The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-06
WRITERS COMPARED.
RIPPING AND sIENKJEWICZ As MEAS.
TRES or SHAKESPEARE.
Aruch Tha. Suggests tho Great Poets Methods
Of Thought and Ills Vast store 81 Ie'h-
nicai knowledge To lie Found In the WORK
Of the Later writers A Novel Comparison
of Genius a., 10 quality Not Quantity

meal Knowledge to Be Found In the WORK
Of the Later writers A Novel Comparison
Of Genius ~ 10 Quality Not quantity
Shakespeare was born IN an fngllsh country
village in 1884 land probably wIs educated
there with -smaIl Latin aud lebs Greek ADoul
1897 he. then 20 wears old, went Ia l0ndoh u"
ssek his fortune and became an actor. lie
remained an actor I'll 1905, taking respectable
but not leading parts. He played IA" bho't
in Hamlet" and .iddn IN As Non lake ",
for example. he returned 10 Slrnti"rd' ms
Birthplace In 1910 or i6'l,"h're h" dl'd' III lolO
at the age Of 50, II" bryan to frvIse ana
arrange the plays of olhrfN a. early ~ lovo'al'd
gained n reputation by such WORK ~ An NbNo-
lutte Administrations or Jack-oi-alI-
trades, lin his own cohc"i, 'hys on" 81 MS
enviers. the only ~hah"-Scen" ~ a country
His first printed poems. wcr" printed ~ l1o3 una
1894, his sOnnets were written i5Si-0s, his pays
some forty in number, all masterpieces wer"
written In the Years 1889 Ia 1911. Nv l~5 u"
had become famous. Before that time n" was
the friend Of wits and noblemen. His s0iie'S
tell the story oi his hcari, or part OF il, When
he retired from the stage he dropped author
ehip. His " III maze, no mention of any manu-
scripts, nor doe, II refer Obi, published
writings.
These are nil the essential facts Of Shake
0reare's life. so far a. they nre known, II !" "A
Standing mystery That this man. 80 born 20
bred. should be the very apex and summit OF
the proud literature Of England Other poets
we understand; We comprehend their minds
and their methods, but the mind and method
OF Shakespeare are my ,tcries. 'Merciill Won
der-working heaven" say Colerldge, what a
man wns this shakespeare" In one phras"
Carlyle describes him; An unparalleled mortal
In what follow, an attempt is made 10 throw
little light on a part Of this mystery and Il"
suggest that II IS now possible to study IN"
methods of Shakespeare and, in some small
degree, the Working Of his mind, a. il has not
been until recently. When We speak OF the
mind, the intellect. Of Plato the phrase is in
telligible aud in It's way sufficiently definite,
When we speak Of plato'S method, We under
stand that Plato's intellect deliberately chose "A
certain form and certain channels Tor expression.
We do not mean, alone. that the Socratic diG-
logue form was chosen. II Is more than this.
When Plato wished to convey his thoughts
10 others he led them through certain mental ex-
pcriences, not AT random, but deliberately.
and at the end he, n consummate literary artist,
had produced his effect. II HI, hearers were 10
be convinced at all at the end they were con-
Vinced. 1t may be difficult or impossible 10
Comprehend the mind of Plato, but any one
who will study the analyses Of Prof. Jowett
tan understand his method.
We make the same distinction between a
man and bis methods for any great artist.
Sargent the man We may not understand,
the methods Of Sargent the painter are 10 be
Understood by any one who win give enough
ktudy and skill to their comprehension.
II We compare the works Of two great artists
who have treated the same subject IA sculpture
or in painting the point becomes perfectly
clear. In speaking OF tho poets let Us begin
far of. let us take Pope. Probably all would
ngree that both the man and his method were
not too difficult TO master. Let us take Spenser
or Milton. Different as they are-great men.
great artists study and sympathy will enable
us to understand them.
Dante? The case begins to complicate it,
eelf. There may be scholars who can COM
pass the man. Dante: but to most of us it is
denied to make u thorough synthesis between
him who wrote the vita Nuova' and him who
wrote the Inferno" More or less We compre-
bend, but finally we are, most Of us. forced
20 the admission that Dante, the man. is not
known 10 us as is the gentle Spenser, or Mil
ton, or Dryden. or Pope. OF them We know,
or we may know, both man and method. With
Dante we cannot fully know the man. How
is it with his method? Here, again. the case
Is difficult, but finally, II is not presumptuous
10 say that his method may be known in spite
of the centuries that separate rs from him.
Study the Italy Of his day, the philosophy Of ST.
Thomas, the history of Florence and the Em-
pire, the beginnings Of Italian art and learn
ing, and il is not unfair to say. with humility,
that this mans method, too, we know, or
may know.
II the distinction between u man and his ar
tistic method here begins to be shadow. we
have only TO recur 10 Plato with Jowett's
notes. or to the works OF great painters or
sculptors. Now passing in review the greatest
literary artists of all time It will be agreed
probably that there is no artist but Shake
speare whose method is and remains an utter
mystery. There are great men, a few-Dante
and shakespeare among them who, as men,
are and reuain inexplicable. There is only
one writer. at least in English literature, for
whom We are forced to say that both his work
end himself are complete enigma.
The man shakespeare Will, in all likelihood,
temain 10 Subsequent generations what he
Is to lis. His method has In the past remained
4 mystery just because he was an unparalleled
mortal" There has been no method Ike his
Suppose that We can now select from among
our contemporaries two men, each far inferior
10 Shakespeare in genius, IN scope, in power.
but each Of them with methods in many re-
spects like his own. II We can verilablv point
out such writers they at once become Of the
highest possible interest, They deserve study
not only for their own extraordinary genius.
but still more because OF the light such study
will throw upon a genius far more extraor-
binary still, upon the greatest genius English
letters has Known. II i, the argument
Of this paper that We now have examples Of
The sort.
Let Va see precisely what Is sought TO be
explained and what il eXpiicable. No dlSsec-
zion Of brain or method can discover the i'm
pulse that inspired such "A line a, this epitome
Of an English springtime. The uncertain
glory OF an April day. Nor can We ever ar
i've at the foundation and basis Of the insight
and sympathy that drew 10 the life such
characters as Lear, Hdmlet. OiisVO. Rosniiud.
Jsssicd. From the ideal world Of philosophy
and poetry We must descend 70 the world Of
sctualities, to the world OF nature. art, science,
technics. learning, and inquire how and bv
what methods Shakespeare obtainei his
vast acquaintance with the world as il j..
Volumes have been written TO exhibit Shake
opeare's learning in medicine. in botany. in
ornithology, in the law, in angling and wood
craft. &c. HIS traditional exploits as a poacher
and a country life may explain his familiarity
with the arts of venerv and his KNOWLEDGE of