New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-07
A PERFECT PAR0DIST
The Authors of the Day Knocked
by Max"

Max Beerbohm. limo, PIP. VII, 1871. Il.
| p Dutton * Co.
Substance and form. MAX" gets
them both. and by n process so subtle
| and so thoroughgoing that while we
read we very nearly forget him. 1t is
Henry James. or II is Rudyard Kip
ling, or It is II. G.. Wells who speaks.
Is not that the mark of the perfect
parodist? This book would be funny
! enough II II showed us Max" poking
| fun at certain of his contemporaries,
but what makes 1t exquisitely amusing
and really interesting into the bargain
! is that he does not appear TO be doing
anything so obvious. 1t is rather as
| though he had robbed his authors OF all
discretion. OF all faculty for self-criti-
cism. and then had impishly lured them
| into letting themselves go. When men
| do that complacently they do fearful
| and a wonderful thing, for compla-
cency will betray even a man of genius.
| Witness the case OF Thomas Hardy
when he wrote The Dynasts." In his
"Sequelula" TO that incredible piece
MAX" has not had TO depart to any
/ serious extent from his original.
His parodies are more than comic,
/ they are critical, as the best PAROLES
always are. That which is cocksure
, and omniscient in Kipling's art could
not be better exposed by the minutely
/ analytical essayist than 1t is exposed
! in up. c., Y. So" The searching,
I thoughtful nature of these jokes makes
1t the more difficult to give anything
like a satisfactory taste of their quail
ity through quotation. Max" does
not deal in diction alone, but goes TO
the root Of the matter and burlesques
ideas. Take. for example. Perkins
and Mankind" 1t is a fiawess Illus
tration Of the KIND of stuff that u
q. Wells writes when. as sometimes
happens, he takes his contention OF the
universe just a shade too seriously.
on every page, nay. in every para
graph, there is a joyously malicious
: dig at one Of the ingenious ideo-
logues foibles. AS for his style,
Sax's" version Of it is the thing il
self:
on General Cessation Day. therefore.
the gates or the lethal chambers VIII
stand open for all those who shall Ia
the course Of the past year have reached
the age limit. You figure the wide streets
filled all day long with little solemn pro-
| cessions-solemn and yet not in the least
unhappy. You figure the old man
walking with d firm step In the midst
Of his progeny. looking round him with
| a clear eye at this dear world, which
| is about 10 lose him. tie VIII not be
, thinking of himself lie will not be wish
| Ing the way TO the lethal chamber WAS
/ longer lie Will be filed with joy At the
| thought that he is about 20 die for the
| good OF the race--to make way for
| the beautiful young breed of men and
women, VINO In simple, artistic, antiscp-
| TIC garments, are dlsporung themselves
/ pause 10 salute him as he passes. And
presently he sees. radiant In the sun
! light, the pleasant, white-tiled dome OF
! the lethal chamber. You figure him at
| the gate. shaking hands all around and
speaking perhaps few well chosen
words about the Future
One laughs quietly over this. with
relish that goes deep. But Max" Is a
wise humorist. He is not too critical,
but yields constantly to the spirit Of
nonsense, Of irresponsible mirth. which
is one element indispensable 10 true
parody. Here, from Some Damnable
Errors Of Our Christmas" is an imi-
tation of Mr.. G. X. Chesterton which
for sheer drollery could not be beaten.
Spiritually, Christmas Day recurs eX-
aheuy seven times , week; When ,i5 We
| acted on this. we shall begin 20 realize
the days mystical and terrific beauty.
| FOR ii is only everyday things that re-
veal themselves to us In all their Won
der and their splendor. A man who hap
( pens one day 10 be Knocked down by
] NOTORIOUS merely utters curse and in
structs his solicitor but a man who has
| been knocked down by a. NOTORIOUS
every day OF the year will have begun
20 feel that he is taking part In an august
| and soul-clesnsing ritual. He will await
the dlurnal stroke Of fate with tho same
il9wly and Pious 10y as animated ne
es viii be decorations, worn with the
| modest pride OF the veteran. He will
| cry aloud In the words Of the late W.
bowed" He will add, MY ribs are
| broken but unbent"
All sorts OF writer's are parodied In
this book-Henry James and A. G.
Benson, John Galsworthy and Maurice
Hewlett, Arnold Bennett and George
Moore. The authors touch never
falters. There is not an imitation that
is not genuinely funny. On the other
hand, there is nothing here quite so
killingly amusing as "Max's" fall from
grace in practically apologizing.
through a couple OF footnotes, for hav-
ing laid playful hands upon the works
Of George Meredith and Frank Harris.
Is 1t possible that Max" too, has his
blind side and can take his own funni-
| ments seriously7