New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-13
literary Nes0s
and Criticism.
4 Book Reriuirg an old Tradition in
English Fiction.

Holt 90
rse reviewer Of this book finds himself con-
..ontee. al The outset. By a serious obstacle.
= :, The kind Of book about which il is embar-
.-si,~ and even little absurd. to write re-
-, 81 ALL in thc strict technical sense OF the
-, How can any appeal be made 10 the
,-l.epies governing the art Of fiction. in the
-. n a book which abides by 10 rule, and
. =. remains whcn all is said beautiful work
:. .rf? only r pedant could drag IN matters
- Forrn and the like. with reference To a work
- ir-erpenetrated with human tenderness that
.bs laving Of academically critical hands upon
!, ms. seem merely an act Of obtuse imperti-
,snoe Joseph Vance" is at once representa-
.ive and unique. II revives the best tradition of
che victorian era. when new masterpiece of
action vas read by many thousands, but the
chest seller was still happily unknown. Thack-
.-av Dickens and Trollope wrote spacious books
IN those DAYS. books in which the reader moved
vound as in a roomy world and came 10 cherish
,te companions he found there. as amongst the
INST endesring souls he knew. Those books were
written on the side Of the angels and no one
found them old-fashioned. II was left 10 the
li.,le minds Of later generations 10 prefer the
rrimy facts Of Continental realists TO the I'M
blushng goodness Of the English romancers.
Buf the old tradition has never really lost its
svav. the old standards endure. and not only
sre there countless readers still faithful TO
them but as the present volume shows, we
lave in Mr.. De Morgan novelist worthy or
the old school. He has written just such book
as his famous predecessors were wont 10 write
a book TO turn round in, a long. absorbing and
ennoblinE story He writes in the Old vein'
with difference. and on that difference hangs
as is proper. much Of his success.
Technical criticism of a novel looks narrowly
20 the question Of design. masterpiece OF
nit Eai
n, its detachment as a constructive fabric. from
everything written before or after H. II Is q
suprerne invention. a thing bodied forth from
The authors imagination and given an existence
similar TO that Of great painting. You can
not think of il without thinking OF the personal
force that created II. The singular quality OF
"JoseFsh Vance" is that of a record as dlstlh-
euished from that Of invention. 1t IS shce
Of human life: il is SO much experience III
which by a process Of art that eonceals me
arr. the reader is permitted to share. No better
story told for the story's sake has been pro-
duced in the fiction Of our time. yet it is not
,l,ro,eb the customary sequence OF dramatic
enisoaes that the tale is made effective The
stress is laid upon character. and il is in his
handling of this best of all literary clements
that the author makes the finest revelation OF
his originality.
The eupposititious narrator unfolds his life and
character from childhood practically 10 old age
hut never did the hero of novel get himseh
celebrated with more unobtrusiVe use OF the
personal pronoun. Joe Vance has his love
story il ever the hero Of a novel had one out
his iii written autobiography colored as it IS
from beginning 10 end by this romance. is new
ertheless SO well written that in the course OF
more than Eve hundred pages it does not once
slip into sentimentality. If Joe describes HIM
self or his emotions he does so with freedom
from eelf-consciousness that allows the essen
tlals Of his story 10 steal, as il were, into the
readers mind. All along we find ourselves
growing in intimacy with his personality and
character. but we would be hard put TO il TO
say just where, IN just what specific terms,
Mr. De Morgan had made us acquainted with
this or that trait in his hero. Joe is not eX-
planned: he is there. like any other human being
with whom we have come in actual contact. and
we may say as much OF all the other figures.
whether they be important subordinate from
the point Of view Of pure composition. II is
good deal for an author TO achieve, If. through
out long narrative involving many CONVERSE
tions and enlbodying. too a certain number OF
letters he always causes a given character to
say or TO write precisely what would be eK-
pected by the reader The last touch OF veri-
sirnilitude is given when this virtue OF consist
ency is carried into the snbtlest phases OF ac-
ton and Of carriage; so that on even the
briefest Remittance of a character upon the
scene he or she brings just the right atmos-
phere just the right play Of light and shade into
the picture This book is made up very largely
OF Mt;le things Of casual encounters and feet
ing sayings These little things touch the mag
ination as poiGnantly do the salient tragic
events Ia the story. because bly, they
have behind them the appeal Of flesh and blood
the appeal Of individuality.
The point may be Illuminated by some allu-
sion &c the rough substance of the novel. though
have indicated. il is for character rather
than Tor drama that Joseph Vance" is TO be
read The hero is the son of q workingman
whose wholesome nature is held in thrau by
tendency TO drunkenness. The native shrewd-
ness Of this man. a shrewdness entirely divorced
from mean impulses. comes 10 the rescue and
SETS him his legs contractor while Joe
IL a boy. The two befriended by Dr.
Thorpe = man who recalls Colonel .>ewcorne in
the nobility Of his soul. and il is with his
daughter Lossle that young Joe fails in love
Al this occurs very early in the book, and
1henceforth the author records not simply the
life q his hero, bat the lives Of the elder Vance
and his wife Of DR.. Thorpe and his children,
ana OF all the other personages young and Old
who 40 I'm and out Of the houses Of three or
four closely related families. There is marriage
and giving in marriage: there births and
there are deaths. Fortunes are made, and lost
There are changes Of scene. There are incidents
without number. and some Of them are thrilling.
Mt De Morgan docs not stint his reader. On
the contrary. ne is lavish OF his material. But
II never occurs 10 h.m 10 use that material with
what We may call literary intent. with the pur-
pose Of building Up plot. OF deliberately con-
etructiuo a romance duly worked Up 10 a