The sun., 1904-05-15
Ill.

From the writers OF Anne's Augustan
Age Thackeray caught the charm Of aim
plicity. From them he learned to practise
a rigorous exclusion OF barbarous or fan
tastic words, stern avoidance Of involved
sentences. Appropriate, but few. were
the ornaments Of his diction. Mr.. whitley
is inclined to think that the Augustan ideal
simpler mrnditiis may have impoverished
Thackeray's style, and that he would have
been greater for deeper consciousness OF
himself and his appearance. At the same
time. though ha loyalty followed the
simplifers Of our English tongue, he knew
and admired the better models. II We
assume, as We may, that Gen. Lambert Of
The virginians' waa his mouthpiece, he
loved Rabelais and Burton with constant
heart, though he did not admit their In
fiuence. Lamb he canonized, and he could
quote to excellent purpose Richard Graves's
Spiritual Quixote. q piece OF satire i'll
deserving the oblivion into which 1t has
fallen. Again, he tells US that Montaigne
and Howells Letters were his bedside
books II I wake at night said he, I
have one or other Of them to prattle me to
sleep again But 1t was not until he at
tanned the serene egoism OF the Round
about Papers that either OF these writer's
directed his footsteps; and. though they
solaced his sleepless nights, by temper and
sympathy he remained true Augustan."
II is we'll known that Thackeray had once
aspired to be q painter, and had worked in
a Partisan studio; indeed, he was draughts-
man, after fashion, all his life. Attention
Ia here directed to the fact-remarkable,
in view Of his early aspirations and ex-
periments-that seldom in his novels Is
he deliberately picturesque. He is more
deeply interested In his characters than in
!! their environment. He does not. like
the novelists Of our own day, ladle out his
local color from a full bucket. He may
weary the reader with tedious sermons; he
never tries his patience with purple pas
sages OF irrelevant description. Indeed.
he 80 sternly suppreeses the external world
that when you recall his novels you have
but q faint impression Of the scene on
|, which the drama Ia played. The few land
scapes which he does sketch produce
from their very rarity, an astonishing effect.
There is, for instance, a picture Of Baden
by night In The Newcomes' which presents
the whole scene without the waste OF q
word The lights twinkle in the booth
under the pretty lime avenues" thus the
pases ge runs: the hum OF distant voices is
heard; the gambling palace is all In blaze;
it Is an assembly night; and from the doors
Of the Conversation Rooms. as they open
and close, escape gusts Of harmony. Be-
hind. on the little hill. the darkling woods
lie calm, the edges Of the fir trees cut sharp
against the sky, which s clear with ores
cent moon.'"
J In spite Of his habitual vanity and occa-
sional arrogance. Thackeray was con-
scious-perhaps over conscious-of his
deficiencies. He was aware that he had
lived through the Romantic movement
without deriving much. II any, profit from
1t; he borrowed not much else from Balsac
than . trick OF keeping the characters he
had once created for another occasion.
, But. as Mr.. whitley notes. be wa moro
intent to preserve their napes than their
! personalities. and got little elss from ths
French literature, which he knew we'll,
than few superhuous Gallicisms OF his
own fancy he had not high opinion. -One
OF Dicksns's immense supcriorities over
me. he said, "s the great feoundlty Of hia
Imagination. Perhaps Bulwsr Ia better
than both oi u In this quality; his last book
written at hfty, Ia freeher than anything
he has ever done Our author comedies