The sun., 1916-10-01
Prof. Phelps's Unconventional History
81 the English Novel.

Let middle aged memory reconstruct
the days Of English &c." Professor
Dryerthandust's course In the history
Of English literature or one Of its
periods" Dates and data. data and
dates; style Of this author. construc-
ton OF that book: character analysis:
plot or theme: rank or place in litera-
ture: horrors Of the d~issecting room.
the laboratory. That Is. or was-we
trust the fashions have changed with
the tenses-the study OF English lit
erature In college classrooms. II IL
not. stress the negative. the nature OF
Prof. WILLIAM LYON PHELps's book on
The Advance Of the English Novef
CDodd. Mead; though the professor
does not avoid tho old fault by rum
ming to the new ones Of incoherence.
!ncompleteness and disorderly mental
conduct. without being pedantic. d.
dactic or masisterlal on the one hand
or impressionistic. illogical or insub-
stantial on the other. Prof. Phelps sets
down a reasonable. tolerant p%ostulate
OF what the novel IL and within the
lines thus established tells In sensible
manner the changes Of fashion
through which n has passed and what
uses different authors have made OF II
as a medium Of amusement or Of COM
ment on life and people.
The divisions OF the subject as In
dictated In the table OF contents show
better than comment what Ia done In
the text. We begin with The Age OF
Anne" (some seekers after informa-
ton ma bc disappointed in this chap
teri. with Defoe and Richardson. Then
Fielding, Smol!ett and Sterne have a
chapter TO themselves. "Pichardson
was an analyst. Fielding a realist.
Smollett n naturalist. Smollett used
an axe; Sternc. a needle" In swift
succession come Eighteenth Century
Romances." THE d-Victorians" and
Romantic Revival. lSs4-lsoi." begin
ming with Stevenson. Conrad. Gals
worthy and others have a separate
chapter. One is given to twentieth
century British novelists ana another
TO those of America. The book ends
with ar essay on Henry James. Per-
haps Its best achievement Is the free
use OF the authorial first person with
out rousiny resentment.
Some Of Prot. Phelps's good sayings
may he extracted from the text with
ont incorporating the spirit. Of the
whole:
The supremacy OF E.lsabethan drama
THAT Is ~ drama rs The literary form In
Elizabotiru timcsl forced most Of the erea.
'r!t"rs Of that age TO put their ideas and
.Wayininl- luto tho dramatic form. which
land thi.l is one reason why the Eliza
hcthan drama outside the towering genius
Of Shakespcarel is 80 wonderful as poetry
and 50 wrctched "a drama.
Ralzac wrote the human comedy Smol-
lett wrote the human farce.
In literature DR.. Johnson was . super
dreadr9ught: Goldsmith an excursion
-teamc-.
English literature Il. IN ',nct.ve,y roman.
III.
The sense OF humor 4. the sure ant,do,s
for excessive sentiment, and excessive Inn
probabilities. az Il shown b. trying melo-
drs ma OH n university audience. a huge
Gothic ralleon of romance may he SUGGEST
fully torpedoed by one Joke.
Humor acts on romance like prussia acid.
Meredi:h's sty!, gets between the reader
and the character IKE a hedge.
Sometimes the professor goes a little
too far. as when he says: Moro than
thirty years nave elapsed since the ap-
pcarancc of Treasure Island: yet.
apart from the work OF it's author. I
can think OF not one historical ro-
nance that pullulated hat seems
likely to survive except the splendid
leviathans of Sienkiewicz" He pullu-
lates remarks which, without being
leviathans of criticism. do give fresh
ness and effect to his views by their
unexpectedness in that gallery. Does
II not drive home better than tho cant
OF the lecture platform the fact in
tended TO he conveyed when the his
torian of the novel tells Us that there
ar" certain American royelists who.
having started under the influence of
The Prisoner OF Zenda.' do not quite
see that this particular cock won't
fight any more?"
Prof. Phelps likes a good story. II
may be pure romance. like Lorna
Doonc,' or the i~ndisputablc novel. like
"Barchester Towers: but the story
must be there with human beings TO
act It out What folks call entertain
nient IL more to he sought than edifica-
ton; and for those who share his pref
erence in this respect he has mad a
lively book.