The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-01
SOME NEW BOOKS.



work projects as performance really
worth while in contrast to the mediocre
usual. Such a book is Ouidu 4 Memoir.
by ELIZABETH LEE CDufield); not Life,
but the materials FOR one, arranged with
straightforward simplicity and. by rea-
son OF isolation of the critical matter,
succeeding admirably in the first pur-
pose OF biography, recreation in YER
hal image Of the live subject. And
Maria Louise dc Ia Rance. in this book
Rame, had personality as strong.
hence attractive, as Satans.
She was born January l. 1889. ut
Bury st. l.dmuudS a town whose his
toric past as well as its pleasant sur
roundings must have had some influence
IN shaping the girls character. Her
father was n FrcnChman who taught
French in the town schools. lie was
considerably older than his wife, Susan
sutton; not lovely to look upon, but
polished in manner, clever, witty
talker. 4 friend Of Louis Napoleon's
during his exile In England. he quarrelled
with him after the 1852 coup dctat He
came and went mNsteriously, was per-
hapS engaged in the operations OF Sc
cret societies on tho Continent. He
spent his wifc's money, SO that she had
10 go to live with her mother. His err
ratio ways never aiionlted his lady's
affection. but his Irregularities were too
much for the English nelgibors. lie
was never heard from after the Com
mune of 1871. and may have been Killed
in the street battles of that stressful
time. Louise apparently took attar
der father. she had his c,cvcrness his
restlessness. and above all, his pecuniary
prodgality. Perhaps 1t was from the
mother that she drew the additional
quality, certainly not in NJ Louis's
makeup. that enabled her through life
TO convert her fierce ambitions Into
definite achievement. In her autobio-
graphical novel Friendship" IN which
she herself is Etoie, Louis Rance is
the Count d'Avesnes, a Belgian noble.
"a political gamcster. political con-
spirator." a mystery to his friends,
hardly known 20 his daughter but
forming factor and lasting influence IN
her views and conduct OF life.
In 1857 Ouda went with her mother
and grandmother to live in London.
She had written precoc!ously: at the age
Of II a history 81 England. The family
doctor happened to see some Of her
stories liked them and sent them to his
cousin, who was none other than Har-
rison AinSwOrth. tho novelist and then
editor Of BcnticVs Miscellany. He saw
stuff IN the stories and printed them.
The first, which appeared IN April and
Nav, 1859. was "Dashwood's Dog: or.
The Derby and what Came Of IT," From
the very start she signed "Ouida." and
was always "touchy' about attempts to
introduce her real name. In 1900 she
wrote 10 Baron Tauchnitz: II Just see
in your catalogue that you append an
other name 70 Ouida. Please take II
out. have no other name in Litera-
ture And II should not be put in in
verted commas" The Miscellany stories
we're Immediately popular and In 1867
fourteen of them were collected in
the volume Cecil Castlemaine's Gage
and Other NOVELTIES" Her first long
novel. Granville de vigne. a Tale OF
tho Day" later 1889 published as
Held in Bondage" was presented seri-
ally IN 1861 In the Neio Monthly Mdgd-
sine "Strathmore" came out in IS,
"Chandos" in SO, Under Two Flags"
and "Idalia" in 81: and from that time to
1900 there were only two or three years
in which no new Ouida book appeared
while several OF the years were distin-
guished by the advent OF two OF the
novels.
In 1907. when commemorative tab
let was placed upon the Bury St Ed.
munds house in which she was born
Ouida. impatient Of the tomfoolery in
Suffolk" as she called II, petulantly
and with questionable sincerity. for she
expressed a desire 10 visit the town Sc.
cretly, wrote: 81 identify myself with
my fathers French race and bloo,l
In 1865 one Of the Cecil Castlemaine'
stories, "Blue and Yellow" was trans
and in critical appendage Ouda wa.
described as Gun ccrivain don't reNuber
ante IMAGINATION, la verve faclo Ia
desinvolture arstocratique ont appel.
lattention du public anglals." In 1877;
French critic said IN tho preface e
his translation Of some Ouda stun tina
she sCandalzed her English reader!
par les audaCes don't lis mont pa!
l'habltude. Certes les Dickens et 10,
Thackeray auNquels on laccuse de 81
croire superieurc. eusscnt nestle devan
les suiets ou'elle choisit VOLUNTEERS: oI
va iuSQu n hi attribuer cette repons,
caracteristique fate a ceux uui ID
bamaient d'alarmer SOS Chastes lee
trices par le dedain du marriage ct pa
des peintures trop wives des entraine
mems du cpur GU trop indulgentcs dc
faiblesses mascullnes: 'Je n'ecris pa
pour les femmes, 1ecrls pour les mill
taires.'" In addition 10 her marke
French "sympathies' and very possibl,
in part because OF them, the Frencl
praised her work for it's qualities lit
tera.res: resprit souple mordant. IN
dependant, aventureux, une grace
part. mondaine ct cavaliere."
Her name and work travelled int
Germany also. and 80 early as 1858 III
Freiherr Won Tauchnitz called on her 4
London, to arrange for tho inclusion o
her novels In his famous series. II
October OF that year she sent hin
"Strathmore" and in the next yea
"Chandos," This was the beginning o
lifelong connection with the German
publishing house. and the beginning O
that financial prosperity which was tn
improvident writer's undoing Ouid
was careless OF money, and spent Il no
only as fast as she got II but often Il
advance. In London she entertaine
lavishly, and in Italy she INDUCED ex
pensivelv the litigious trait in her pep
perry nature When royalties were com
ing IN she let them go out again withou
careful supervision, seemingly withou
the slightest thought OF the inevitabl
ultimate exhaustion OF the llterar