The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-03

ISOLATED with Hugo and with that
"cenacle" or inner circle of literary
workers, Hugo being the chief with
which the romantic movement is usual
ly identified. But personal intimacies
such as the cenacle implied were in
compatible with -Beuve'S dispo-
sition. Though essentially amiable and
Sentle-spirited, he was ill-suited for ca.
maraderie. Besides, the critical faculty,
always strong in him, and soon to be-
come an Astounding force, could not be
reconciled with the self-suppression
and the discipleship which association
with such an egotistic character as that
of HugO's postulated. Sainte- Beuve
therefore, was not, in any except the
younger portion of his life, a member
of the so-called romantic school, Nor
was the school itself, in many Of its
features, consonant with his nature 1t
was characterized by extravagances
excesses and egotistic idiosyncrasies
which his finely poised critical spirit
could barely tolerate.
1t has been alleged that Sainte-
BeuVe's antipathy TO some of the men
OF his own age was not wholly due to
the eXigencies of a critics position.
Three of the greatest writers modern
France has known-his own contem-
poraries. Balzac. Musset and De Vigny
the height of his power and fame as a
critic. The estimates which the great
critic pronounced upon these, his con-
temporaries. at the time of their de-
mise, were characterized to some extent
by what has been thought to have been
personal feeling-a feeling so strong as
TO have seemed little short of personal
dislike or hatred.
The explanation of this apparently
q IN,
acter is to be found in his method as
critic. With him criticism did not begin
with an authors work. II only ended
there. 1t took into consideration every
aScertainable element of character in
an author, and every possible condition
and circumstance of his environment
before it proceeded to pronounce upon
his work at all. 1t got at his spirit, his
motive, his point of view; and especial
ly at his method of neutrality-suspicious.
it was sincere or not, whether it was
based on fact and actually or not
When Sainte-Beuve was convinced TO
any degree of an authors insincerity
of his want Of regard for actually, of
his superficiality in any way, of his
moral obliquity in any way, his own
point of view was influenced accord
ingly. The mere literary features of
a piece of work he little cared for. 1t
was the character that pervaded it, the
spirit with which it was executed, the
end the author had in view in writing
il, and the actual success attained in
reaching that end.
1t resulted, therefore. that Sainte-
Beuve had many of what were called
topical hatreds." Certain principles.
certain methods of work, certain sub
jects of literary treatment, and as a
certain men, were dis
tasteful to him. Let me tell you, SIR
he once wrote to a friend respecting an
author whose spirit he abhorred, declin-
ing to review one of his bookshelf me
tell you, sir, that TO have once named
that man with compliment in an article
of mine is one of my self-reproaches
as a man of letters. He has not at
tackled me in any way. 1t is case of
natural repulsion."
The great merit of Sainte-Beuve's
critical work was its absolute indie
pendence. 1t followed no traditions, no
cut and dried theories, no arbitrarily
set-up rules He did not hesitate even
to change, to advance, to retract his
own opinions whenever he felt 1t neces-
sary to do so. Il am accustomed inces-
sanity to call my judgments in question
anew" he once wrote, land to recast
my opinions the moment L suspect them
10 be without validity" And again:
Il hold very little to literary opinions.
Literary opinions occupy little place in
my life and in my thoughts. What
loes occupy me seriously is life itself
and the object of it
And the great characteristic of his
critical work was it's strict regard for
ruth. Truth" ne took for the motto
If his life, and he had the word en-
,raved upon his seal. To get at the |
truth" of a work-its meaning. its in |
ent-to see, indeed. how far it had a
meaning, to see how successful the au-
hor was in presenting this meaning, to |
zee how nearly in doing this he COM
,lied with the facts of things-this was
lis great object. the guiding principle |
Il his work But to effect this he must |
understand the author. And to have