The New York herald., 1922-07-02
The Style of Morand.


subject may be. he paints it, as in
the case of Dona Remedies, on a
characteristic background; the mod.
ern young girl Of THE Roman
Night" for example (she who re-
verses our traditional sense of
values in acts and in ideals, and
who seeks to shake off habit, that
animal which spews shackles and
whose tail is a pendulum"), is por-
trayed against a background of
affected art which reenforces the
cult of the individual whim with
worship of the Soul (spelled with
capital and pronounced with up
turned eyes). In the presentation of
this background and of the subject
the authors constant principle is to
bring out that which is most strik-
ing, most physically effective. He
Iieglects causes: he cuts out transi-
tons; he produces a vividness of
impression through the immediate
juxtaposition of exterior manifesto
tions. And this principle is not only
observed in the planning of his
sketches, 1t is one of the most evil
dent features of the composition of
each paragraph.
Morand is a seeker after the
unusual metaphor or figure, but be-
hind this search lies what is deeper:
a constant rejection of mental or
mnemonic association and the sub
stitution of sensuous and emotional
usually visual-connection. AS an
example / should like to quote the
most remarkable description of
trip in a side car In 1.-THE Northern
Night: but to quote it here would
require too much space. / give in
stead a translation of a few SEN
tences from the opening lines of the
book describing Dona Remedios's
departure from Lausanne at night:
'I was going to travel with a lady.
Already half of her was furnishing
the compartment. The other half,
leaning out of the door. still belonged
to Lausanne station and to a delega-
ton of men of divers nationalities
grouped together upon the station
platform by one and the same patch
of darkness, joined by identical
columbine blossoms worn in their
buttonholes. The bells shivered. The
travellers slid along the asphalt. At
the top of an openwork tree trunk
the signal stretched out its scarlet
fruit, which the time table brought
down. A whistle rushed among
them. The lady shook hands over
the lowered pane: a British hand,
brown with freckles; a fieshy Ger
man hand; the velum hand of a
Russian" &C, &C. The time win no
doubt come when Morand viii not
be praised as highly as his youngest
admirers now hope; but there is in
his writings an interesting mani
festation of that modern taste which
is responsible for (and aided by) the
popularity of the moving picture
and-"Captain Applejack."
"The Wounded Smile"
Albert Thierry's lie Sourire
Blesse" {The Wounded Smile) re-
calls tragedy and a book. The
tragedy is the death at the age of
"a of one of Frances most promising
young authors; Thierry died in the
war in May, 1915. The book issone
of the few writings published during
this authors lifetime: the remark
able Conditions de Ia Paix" (the
Conditions of Peace) having been
finished in the trenches only few
days before Thierry's death, was
published posthumously in 1918; but
"rHomme en- prOie aux enfants"
(Man a Prey TO Children) first ap-
peared in 1911. The latter book,
which attracted much attention,
shows US what and how a man can
suffer whose business it rs to handle
children-and who loves them. 1t is
based upon Thierry's experience as
a school teacher. The new volume.
which the publishing house of La
Nouvelle Revue Frapcaise has just
brought out, has kindred subject
and evidently draws on the same
experience. "Le Sourire Blesse" is