The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-07
NEW hooks.
Conhnued from Seventh Page.

nUnOII6tS, lhh,hctoy
felt a sharp twinge OF contrition. and TO
have recognized tina his personal obliga-
lions TO Sterne had been 40 great that he
ought TO have refrained from speaking
of him at all unless he could speak kindly
Dbd Thackeray discern a likeness In him
sslf to Sterne merely with respect to style,
or also as regards their fundamental at
tit,de toward their fellow beings. their
philosophy OF lfe' Was not that paper,
sAt Dessein's,- a kind Of death-bed con-
fession?
The capital feature Of the essay on George
Eliot Ia the sharp line drawn between her
earlier and comparatively spontaneous
compositions, and her later, and relatively
labored productions. Mr.. Brownen ex-
plains the difference which. from the view
point OF art as distinguished from psychol-
oey and ethics, is certainly re~grettable.
by the assumption that In the interval
George Elliot's temperament had become
u~bordinated to her interests. a Lis a
very interesting, and probably correct.
EXPLANATION OF an incontestable fact. The
c-onseuuence OF the subordination are thus
indicated: when one considers the po-
tentialiues Of the author Of The Mill on the
Yoss'-a work in which passion and the
Olmult Oh II boub aiV "
lived. but sympathetically portrayed with
,,nm,ruassed yividness and elemental
power, a work which is undisputably one
Of the great literary epitomes OF the
patbos and tragedy Of human existence
h n hard 10 reconcile one self TO the evolu-
ticn In which temperament disappeared
m completely in devotion to the intellect
alone rs to result in the jejune artfciality
sR--.t Dosonla 80 Az n hanDRned.
the differentiation OF temperament to In
tepect was synchronous with a kind OF
revolution In George Eliot's private life
and relation to the world. It ia incredible
hat such a revolution should not have
had a profound effect upon the noveist
as well az on the woman. To trace that
effect would have required q delicate hand
hut MI. Brownell could have done II without
offending the most sensitive reader.
The concluding paragraph OF the essay
on George Eliot seems TO US a model OF
judicial condemnation, with whatever
limitations her position as a classic is doubt
lees assured There are types Of human
character Of which she has fixed the image
In striking individual incarnation for all
times; and her philosophy Ia OF an ethical
coRenoy and stimulant veracity that makes
her nUlOn one VI tlo hOehCicoe Ohs''S
tons ever made 10 the criticism OF
life. II IL none the less true. 20 be sure,
that h~ersurvival will mean the surrounding
of such obstacles to enduring fame as a
limited imaginative faculty. a defective
sense Of art. and an inordinate a~ggrandize-
ment of the purely intellectual element
In human character which implies an i'm
perfect sense OF the completeness Of human
-. ,,,rahanatxnn NJ
human life. But no other novelist gives
one such a poignant. sometimes such an
insupportable sense that life is immensely
serious: and no other, in consequence. Is
surer OF being read. and read indefinitely
by serious readers
In the last essay in this volume due hon.
age is rendered to the general intellectual
eminence OF George Meredith. About
this" Mr.. Brownell thinks, there can
be no manner Of doubt. 1T Is lofty. def
mite and impressive. No novelist has
% many ideas. He is the embodiment OF
culture, but he Is absolute ely independent,
and does his own thinking with noticeable
care and self reliance. He unites
with this distinction OF culture a wholly
extraordinary power of insight. His pene-
tration il wonderfully acute. And human
character is its true field. One can hardly
overpraise him here. At every turn you
are reminded of his having noted some
popularity Of thought, some trait elected
by certain circumstances. phenomena OF
mind and motive that you at once recog-
nize as true and often "a reconcile as we'll
George Meredith being thus qualified for
the composition Of prose epics, how are
We TO account for his lack Of voguei Mr..
Brownell, no doubt, lays his finger on the
cause when he notes that the defect one
feels most sensibly Ia Mr.. Meredith's organ
ization IL his lack Of temperament. II
n this that extracts the SAVIOR from his
originality. He has. II n chooses. the
temperament 81 the dilettants. But the
characteristic Of the dilettants really IL
absence 81 temperament, Lk It's far
less frequent. but also far less indispensable
snalo que. genius, Temperament In much
more easily felt than dehned
'It " approximately 10 bs descnbed,
however, ~ individuality ~ disposition.
quite apart from intellectual constitution.
which, nevertheless. II Influences. direots
and NJ times ever coerce- II l. Of the
essence 81 the personal nature 81 which
Tire msr.ly intellectual expression l. IN
oomparson AN attribute IL supplies hot
only the color bat the energy n any -I.rsonAl
point 81 view OF way q boxing ~ thing
IL h the ih~oAloulabl" elsm.nt M tho human
composition. tho fura. through which
the ahef. m. n T. through ,empora
msnt thai character oTsaniDs is traits
inlo a c-ntfal aud o1l.sr.nt e~nirionry o
a. thI.. ~ofds ~ bru~h.ll would d.hns
tsmpssan.sst a. '.isrsy sno-ntuaubs I-f
sHaiity' iLs adds 'onItnal and IA
dulaiaias ~ Ne hsf-iiuh sunits L.. hs
t.s~aAiiiy y pi" b.iy siAi 80 never f,-l
a. him u Il 49, ~ ell that b. L. shai
as.-i a. ~ oal.sl 'utJ-1uy. that. lao
klskssp-.is b. dss 49, 'aiads ouI gus-
uon' a. u uat d. isi@ T. sIui,s d a.
4 astAisa sfasfs ul4si,s blt Ia stiuG.
lsiss 80 aunssiy
Tisss l. aSoflF . sautssias a. tao sulaa.s
.iAA uE fsasisI suaii 90 uialik w. 90
s.Issasstis 10 sm u-a4 ~ nsss 60
saadlHs lsa a. a. 49, H-s ~i4aL 80 /
ssftaa a. u.aaass iias siid fiafs D.
n@g nfsa 49, . l@-sss ~ikh 81 No.
ssiHs su sssn nisH asF lHf b. sM az
saig ntsd u.si us fssh \ go fsaasss
~ ua ssfirsH ia tas ssaltlns