The New York herald., 1921-04-24
Modern British
novel justifies
Taine's theory

4
Pryde. Robert NJ. Mcbride < Go.
In the opening chapter Of his book
on Modern Life" in the History of
/ English Literature" Taine discusses
the British novel of manners Of which
! the authors ''renounce free invention:
narrow themselves to scrupulous eN
actness: paint with infinite detail cos
! TUNES and places, changing nothing
mark little shades of language; are
not disgusted by vulgarities or plati-
/ tudes" "Englishmen he continues,
have a special craving; they desire
I should contribute TO their great work
/ the ameloration OF man and society.
! They ask from it the glorifcation of
/ virtue and the chastisement of vice"
And in the succeeding division of his
/ great work. the book devoted to
Modern Authors" Taine gives these
! two examples from Dickens's novels as
/ to how this special rule must be car
ried. Thus he writes:
If you venture on a seduction, as
! i'm Copperfield.' you do not relate the
progress, ardor. intoXication of love;
| you only depict its miseries. despair
and remorse. If ian Hard Times
the wife treads on the border of crime,
4 she shall check herself there. If in
Dombey and Son she fees from her
| husbands roof, she remains pure, only
incurs the appearance of crime, and
treats her lover in such a manner that
the reader wishes to be the husband"
| 1t seems curious to find to-day in
| contemporary British fiction a novel
/ that so absolutely follows out this
! British convention set forth by Taine
/ IS does Anthony Pryde's Jenny Es-
/ aaLden." So far as we know this il
! thc second novel by this author to b.
published here. the first one being
\ "Marqueray's Duel" a tale of ex-
! traordinary originality and power.
1 Men, 1t appears, interest Mr. Pryde
more than do women. For just as in
| The first book two men were its chief
interest so in this second one is the
anne convention followed. In fact
y many conventions Vi tpiitlSH llNAiolt
are repeated in these pages.
Mark Sturt, the hero, hard-headed
business man and Member of Parlia-
ment. and his twin brother, Lawrence,
repeat the moral tale set forth by
fIogarth in the Industrious and Idle
apprentice" The skating party at the
Forrier's country house is serious
version of the morning on the ice at
! Dingley Dell in "Pickwck Papers
/ The saving of Mark from the hands
Of Jenny by his wife in name only
| y a noVeists device that only could
hase been produced in England.
american fiction Is charged by many
critics with being banal. II is not easy
T. recall an American novel with
I final episode so extraordinarily com
r-onplace as is this of Anthony Prydes
with Mark Sturt saying TO his butler
| valet: "Oh, there you are. Henham.
This is Mrs. Sturt. your new mistress
| Sic is going to stay the night so we
| must see what we can do to make her
omfortable." Stanley's famous "Dr
Livingstone. l presume" was not more
81 Unconscious and fearful of betraying
tdman emotion.
The story of Jenny Essenden" Is
primarily that of a party Of four.
| Mark Sturt and his brother Lawrence
IIaisie Archdale and Jenny. While
MARK and Lawrence are visiting al
the country house Of the Ferriers
Maisie Archdale proposes TO Mark that
te marry her privately for a secret
reason that is not to be explained to
gether In "A remote cottage 10y the sea
ord then part In spite Of the fact
that he is a hard headed business man
nd practical politician. Mark agrees
to this preposterous proposal. They
ate married. travel separately TO the
cottage, live apart there for . week
and then separate. Knowing that
lark was a rich bachelor and that NJ
was momentarily taking a holiday in
Normandy. Jenny Essenden went IN
pursuit Of him, Jenny being what Is
called in movieland "a vamp." Since
Jenny was rich. lovely, alluring, and
had a really excellent chef what more
! natural than that Mark Sturt should
fell? To the days in Normandy sue
ceeded more days in Jennys London
home. In Greene street. where Mark
vas the recognized unofficial master
Jenny's jealousy causes her to create
a political scandal by giving TO a Lon
con newspaper a confidential note sent
TO Mark by the leader of his party
| 20 save him Maisie goes 10 Mark
London flat as his wife. The moral
situation has been saved as we'll as the
political as Taine declared the British
prhiic insisted must he done.
The flatness Of this climax does
nothing To relieve the lack ~ morals
of the two women concerned In the
tale. and the heavyhandedness Of its
telling.