New-York tribune., 1922-09-10

! take from her the shield unless she kill
| him as he sleeps in amorous languor
by her side. Since this is a legend
nothing could happen otherwise, and
| when the lover has stabbed Perseis
| lherself disguised as young warrior)
ana recognized in her a woman he
loves. he abandons the shield and wan
ders in sad and perpetual exile.
Nothing could be more tragic, more
prettily written or better adapted to
the innocent learning of uncolloquial
French.
This years "Grand Prix de Littera-
ture" of the French Academy went to
Pierre Lasserre, author of "Cinquante
ans de pensee francaise," the object of
the prize, and of an excellently COM
posed attack on French romanticism
by which ne is principally known. 1t is
said that Mr.. Lasserre belongs to the
| school of "L'Action franchise" and is
disciple of Charles Maurras. He has
written two books about Nietzsche and
is certainly Catholic and a royalist.
Like most intelligent Catholics, he is
broadly cultured and literally dis
posed individual; like few thoughtful
royalists, he has every rational argu-
ment in his favor and Is without the
most puissant and irrational of trump
My first thought on finishing Mr..
Lasserre's book was one Of wonderment
as to why it should have had prize.
Obviously, it is written by man who
had prepared himself for the task;
something of scholar, liberal, pos
sessed of few interesting ideas,
rather verbose, but person from whom
one might take away something of
value. Nevertheless, the book has no ele-
ment of high distinction. 1t is frequent
ly tedious, its manner is far more pro-
found than Its matter, it is written
with more pains than elegance, moro
sumption than scholarship. Thirty
pages are devoted to Virgil and the
war" by writer who confesses that he
had not looked into his Virgil between
the day he left school and the writing
of this paper. He announces that the
nineteenth century contains nearly
the whole development of English lit
erature and philosophy" He tells us
that German can be decently learned
in six months. And the title of his
book Is misleading. It. would be of
great interest to me to read a new
book on the past fifty years of French
thought; here have one hasty sketch
of the subject and following that a
whose subjects as treated by Mr.
Lasserre | confess myself royalty in
different. The book is dedicated to
Paul Bourgat. Perhaps that is why
it received a prize.
Another volume or literary criticism
which appeared the other day is ZAP
proximations," by Charles du Bos. In
telligence, sympathetic comprehension.
suavity of diction and certain absence
of vigor are its most patent character
istics. 1t includes a number Of emil
nently readable papers variously pub
lished since 1920 and, as Is usual in
such collection, noticeably without a
connecting theme. Whether he writes
of Paul Valery, of the Comtesse de
Noailles, of AmieI, Baudelaire, Flau-
bert, Proust, Beurget, Glide or Jacques
Chardonne" Ito list the contents of his
volume), Mr.. du Bos pronounces the
expected word and refrains either from
attacking the judgments of others or
delivering any himself. But he has
always excellent things to say, he be-
trays evidence of studious tempera-
ment respectful of his elders, and his
pages on Proust and the meditation on
the life of Baudelaire are worthy Of
more than hasty glance.