The Washington times., 1904-07-31
Maeterlinck's Women.
Huneker Detects the Dramatist's Wife
in His Characters.

As Maeterlinck's early works dealt al
ways with the emotion of terror. writes
James Huneker. one might suppose that
his women would be either midnight
hays, foul and secret, or else supple,
snakelike creatures. with souls of de-
mons and the clear and shining eyes Of
angels. But they are neither. Mr. Hun
eker finds that all the women which the
Belgian poets art has created are varia-
lions upon two distinct types, the one
represented by the Princess MaIeine. the
other by Norma Wanna OF these two
types MIR. Huneker says C'Harpers Ba-
Ear july:
"Maleine is the primltif type of girl
hood that may be seen on the canvases
of Jan Eyck. Lucas van Leyden, and
later in the pictures of the pre-Raphael-
itic group. For years and through other
plays her chiIdlike and many-colored
soul, naif eyes, and quaint questioning
of life that was for her as the distant
sea breaking on the dunes, fascinated
her author. She was a seemingly mex
haustible problem. He considered her as
Maleine; as the maiden In Intruder the
girl in The Blind as all of the Seven
Princesses; as Meiisande in 'Pelleus and
Melisande;' as Alladine in 'Alladine in
Falomides;' as the little Prince In The
Death OF Tintagiles'-a mere variation OF
sex; the nature is essentially the same:
as Selysctte in 'Agiavaine and Sely-
settle and perhaps traces of her may be
seen in .Barbe- Bleu. With Norma Van
ma we encounter another woman who
dares. who faces dish onor and death for
a profoundly noble sentiment And in
Joyselle, produced in Paris last sum
mer, we may notice a cunning blending
of Maleine and Vanna-of trusting
young womanhood and devotion that de-
fies the spells OF Merlin for the sake OF
a unique love
Properly speaking. then. Maeterlinck
thGS s>ar has only given US these two
and widely differentiated types. unless
Aglayaine be viewed as a femme sa-
vante. a woman whose friendship, well
meant. slowly Stays the soul OF Sely-
settle And there are variations of the
ingenious maidens. little girls, usually
their contldantes, younger sisters to
whom they say infantile things before
launching into the tragic darkness"
Maeterlincks second type Of woman
belongs, we are told. 10 the latest phase
Of his art Norma Wanna" was writ
ten In 1902 This play is 80 tremen-
dously dynamic, so extremely unlike his
eariier dramas" says Mr.. Huneker. chat
one must look for some subjective hap
pen : as a reason. The explanation,
we read. is quite simple. Maurice
Maeterlinck. poet. dramatist. and philos-
opher. met the fate of other nlen-he
fell in love and married his love; he
adores her as his wife, and her name Is
Georgette Leblanc" His marriage. says
Mr.. Huneker. accelerated his evolution
from mystic 10 philosopher of reality
The necessity OF pleasure of writing a
role suitable to his wife a gifted actress
doubtless caused him to create that
ma & ficent specimen of dauntIess
uon.anhood. Giovanni. wife of Colonna.
and called by him Norma Wanna
MT Huneker detects Poe's influence in
MaeterIncks fashioning Of his feminine
characters of the earlier type The
shadowy. almost incorporeal creatures.
compounded of fantasy and flame. who
wrafthlike. glide through the somber
pages Of Poe. have their anaIogues, -
We read. in the maids and child-w wives
OF Maeterllnck."
"A master psychologist" says Mr.
Huneker. ''Maeterlinck has exposed The
virginia. soul. and painted with great
broad strokes the soul Of valiant
woman" We arc reminded that Maeter-
lircl himself has somewhere written;
Il have never met a single woman who
did not bring TO me something that was
great"