New-York tribune., 1908-04-05

those days he says. and with year,s,r
the great shadow OF Balzac; his ausr,.,
pie. little as the secret Nigh, ever be a..
lowered for me over the scene: so tbs,
was clearer than anything slss wa. ho,. =
was question OF Saumur. % I.inos,
Guerande. he did Saumur. did Linnov..
Guerando. remember how. IN nv !,
fashion. 7 yearned over the preliminary =.
tation OF my small square patch os thu
ican scene" Mr. James Is modest erouzs /
bringing IN of BalZaC. and we would na,
the parallel unduly. bu. = Is servic.,,' 1
turning up one corner. 50 20 say. OF N.
lem embodied IN the work OF the A.
writer Thinking Of Balzac. and OF A,
mense fertility. one notes that Mr J.rn..
never been handicapped By an inability IA
what the master had 10 teach him >
could not do" Northampton. Mass. "a ,
did" Sdumur or Gu6rande. il WIS be=,,x
doing Of "a town By BaIzac meant In. ~.
Of IL in his genius as in ar element rI,r
which cannot 5e learned that Mr.. I'm
lacked. IL Is n fact which cannot L. -
and which. indeed. II is well - recogn,z.
for all. In dealing with his work. h
work. brilliant work, and sometimes absor4
interesting; but % enjoy it YOU rnust -
at the outset. definite reuunciation q, a
things which you expect. as a matter or "a.
in the great creative artis-. One % these A.
can only be described as gIsto. the nov..l
Of the artists energies in certain fuInes, }
richness OF beauty. Mr James has his a.
and has them in abundance u Is cha-~l
20 read OF the pleasure which he has IA,
his work. OF the way IL which an iiea-a,,l
book OF his always means the exploitasis.
an idea-has seized hirn. and. little bv IL
given him his story" There is sOmefbi,.
the creative temperament hint OF it. IL ~.
ing rnOre-in such a passage as this f-1~ !.
preface 70 The Portrait o. i Lady,:
seem 10 myself 70 have 7va.,ed u on-
IN possession or them-Os Ralph Touchett -
parents. OF Nina Merle. Of Gilbert CsoorS
hts daughter and his sister. O.: Lurd War
Casp2r GOOdW0O1 and Miss sta zfoi9. the -
array OF contributions 70 Isabel A-chsrs -
recognized them. 7 knew them they a..
numbered pieces oS ,ny puzzle t5e e5acrs,s :
OF my plot" II was as lc they l4t si-s-
impulse OF their own. fOatsd INTO Ily -
all In response 70 my primary question :
what viii she dor
II IS IN this wise that the cha-lete-, 3.
great novels have often swurn !1to ths =
the men who wrote them Why thea. "a
Portrait OF a Lady not a great novel,
several other admirable thIngs. 7, isas
fuI book II Is a deiIcateiy fashioned VI,
art It Is pervaded by sIng1larIy eng.s
spirit But II IS not great J, does 10. !.
hold Of the irnagi nation with compelling =
Why not? The question has already bee.
swereJ by a reference 70 the signidt-aas
genius and OF the absence OF lt-but there
further point which Is perhaps best apprua.s
with incidental citation OF some remarks Il !
preface 10 this very book M james IN.
what Tourgenief once said % him about )
own experience Of the usual origin OF the s.
picture" II appears that II began for hn
most always with the vision Of some perym
persons Who lowered before him. soliciting =
as the active or passive fgure. interesting !
and appealing 20 him Just as they we're an
what they were Later came the task o. =
ing for his figures the right relations q
that would most bring them out to inasia.
invent and select and piece together the r.
tiOns most useful and favorable 20 the sens
the creatures themselves. the Complc1.zt
they would De most likely - produce an
feel" As 4 principle this might seem III
beyond argument, unit. you note tha, y
genieff was not 50 much stating d princigs
relating an experience. remembered n 4
quiIIity when Il is easy enough % sp@---
as TO how the wheels were made 70 90 ~
Even without the testimony of his pre;lees
looking solely 70 his work. one ca "a see taa, :
has h5mpered Nj James has been Ms coasc
or unconscious elevation OF th- pJiUc u4is |
his Russian friend into a definite HrinciBs
which he has sought To rest his work =
is glamour. or something very Ike IL 4 I
over THE Portrait of Il Lady-' BIT the = |
thin. and sooner and later you se-ceive tar
it tho manner in which the vhec.s are MA