted to any
thing they would push their way
through the intricacies of his method.
The imaginative conception of The
Turn of the Screw lent life to the
2 speech Of the figures in that little mas
~terpiece. But the thoughts of The
Awkward Age are so dry n so weak
that they leave the authors method
TO speak for itself, and it does so lit.
orally with the thin intonations, queer
transitions and Opaque pauses of {
talking machine that has been 'woun6
MP with a crank"
OF course if you are not acquainted
with Mr.. James's method o canno
enjoy that clever bit of critical insight
We have often wondered when reading
n prolix, involved, cultured converse
ton between two or three character:
what it all meant, whittier he was driv
ing, what would it all amount to i
boiled down? The critic says agair
that the book under consideration il
$50 dull, so ugly, so deliberately per
verse that it has a kind of fascination
the fascination of a colossal bore. Ont
is absorbed, in spite of ones self, in tht
spectacle of a literary method tramp
ling life-and the author-underfoot
and Haunting itself with brazen prid'
ais proof of the lamentable end to which
human ingenuity may bring itself if i
only throws overheard the sense of hui
xmor and devotes itself to the 'fxet
- adea.'" In an age of such immens,
production, when over 1000 novels ar
published in one year. and some 5000
are supposed to be written, only n il
the joy and benefit OF the world, doubt
: less, it may be thought if such thing
as the critic so excellently INDUCES cal
he lone in the green tree what shall
befall the poor products that are in tn,
dry? We believe that our southern
writer in Tennessee, Miss Murfree, ha:
written better novels than any of tn,
New England living tribe of writers
This will be enough to cause the sen,
tence of death to be pronounced upol
any one who dares to suggest such
possibility. But James is the greatest
h most famous, and o see how n
fares in the 'sanotum" of the man il
New York who carries a knife in hi
belt.
In England there is an edition o
shakespeare appearing called "Th
m Shakespeare" 1T is named af