New-York tribune., 1900-10-13
SENTIMENTAL TOMMY. 4
tIE SEQUEL TO THE STORY OF HIS
BOYHOOD.

TOMMY AND GRIzEL. By James N BsTris; ris,oIi. Il.
Sons.
An author who without any straining after
effect contrives to write in such manner that
his work could not be mistaken for that of any
body else has won half the battle When his
originality is in itself pleasing, he seems toll
erably sure Of the other half Then enters
however the question of whether his other
gifts keep pace with the one that lies on the
surface. whether he can create people and situ-
ations as interesting as the style in which they
are enveloped If the: answer is a favorable one
and springs instantly to the lips we may be
sure we are in the presence of a master. II II
halts we are not necessarily ready to aoanooh
him on the spot but it leaves US wary. MT
Barrie left US in that state Of mind over SEN
timental Tommy four years ago. ana now ms
SEQUEL 10 the book is equally puzzling. The per-
scnal favor of the earlier novel pervaoes
Tommy and GrizeT' and invites the reader
There is the same demure humor, too and there
Is the insight into character which we feel would
somehow desert the author if he were TO turn
his face away from his beloved Thrums, but is
nevertheless beguiling in its way. the portrait
ure that suggests loving intimacy WIN oiu
friends rather than a seeing eye for the pIo"'
traits Of humanity. There is also alas the am
r,iguity that waits on whimsical a concep-
ton of what is required of a novelist
The vague, indeterminate atmosphere oI 'iie
London scenes in which things nominally rep
resentative of life IN the metropolis are subtly
deprived of their natural juices, so that they
seem described not realized, may easily be
o,,erloolzed In this as in Sentimental Tommy,
the spirit OF Thrums is the thing But return
ing to that element in Tommy and Grizel" one
is disconnected by its uneven potency some
times food of light is let in upon Tommy-ho"
r Sands, a literary celebrity-but be1ore lhe
reader has fixed his grasp on the mans cnarac-
ter il has escaped him again. figure that mas
promised to convince US of its reality resumes
its !nsubstantial, dehumanized aspect 1e"
definite lines Of structural development can be
identified in the story. Tommy coming up 10
London to seek his fortune; Tommy learning to
make literature; Tommy following the lure of
sentimentaIity into slippery places; Tommy WOO
ing Grizel losing her, wooing another woman
returning to Grizel and ultimately meeting MS
death in a situation fraught with emotions IN
spired by both loves and by his passion for
his art-Tonmy In all these phases furnishes
the novel with something like plot But Mr.
Barrie cares nothing for plot. His aim ap-
pears rather to be the portrayal Of Tommy the
disentangling of the warning impulses in his
hero's heart and the exhibition of them, sep
arately and in fruitful conflict. as human truths.
he WISHES 10 lay DSIc tllC SCSAStS VI N NN---
I.erament. Here is where he fails. because here
is where he needs something more than an ac-
ouatntance with Thrums characteristics, if he
As 10 make an accurate analysis of genius sup
posed to rise above the Thrums level.
The tyranny of the type" in modern fiction is
a hore because In nine cases out of ten it means
simply the photographing of superficial traits,
plenty of local color and no heart But it is
a commonplace Of criticism that the types we
remember as though for themselves alone-Don
ouixote. Colonel Newcorne, Micawber, Pere Co
riot Sir Willoughby Patterue, Tess. and so on
through a long list are Immortal because the
stamp Of universally is upon them. Possibly it
is taking Tommy seriously to look for the
same stamp in his case, yet is not that the
very thing that Mr.. Barrie has sought to put
upon him? The author, as we have seen, su-
bordinates incident III this novel. 1t is a mans
nature in travail that he has aimed to depict-a
high ambiion-and just because the book is
projected on so serious a plane we test it by the
severest standard. and regret the more to find
Il imperfect We feel that Mr.. Barrie has tried
10 do something beyond his powers. His CLEANS
Of fun are so natural. so true, like him, that
we read on and on, watching for them and
smiling when they come The paragraphs on
Tommy in new spiritual dilemmas, the brief
flashlights on Grizels curious character, the
vignettes of Corp Shiach. Cathro and other
notabilities Of Thrums, often satisfying
that intermittently We feel new confidence in
the probable soundness Of the book as a whole.
But the hesitancy. the blindness. the futility of
author out Of his depth. will not let the con-
fdence endure. With the best will in the world
TO find Tommy and Grizel" a first rate novel,
reluctantly conclude that it must be classi-
fed with the disappointments Of contemporary
fiction. It represents an opportunity charming
ly played with, but not authoritatively seized
and used as a stepping stone to the production
OF a finished work OF art.