The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-29
NEW BOOKS.
Literature. Mainly English.

pear simultaneously ia more than crafty
ing. In The Text of Shakespeare" Charles
Scribner's sons Prof. Thomas r. Louns-
bury Of Yale University continues his
series Of enlightening dissertations on
-Shakespearian Wars" He tells here OF
the conflict between Pope and Theobald
in a brilliant piece OF writing, which, in
spite Of his difidence, is likely to bring
Theobald tolife again FOR the general public,
on course that does not mean the man in the
street. To him even Pope, save for the
Essay on Man. is merely a name. There
are plenty Of people, however, with some
literary taste who do not pretend to be
| specialists in Shakespeare who will read
Prof. Lounsbury's bright pages with pleas
ure and interest and be glad TO learn the
result Of his researcher. II is delightful.
for it is by no means common, to come
upon a ripe scholar who believes it his
duty to digest his materials thoroughly
before he presents the results he derives
from them to the public.
Another thoroughly scholarly and at the
same time attractive volume is the English
Literature From the Norman Conquest to
Chaucer," by Prof. William Henry Schofeld
Of Harvard University (Macmillans). 1t il
hidden in a series of six volumes Of much
Tespectability, the other contributors to
which are the Rev. Stopford A. Brooke, Prof.
! George Saintsbury and Mr.. Edmund Gosse,
names that have some authority, but hardly
inspire enthusiasm in those who have to
I do with literary history. At first blush it
might seem that a volume OF 500 pages
devoted to En- glish literature before Chaucer
was disproportionate to any literary history.
but Prof. Schofeld has performed a task
which so far as we know has been under
taken by nobody before him. He has de-
scribed the whole literature of medieval
England, the Latin and the Norman French
writer's a. well m the En- glish. and has
arranged his matter not according to au-
thors, who are of relatively little importance,
but according to subjects. This is the
method the French have adopted and is
now introduced into I'm glish. 1t enables
the author to give Conference to matter that
would be otherwise confused and TO present
the extremely interesting subject of the
romance, for instance. the legends OF
Charlemagne and Arthur and the rest in a
manner at once scientific and comprehensi-
bic. II is an admirable handling OF a very
difficult task.
A wholly different form of Harvard
activity is shown in Prof. j.. II. GARDENERS
The Bible as En- glish Literature" Charles
Scribner's sons. While one part Of the I
En- glish department is busted with serious
scholarly research. another part is occu-
pied with teaching youth how to write
En- glish. This has emitted various books
remarkable rather as the expression of the
authors opinions than IA contributions
to learning. They are Intended to popu-
larize and spread what may seem somew hat
obvious truths. In his preface Prof.
Gardiner tells us that 1T il obvious that
no literary criticism of the Bible could hope
for SUCCESS that was not re weren't in tone"
Shades of Cotton Mather and all the Puritan
fathers! IL il a long stretch from their !
fr-t fruits OF New England to a Harvard
instructor patting the King James version
Of the BibLe on the head before a mixed
audience in the Lowell institute lectures.
The originator of this form of diffusion
of Harvard knowledge, Prof. Barrett Ven
dell, presents in Liberty, Union and Democ- |
raCy" Charles Scribner's Sonsl the amiable
lectures with which he enlightened The SOF-
bonne about his native land. When The
interChang e Of professors between Europe ,
and America began the French example
Of sending here ladylike lecturer who could
talk down 10 rather ignorant baTbsrians
seems TO have impressed Harvard. Prof. !
Wendell was greeted enthusiastically in
Paris. This volume will crafty the curl
osity Of those who wish TO know hat he
said there.
Mr.. Edmund Gosse's definition OF Modern
English Literature" (Frederick A. Stokes \
Company COMPRISES everything from
Chaucer to Stevenson To nclud that
story in a volume Of 100 pages implies
limitations. The book has been before
the public for ten years and is now pub
lished in a ffth edition with many portraits.
eight of which are in photogravure.
The interest attaching to the unknown
will attract to DR.. Frederick Riedl's a
History Of Hungarian Literature Apple
tonsl. To most people it will bring up
only the memory OF some folk songs and
the names Of Pet0h and Maurus Jokai.
Many more names will he found in this
volume, "a we'll a. interesting chapters
on the people, the language and the history,
but we doubt IL the reader will feel after
perusing it that Hungarian literature "a
il stands will make it worth his while to
acquire the Magyar tongue.
It is pleasant in travelling tn follow a
definite object. as Mr.. Henry G. Shelley
does in Literary By-Paths Of Old Eng
land" Little, Brown and Company. He
has hunted out the places associated with
certain authors and in that way discovered
out OF the way corners in England. His
authors are Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney,
GRAY, Gilbert White, Goldsmith, Burns,
Keats, Carlyle and Tom Hood. He also tells
about William Penn and about Winchester.
He writes pleasantly and his photographs
are excellent and very interesting.