The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-02

JIM GU MIA 81
'volupte.' merely exposed him to ridicul,
This was his weak side. We are told tina
T'there came a. time when his critica
writings, the 'Lundi' especially, AM
other things too, brought him the violen
i'll will Of many persons. He would hurr,
through the streets, hugging the walls
and IL you wanted to stop him, It woulc
never do to call, Good day, Sainte-Beuve!
He would only walk the faster. Blu
Good day, Delorme'-ah, then he woule
come about, would smile and hold out
his hand in the most friendly manner
Notwithstanding the task OF encourage
ment Sainte- Bedve's courtship Of the
poetic Muse-some people forget that
there were nine Muses-continued unit
the appearance Of a third book Of verse,
August Thoughts" (Pensees d'Aoht) In
1887. This too was received coldly BY
tho public, yet the author OF the present
biography does not hesitate to aver thai
1t contains bold ventures In support OF
Sainte- Beuve's theory Of common life
as constituting At material for art, which
ventures possess as such very consider
able importance In the history Of French
literature. Except Hugo himself. no
one in the whole course OF the century
did 30 much as Sainte- Beuve. though
more by precept and effort than by
achievement, to widen the domain OF
French lyric poetry, to make French
lyric poetry serious. 10 apply It closely to
life He had courage enough to n
tinue the fight down to 1887. but his
natural gift was not sufficient, for at last
he became disheartened. In any event.
his attention was by that time ir~revocably
diverted to other activities.
As the author Of this book would put it.
Sainte-Beuve in the domain Of a certain
kind Of lyric and descriptive poetry
could show the way to others, but he lacks
wings himself. AT most he might have
been under very favorable circumstances
q French Crabbe. less natural, less weighty.
less serious, less single minded and con-
vihced than the English ~realist. though
easily more intellectual and more varied"
Prof. Harper recognizes, however, that
such an achievement could only have
been the outgrowth OF a character and
0luOdCtOli QuitO uhlCIOhb tcAh ooibSo
B~euve's-more like his friend Barbe's, the
theological student. for instance. and this
he realized. 1t is an interesting fact
that Sainte- Beuve's practice was to be
more precise and formal in proportion
as his subject was either slight or COM
monplace. He thought fine workman
ship in an artificial and elaborate stanza
would purge away the dross of q subject
matter and bring out all it's inherent
~lustre. That he was right was attested
in VI authors opinion by certain clever
are fashioned with a light. exquisite
touch. reminiscent Of Pope.
Here our author repeats that Sainte-
Beuve really had three poetical veins
the thin and sparkling vein. wherein he
found the few absolutely successful
things just referred to; the vein OF expert
ment in the manner Of the English r~ealists.
his plain. sober pictures OF ordinary
life, in which he achieved a critical rather
than an artistic success by demonstrating
the possibility Of such work in French,
and, thirdly. tho vein OF emotional self
disclosure. the vein Of romantic or sent-
mental COntebelOu. lHhS ldSt WdS uOt
a rich lode and so he was at pains to
charge it secretly with ore which he
exhumed gloatingly. but which was
really kase metal Our author adds that
the impulse which led Sainte-B euvs
along this false route was partly ambi-
ton, partly sensuality. Many a worse
man would have been restrained by self
respect and good taste; and nd man
with q senss OF honor would have per-
mitted tho Book Of Love (Lpve d'Amour)
to SEQ the llght-a small collection of
verses recording his passion for Nine.
Hugo and design to implicate her"
Some of these verses indeed had been
published already during his lifetime,
but he left POS printed copies OF this whole
book to be distributed after his death.
Sainte- Beuve's numerous ~innuendoes in
regard to Mime. Hugo are indelible stains
upon his memory, and the result
ant infamy not only cost him his most
precious friendships but crippled him
In every high endeavor.
We reserve for a second notice an ac-
count Of Sainte- Beuve's social expert
ences and of the critical campaigns which
for 80 many years ne waged in the Cdu-
series du Lundi, and which were to oon-
the most important and permanent
work OF his life. M. w. H.