The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-08-26
AS TO LITERARY TRADITION
ENGIfSH GRITH az DEFEGTs
az IuERII AUTHORS.
Lack of Design ono of Them. ae says
Influence 0f EorrlGn Ineraturr%
DIniruIiIrs IN the way sf Watkins =
National Literature POrs work ID.

Awrltsr IN ths London Tunes literary
!, supplement names want "f d"-ign ~ th'
!, chief defect ~ American literature.
3, The h",; works nf Mark Twain have
j i,'Sign- IA" admits so have the besI
stories nf Bret Hart.. and 80 hav" son'
!, of Walt MhItman'- poems But thess
. authors also m th.ir failures fail chiefly
= from lack of design or from som" incon
' grultv between form and matter
. This no dpuh, - what W. should expect
: of literature that h"ginS lat" and u
subject 80 many conflicting Influences
: It matur. fnr.tgn ht-rarurrS For Eng
I l-h lat rdtur' m ~ effects upon American
. 0, wor-" thIu foreign u b. "a httl" more
than IAN and b., than kind
1t would nny,. ls,.en we'll for 'hr Am"ri-
. cans lt ~, hat never had any writer's worth
imIrl'InE Thea tn" English language
would has" been theirs altogether for
literary PURPOSES A. u l.. Whitman has
had tn max" a queer Language for him
self. and Lowell has done hest in dialect
MIR Bruwnell SAYS that American literature
suffers for lack Of background. rather.
we should say, II suffers because its back
ground i incongruous with English
literary traditions
We think n pedantiC In Americans 60
dislike ia" f"udaIi~m Of Scott. They do
=. probably bHCa'Is.' Scott to them - a
writer talking IA their own tongu" 80
. things foreign 10 them English readers
often have. IN" same distast" for American
local color and IL would b. stronger IL
American literature had an enormous
pr,'s' ~ and AN lllustriou- past. II II inn
lp..-i .run III forms and traditions un-
suited - uur own emerging national
character
tn th'ai-,'han drama 1, II no us.'
tp "a" modern English playwright who
ttI-s 'p Do q -rriou- artist. for N" English
drama mast b. made afr,'-h II n - 70 -Nist
a'lI And th. whole # I'm gh.h i,.ratur"
has ulnn IT," sam" relation To- Americans
who az" trvIu.; g. max" literature OF
their pWu
~ = dIiicu.' for them 20 ignore IL -.
vet '.'v can get IIrfl" help from u. IL
there had br"u uo English poetry "" NAV
'CuaJ"n'r.ro that Whitman would not
hry" played Sgrh tricks with language.
Consciously pT I..cpnsCIpUslv he tried
20 l,vt rat 4 EuglI-h poetic ass Citations
not only % AS 'h"iu"S bat also IN hIs
vn"aruiary. Nn"n h. called som" of
our Tu.-' aC,pmpu she'd poets t"iIdAls
h." really m.Au' that all th"Ir Romano"
a. blank '"rs" - second hand ~ modern
lgg,I-h drama
Mailman had great strength Il char
ar''r. vet 10" was constantly hampprsd
uy tins determination not To- borrow any
IT ms poetry from foreign source
H. case - only al obvious instance
IF 'i. dt"t,.IIfl"- ugi.r which American
a4t .ur- tuur and 800 ~r.'" Il which they
ba.. -. ,iI"',t many remarkable works
=, many gu.t' things hav" been done
ry fuE.I-.. winters ga IN" past that English
writers % 'l" present arr afra. IT the
grand rIs..u'r and prefer 'H seem nr.cIUal
frH"r~ K.f '." Am"rioaus hAv" NJ great
literary 'ralI'IuT II their own and they
foe. '.tf - .- q iui gh'v task ., mas" "a"
i..N ..,'' gwen 'I' 'l." It"h 'rr' ''"y can
.u'."fH .'"-I'.r' - l'urNlF a. 'h'y
pr.u tHI"agF
-lri.,-! u',, o.. jtig" from Mr Brnvnan
and utg"i critics they Ar" inclined IT,
d-pr.Dla'.. wua' hey hay" don" already
aru 30 n'' ttfr''i nv d." superiority II
f.r .u". k.' a. ''" sam" ''U' th"y ar"
a"N.aH- - ESCAPE from English thral-
dom. Which seems o. them. perhaps
moro ppIr'.> 81" than - does - - They
L.ty" Ia-' interest .u tLns" American
Writers "a Do ar" only 'rd' SatlaT'l" Eng
.-t.'H"U n'i WHO'S. - ..nmg'i ~lnnu' has
. H.."a '.H easy '.r tlH' reason
-ll.- Mf BTHvU"U dos not include
NJsHrgt !r'lg aulHuR hr- masters
20 Aw.rIrhu IT0"-" " boost probably
ha .wu..I rr.uH. h.'u among ~" masters
- IuE.~. IrHs'. ny - n" ever for a
moment tempted - sp.aN too kindly
e H.- .Hr-'u winters H" - not IN" ~
f'..-.. America Tow probably otis l"f",
VIII 'l.lr that any h.ud # writing must
'" v..r .i'r'.. 900 Al American, rather
| 30. 'aD'~ q rrIC" 10 Judging Americans
a. severely H. 6 fh"y w-r. Europeans
- h.- hook u I'D tTpu-" No national
prr".il,'- ~ England Indeed "" ar"
nov pretty fr"" from national prejudice
"a Hr.r estimate # American books W.
TAI, them ur their merits and when ""
ind them embarrassing 10 - "Ifh"r he
4 cause 'h'y a." :" or h''caus.' u'I~ taSi" -
Bot. l. is not n"raur" "" b"l"N" thai
No American can wrir" Indeed most -
u= lruul.IF 'hrN NOR" kIndlv II Mr.
q Browr"'.- so authors 'hau h" does
II" l~ ui.'rIv E.-t. ID" in Poe. almost
angry 90 .!"'.I - his EgrpisIn reputation.
"a" -avs O.. 60 uHr.i' tho d"'"C's than about
DO" 'u''l'S & NtN'L pru' and lowell and
b.. f- ~ great 'l..ns 2" 'NI'lltn why Mr.
james a'1' % .Toa' writer
.I..G.r - Gh. only ON" e his author '
VII l. a. ..- = Ird"-N aluci Emerson
I be- ,rr- 4. - 49,. greatest = Americans
ru' ~" au. sur"-yi "v" - hs faults /
g. 'h" ,y-.. 4 20. VIZ Eru~u"i -""'us 20 .
Is .r..-' -" uII coin" ~. rut iu h'~ .
'urs' .ular works, lat Do ia" Ms .
Ir.uilua Bottle. iu certain short poems.
4...n.- ~. Sleeper. HuNr'vr 10 most = F
tho" ,npa Iruir" Ihn Raven. aud nh"v"
40 90 the wonderful fantasy called Ia"
T. .a.rrf Words ,h.rh Mr. Brow nell does
TIN" lost ( Pc" could 10" prri"l In a I
-rrv i"" LAGOS. u,lr ~ -" general opinion ,
It r.ru'.., At IoI-' % - tho lest that Amer
can ''.r4' 81" has vet produced being
I..''cr man u'yin.nF .l~" Il ~" Sl'u" lind .
.r. 'f. .'N 4" world
VI Eg.vr'.l ~ only AN frs'Huc" ~
american writers IN general says IN" D
Irri.-h wrI'ar ~ g whom hIy" NO long
It,ra-v traditions all rh''r own e which |
tr.v NAV stand IN av" and thus h" kept .
from becoming DN'r-"TpU-
JTNNI ON'S SOY POFT. !
I Pocm IN witch Ne Records His first .
Impressions OT hastraIia.