The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-01-17
Shakespeare 90 Eis Time.

SHAKESPEARE ana MS 41kl1E-
Shakespeare and His Forerunners,'
by Sidney Lanier. is one of the most
sumpuous of the holiday books and
The reader finds r.ch reward not only
in its text. but in he quaint and curl
Gus Illustrations with which 1t Is filed,
Il is made up Of lectures delivered by
Lanier in Baltimore some twenty years
ago. not very Ions before mis- death. The
lectures have remained in manuscript
from that time to this, and are now
given to the public by Henry Wysham
Lanier, With a brief explanatory pref
ace
The public is aware that LanieT was
poet of unique genius. but it is much
less commonly known that ne was
scholar of singular thorouehness and
enthusiasm. and that his knowledge of
The history of English literature was
above that even OF the scholarly men
Of his own time. HIS work or The
English Novel; has long been a v&luable
book OF reference in college classes in
English literature and composition, and
this was not his only work along that
line In these lectures On Shakespeare
however, he is revealed as fhe type Of
scholar who delves in old Libraries and
manuscripts from sheer love OF the
task. and. not content With knowing
what other men expect and wish him
10 know. brings to light a store of in
formation which tEey would never have
thought even of seeking
To those who have known him only as
poet il will produce a sensation moth
ing short of amazement that in one life
man should have been able to under
stand not only his own arts-for LanieT
was both g musician and poet-but
The art of other men, so well and 50
truly. It is rare indeed that the crea-
tive intellect is also appreciative, and
that we are enabled TO know men of ge-
MUS as other men Of genius see them
with any degree of Justice or truth This
is one OF the extraordinary oppOTtuni-
ties. The personality OF I<anier, thai
pure and strong ana gentle individuality
which all his readers know, is in every
chapter. and the vivid imagination and
command Of language which pictures foI
us the age of Shakespeare IS the same
WHICH DIDuELL INTO tAE 4AeA-t VI sum ts't
the Marshes OF Glynn, and made The
SYMPHONY literally the poetry OF mu-
sic.
Those who expect 10 find in this book
a dissertation on Shakespeare as dra-
rnatist viii, however. fail to discover
anything of the kind II is occupied al
most entirely with the consideration o.
Shakespeare as a poet and as a master
OF English. Lanier perhaps took The
view, which is allowable, that Shake
speare chose the drama for the express
sion of his marvellous genius because +
was the most effective form possible II
his day. not because he was essential!
a dramalist. or because the drama i
essentially the highest form of Ilterar,
expression. At any, rate. we have her
a detailed consideration Of Shakespeare
style. ard of the sonnets. and Of certail
illustrative passages in various plays
but almost nothing about the drama
most commonly selected for stage pre-
sentation at the present time. This
again, may be due to the time at which
the lecturer lived Twenty years ag
the drama was less prominent ia tn
life OF the reading American. as com
pared with poetry, than # Is now; an,
the audience which Lanier addresse
was concerned primarily with the poeti
and not the dramatic quality IN Htera
ture. However that may be. We hav
had plenty of books about Shakespear
the dramatist, and there is room enougl
for literature about other phases OF hi
manifold nature.
a surprising feature OF the book Il
many readers. will be the capacity fo1
careful study which it reveals in the su
thor The poetry of Lanier is in effec
peculiarly spontaneous and natural, al
1gost careless; its eadences seem as un
studied as a birds song The fact is
however. that these effects were produc
ed by a study of the laws Of ART so pro
found as TO make careless dIction al
impossibility. Lanier was probably n.
first American author 10 recognize full,
the intimate relation between color
rhythm and thought. though many refer
ences 10 this relation are TO be fount