New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-08-18
LITERARY NOTES.

OF Saturday next, August %. the scrihner,
VII publish the last novel ever 10 appear from
tas pen OF the late Henry Seton Merv:rnan This
is THE Last hope" the story which, we have
prov.ousI, noted deals with an attempt made
20 place rpcr the French tarone young man
supposed to be cescended from louis XVI and
Marie An.oirette-
The Norwegian author Alexander Kieland.
-yfo IS well known In his country the
writer oe numerous snort stories and novels (his
published works running 10 more than twenty
voIrnses), has no: been made very familiar to
American readers. the only volume by him
published "a this country which recall IS the
COLLECTION OF short pieces called Tales of Two
Countries" which the Harpers brought out In
their "odG Number" series some twelve or thir-
teen Gears ago. This fall are TO have a
further taste Of his quality III the shape OF a
translation b. Rebecca Blair F;andrsu OF his
novel entitled Professor LovdahL" Mr.. kiel-
land is hfty-fve years old. After studying
the law he engaged in brickmaking as a prep
a-ation for a literary career. Like Ibsen, he
has radical ideas and. again ike the noted
PLAYWRIGHT possesses vide knowledge OF for
eign literature Herbert B. Turner 81 Co. Will
issue the translation Of Professor Lovdahl
.he titular hero of which is said TO be man
who makes his way to social and political sue
cess through hypocrisy. love of money and other
dubious forces.
Twenty-one volumes have now been published
In the reprint Of 1.-The Mermaid Series Of the
Elizabethan Dramstists," imported here by
Charles Scribner's Sons. The original edition
was admirably put together, and must still be
priced by many readers. but the reprint is in
dubitabiy attractive The narrow page and thin
paper go 70 make book that is really light in
the hand. and the old cloth binding. with its
dainty decorations In gold. could not be improved
upon for the purpose. Moreover, room is being
found In the reprint for dramatists who were I'M
eccounta bly, omitted from the scheme as il was
first projected Thus the volumes recently re-
ceived include two given TO Dryden and one
given to his foolish foe. Thomas ShadwelL Pro-
fessor Saintsbury edits both selections 1t is In
seresting TO find this old student and editor or
glorious John speaking. after years of acquaint-
ance with the subject. in a decidedly critical
vein He believes that Dryden shows want Of
nghtness on the comic side and a want of pathos
on the tragic, and. indeed. goes so far as to
deny to the dramatist action. character and
completeness Of effect" Why. therefore reprint
s.Almanzor and Almahide" Marriage la
Mode" "Aureng-Zebe." "Al for Love-" 1.-THE
Spanish Frfar," and so on? Because, Professor
6sintsbury replies. the plays are full of aston
fishing evidences of literary craftsmanship and
OF its result in good literature. Any one
who reads them will find Filings for bulky
commonplace book IN the shape Of passages in
stinct with criticism OF life itself. charged with
weighty sense. pointed with keen wit and pol
ashed phrase. and driven home by the most as
eonishing force Of intellect
Dryden can stand pretty severe criticism;
6hadwell needs all possible consideration and
Professor Saintsbury treats the author of Bury
Fair with marked amiabty. He seems to
think that Drydens castigation OF his ribald
contemporary ought not to be forever cited as
proof that Shadwell was a dramatist. alto
gether impossible. It is admitted that he did
not know how to write. that he had no STYLE
that he was dull fat. garrulous. coarse, and in
other ways dspleasing. But Professor Saints
bury maintains that the plays he has selected
from this almost forgotten figure of the seven
teenth century worth reading vivid pict-
ures Of manners. Continuing, he says:
He had powers. and remarkable ones. =.
Scott and Macauiay were different persons enough
when he saw it, and each saw it in Shadweii
With all his skill in points OF the playwrghts
art. is constrained to regret that Shadwell did
not live TO practise the Jess difficult art Of the
and transcript would have stood him in excellent
stead. and might have enabled him to produce
let's or destitute of terseness and wit than
Let SRy one turn 70 the Play scene
4. aet e all wen written; dozen piay@rights
would have pointed the speeches better and made
ThTe is Nothing sHf ike eOW IN b wbo alive It IL
work Of DRYDEN. nothing equal TO il. ! think. in
. his he aad as have sad. no small share Of
spsa IN his s e pRTf Win an6 6rs sm geercs
gwen ayscio no t0 yeFg T Intimate practical knowledge
eaa.y work often is it appears to me 10 70
Yossess marks which. as have been assured By
marks Of acting drama-rnarks which may be
present IN 7,sS scribe and absent in GautLer but
shs 9.aes sac tn: literary side are present IN
these marks are and how thew diep from the ~n5t
eral literary characteristics Of OF the char
ssre = may Be sufficient 70 say that with all
Esnce. ] seem 10 see in him the parts which lend
themselves TO an actor for effective rendering the
without perpIexing and troubling IL tbe soitns
and situations which satisfy that audience the
% The stage generally. and aptitude for the stage
The authorship OF the willy" poems must
continue 60 occupy the attention Of the literary
detectives II was attributed IN The Tribune
The other day. on what seemed good authority
so Mr. Hamilton Wright Mabie but later in
formation deprives that versatile man of letters
OF the honor. We hope that the mystery NAV
not long remain unsolved
Gr. Arthur B. Maurice and Mr.. Frederic IT
Cooper have given In Tho History OF the Nine.
teenth Century in Caricature' Oodd. Mead &
COB at interesting account OF one of the nost
p!quant and amusing OF subjects Thew start
reasonably enough. from the assumption that
while the art OF car!cature is az ancient prob-
ably. as antiquity Itself the caricaturist '.was
as one crying tn the wilderness" until the print
ing press came TO his aid. Even then he re-
CURED further facilities. easy reproductive proc
esses' photography. and so on. The present vol