New-York tribune., 1909-12-26

WI distinguished me
over the Library Of the Senate.
The essay from which this quotation IA t,s.
is. perhaps. the best one in the book. which
70 say that Mime. Duclaux is especially w.
cessfuI In her Interpretation Of modern tv.s
She is excellent. as has been hinted. on Raei,
and she writes very well in her brief glaneer
Voltaire. but on the whole we find her 3
more attractive when she is treating Of Vct,
Hugo or Balzac. Sainte-Beuve or George Sau
Renan or Taine.
Nine. KOnta's History OF French Literatur,
is a convenient popular manual well calculats,
TO serve the purpose of the reader who wishs
TO obtain a rapid birds-eye view Of the subies,
The author undertakes no serious adventuresh h
criticism. She Industriously assemblies u
facts. aptly consults her authorities. and. s
short. gives a useful unpretentious account a
the masters and those literary forms in whcs
they have Illustrated their genius The iuau.
merabe biographies scattered through the yol
ume are admirably concise and az the SANE
time they are not bald on the contrary. these
terse sketches are made 70 embrace a good deal
Of interesting matter. It was a good idea 10
include short summaries of a number Of the
works cited. notably the salient achievements
Of such men as COrneille, Racine. VOltaire and
Victor Hugo though We fear that these may
on occasion prove dangerous concessions 10 the
Iaziness that is not unknown in schooIroOms
Practically serviceabe. too. for the studenss
that ample part Of the book in which the ac-
tivities of the nineteenth century are traversed
including the different schools Of fiction. the
poets. critics and dramatists. and even the
leading types in French journalism An appen-
dix tabu,ates the names of the members Of the
Academy. as well as those of the rulers Of
France. and adds six pages Of bibulsraphy.
There is a good index.
Mr.. ThOroIds 'Six Masters in DisiUIsion" re-
sembIes Mime. Duclaux's book in that il is one
TO be read with a degree of pleasure but with
out much concern as TO the authority Of the
critic or the value of his general scheme. The
key 10 the philosophy of disusion" about
which he is inclined 70 be a little pOrtentOus
is found in an aIIusiOn TO "the great skeptics
the salt of whose questiOnings has never been
wanting to freshen the stream Of human spec
ulatiOn." In other words. he pins his faith On
those who have had the courage 20 think for
themselves and have contrved from time to
time to deal shrewd blows at complacent Ortho-
doxy. One may sympathize with Mr. ThOrod (.
in his appreciation of independents of this sort
without approving his estimate Of this or that .
individual and without being much Impressed
by the attempt to coordinate the ideas Of his
six masters into something resembling philO-
sophie system. In fat. as a philosopher he
leaves us cold on the other hand. his pOr-
traits. taken by themselves. are very clever
performances. especially those OF Mtrimee and
Huysmans. IL is a clever little book which if
possessing no very permanent substance. at
any rate divertingIy fills an idle hour.
Students of Dante have long been indebted to
Dr. P1get Toynbee. He has been untiring IN
research. and. added 20 his scholarship. the pas
sion of the man of letters pure and simple has
always lent a peculiarly sympathetic glow to
his dealings with the poet. His Dante in Eng
Iish Literature is one of those cOmpendiums
tho value of which can never be too cordially
appraised. Merely to have collected English
illusions TO Dante from Chaucer % Cary-that
is. illusions made in period Of nearly i've
hundred years-is 10 have performed heIOe
task Not content with this. the anthOOsisl
has richly annotated his Chronological series
of fragments and has supplied. % 90 with them
brief biographical notices that are models Of
editorial Judgment With a full list Of authors
and perfect index he has rounded ont a mas
terly piece of work. Not the special student
alone but every reader interested in Dante VII
enjoy browsing through these two volumes
For both the specialist and the l1yman too
there is fascinating reading in the authors
long Introduction. which 1umnously gathers Up 4
the threads TO be detached from his great maS'
of material