New-York tribune., 1902-10-25
BRO WNING.
ANOTHER DEFENDER OF HIS FAME


POETRY OF ROBERT BROWNING. BY Stop
ford A. Brooke. NJ. A. With Frontispiece PoT-
trait Octave. pp- iii. AZ. Thomas Y. Crowel
The first paragraph in this book tacitly warns
readers Of Browning who are not lovers Of
Browning that they need not expect their mere
ly dispassionate and critical opinions 10 receive
any consideration whatever. 'Parnassus Apol-
los mount, the author says has two peaks.
and on these. for sixty years. from 1880 TO 1890,
two poets sat, till their right to these lofty peaks
became unchallenged. Beneath them. during
these years. on the lower knobs of the mount Of
song. many new poets sang with diverse instru-
ments various subjects and in manifold
ways. They had their listeners the MUSES. were
also their vistants: but none Of them ventured
seriously 10 dispute the royal SUBMITS where
Browning and Tennyson sat. and smiled at one
another across the vale between" We know
from OF Matthew Arnold's letters what he
thought Of his own poetry compared with that
OF Tennyson- But if we let pass a question
as 10 whether Browning or the late laureate re-
mained unchallenged by a contemporary poet
Mr.. Brooke's introduction would give pause
He is welcome 10 his opinion. but in assigning
Browning his lofty peak he wears too much of
the air Of stating a fact. All through this book
the authors systematic Interpretation Of his
hero's works is vitiated by the influence of the
always been challenged, if not by his fellow
poets. at any rate by a great body of readers
whose judgments are entitled TO respect. and,
despite Mr.. Brooke's confident tone. we venture
say that the challengers viii continue TO make
themselves heard for some time TO come.
The whole question turns upon point which
is Well brought out. though apparently with no
consciousness Of its essential significance by Mr..
Brooke himself. Noting that Tennyson had
fifty years Of recognition. Browning barely ten.
and adding that Ito who now know Brown
inE this seems strange thing" he proceeds to
explain why appreciation of his poet fingered so
long in coming, and why it came in the end.
During the years between 1860 and 1890 he
CUES. science and criticism were predominant.
Their determination to penetrate to the root Of
a thing made change in the general direction
OF thought and feeling the main subjects of
life. Analysis became dearer TO men than syn
thesis reasoning than imagination Doubtful
questions submitted TO intellectual decision
alone" Browning, according to Mr.. Brooke, de-
veloped in poetry this tendency to the intel
lectual analysis OF human nature" The result
is thus neatly stated
When the tendency of which I speak had col
Jared the interest of society. society, with great
and ludicrous amaZement, found him out. Here
is a man." il said. who has been doing in poetry
for the last thirty years the very thing of which
lightful and varied subtlety. We will read him
now So Browning. anticipating by thirty
years the drift Of the world. was not read at first
but afterward. the world having reached him,
he became favored poet
This must leave the reader who is not
Broxningite somewhat out of breath A favored
pOet9 The phrase is hardly exact. If we are
TO agree that one goes to a poet simply for the
intellectual analysis OF human nature" IL is all
very well. But most OF go 10 the poet for
poetry first last and all the time. Browning
gives poetry only by fits and starts. and in a
measure which makes II the simplest thing in
the world 10 gather all his really poetical work
within the covers Of a single small volume. No
che denies his variety his human interest or
his intellectual strain.-though the power Of his
intellect has been greatly overestimated. But
that he is rich in lyrical impulse. in poetic die
tion in poetic magic. has often, and with rea-
son. been denied; it is Idle therefore to treat
him throughout volume Of more than four
hundred pages though he dwelt by right on
one of the high peaks Of Parnassus. Not all the
light that Browning throws upon human char
acter. luminous it often is. can atone for the
all but complete absence from his verse Of
The light that never was. on sea or land:
The conservation, and the Poets dream
Lacking an appreciation of this fact Mr..
Brooke writes much that is interesting about
his poets ideas. but leaves US unconvinced OF
his poets immortality. Browning. like George
Meredith. has much genius that he is bound
to impose himself upon large numbers Of read
ers. But while may find i'm THE Ring and
the Book we find in The Egost." things
which do not Ike 10 yield to oblivion. we
cannot forget. with the masters in our mind.
that the English language is governed by laws
which II is perilous 20 set at naught.