The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-30
SOME NEW ROCKS.
Sa,n, sbury's Iiistor, Of Criticism.

Saintsbury's History Of Criticism.
At the time Of its publication We directed
attention to the first volume Of A History
Of Criticism and Literary Taste in Europe
from the earliest texts to the present day.
by GEORGE SAINrsBrRy Dodd. Mead Coz.
The first volume carried us from the begin
nings of Greek criticism to the outset OF
the Renaissance In the second volume.
now lefore us, the author traces the history
of c,iticism from the Renaissance TO the
decline Of eighteenth-century orthodoxy.
The book is intended primarily for English
readers. but "A large proportion OF the SIX
hundred pages are allotted to an exposition
Of the indebtedness Of English criticism 10
Italy in the sixteenth century. TO france
In the seventeenth and to Germany at the
end Of the eighteenth century. While the
extent Of these obligations IN acknowledged.
the author is not one Of those who, like the
late Matthew Arnold, is disposed 10 depre-
ciate English criticism, as compared with
the critical work done on the Continent.
Prof Saintsbury holds IL not tn be true thar 4.
with the doubtful exception OF Sainte-
BeIye. foreign countries have had any
critics greater than has England. and he
Questions whether all of them. even put
together have had so many great ones
In everything but mere superficial con-
sistency DRYDEN IL regarded as head and
shoulders above Boileau as critic. and
,oIcridge-who will ~ discussed In the
concluding volume. not yet published
A. head shoulders and body above the
Schl.rels, whom he followed In our au-
thor. opinion. Matthew Arnold himself
with less range. equity and sureness than
Sainte -Beuve. has a finer literary taste and
touch As within the scope Of the present
notice it would lie impossible TO accompany
Prof Saint-hury through the fifteen chap
ter Of this volume. packed es they are with
the fruits of an unparalleled amount OF re-
search. we shall mainly confine ourselves
% indicating the value Of the work by con-
dcnsing what he has TO say about Ben JON
ION. Dryden and DR. Johnson. who were
the three greatest English critics of the
sixteenth seventeenth and eighteenth CEN
turies-we associate Ben Jonson with the
sixteenth century on general grounds, al
though his critical writings. in the strict
order Of time. helong to the first third Of
the yenteentb.
We ought first. however. with the help
Of summaries embodied 10y the author him
self in so-called "lnterchspters," to state
a. concisely as possible the conclusions at
which he arrives The purpose Of the fist
Intcrchapter is to describe the rise Of the
classcnl-critcal attitude; of the second. to
set forth the constituted creed or code which
was explicitly assented to, or by implica-
ton accepted. throughout two of the three
Il. lou, in In IN.
of rel els. in the third Interchapter are con-
cen,rated the results Of the authors analysis
of the neo-classioal criticism. considered
az a whole
The purport of that part Of the present
volume which deals with the earlier phases
Of the evolution Of modern criticism in the
sixteenth century. or, more exactly. in the
overlapping Renaissance, will lie found
summed up on page 2s4 in the final para
graph Of an Interchapter: We have here
seen il 1.-THE neo-olassic dispensationl in its
period Of origins. and, without endeevor-
ing to add too many strokes 10 the picture
We may point to the fresh illustration Of
that principle which was adumbrated AT
the close Of the last volume. We saw that
the tendency Of Greek criticism was good.
because, whether II was perfect criticism
in itself or not. il was exactly the criticism
needed vet further 10 perfect the projections
Of Greek literature. and that much the
same was the case In Latin. We saw that
the Quiescence Of criticism in media val
times permitted the gracious Wilding Of
medieval art to flourish unchecked and All
the waste places of the field. But here lin
the later Renaissance periodl We see a new
thing. limited at before, the opposition, that
il to say, of criticism to at least the lest
creations Sidney's dramatic criticism
simply would. If il could. sweep Shakes
peare from rerum nature, and he looks half
askance at the work Of hia own familiar
friend Spenser Ben Jonson would put the
Tamerlunes and Tdmerchdms in the dusthin
To that untamahle. romantic Insurance
which makes the glory Of English literature
at the time. which gives French most Of it's
actual strength. and which. in failing meas
ure, still supports the pride Of Italy. the
general tendency Of Renaissance criticism
opposes a perpetual Thou shalt not II is
not too much hccded-that would have
been disastro,is-but it is needed to some
extent. and that is sautary. A kind Of
check is put on the too wild curvettinss
the too meteoric flights Of Pegasus There
the beginning, and Cleveland at the end
might have too truly expressed our own
great age: that the odd word-coinage OF
the Pltiade 1.-THE term applied to group OF
Ronsard's contemporaries and the taste
less rococo stuff OF French literature about
1910, nigh, have done the same for France
Against this the critics raised uncessing
voices and. though the voices we're some
times those Of geese. they really did some
thing to save the Capitol
What was the creed which had gradually
been evolved by the critics Of the Renais-
sanoc which, Ivy the year 1900. had come
very near to formulated existence, and
before the end of the seventeenth CEN
tury, had become orthodox and accepted
as whole; Prof Saintsbury holds that
this creed may he set forth as follows: 10
On the higher and more abstract questions
Of poetry (Which are by no means to he
neglected. Aristotle is the guide: but the
meaning of Aristotle is not always self
evident even so far al IL goes and II some
TIRES requires experimenting Poetry is
the imitation of nature: but this imitation
may he carried on. either by copying nature
a. ii is, or 10y inventing things which do not
actually exist. and have never actually
existed. but which conduct themselves
according to the laws Of nature and reason
Tie poet is not public nuisance. but quite
the contrary He must. however. both