New-York tribune., 1922-06-11
he Sunday lrbunes News Reviews of Books and Author
Lytton Strachey's. Latest
BY Burton Rascoe

BY Burton Rsscoe
m cHANAESs s,, rs LH sy S s' n es'G woa.
% ~. pubicstion Eminent voranso the annourccsr, =,
c hok by Lyton Straehey become literary oven, 30 h
"a importance No the field of biography since the davs Of
- "a, achieved great eminenoe through sheer
writing may compose book nowadays more definite sssur
n sppaudng audience II may be said that he has
Al future bographer how to do their Jobs The secret Of that
,he adoption point Of never to let e obtdey
M Mr. Straey showed us how might be DONE the assumption
~ historian bogapher should material m he could
l,pss on and weigh the evidence present II 70 us with
be thought necessary Interpretation % b
- ".s This was usually dull proceeding and b;oc-onh-
were only default tedious dry facts he ARRANGED
= s boerapher Of convictions they usually wouldn't
sr and he either dismissed false witness or allowed
- because style fatgung no one cared whether
y. ..nony was false
ey taught facts themselves might be lively and enter
=, II depends upon how they presented Rightly selected and
need pieccd together with thread Of narrative pes+e
m and intelligence shown in the verbal nedework and becomes
y the bographer to take his reader every now and
y. m ssy, "Nov want opinion this matter II
" Sachey demonstrated that could by merely setting
an M Dr. Arnold was born on such and such date give the impress
~ a was unparalleled catastrophe human progress
his Of COURSE art And it results distinct and dis
% mental Mr. Strahey arranges their sercomic
,hp IN adrot irony Of these events
vr into relief If he is contempuou subject as he was in
m Arnold he knows how to let the make out
a,nen against Dr. Arnold hypocrite beot humbug
Perhaps but that depends upon ones attitude for there
,rc q Dr. Arnold perhaps greatest single force in
r M the incredible unity Of the British Empire respon-
Enghmans ngraned of superiority ideas Of
-, Constitutes gentleman his system privileges and obga-
though Stracey may his facts sneer as he
M astonishing how well this scheme Of Dr. Arnod worked
the medal Mr. Strachey omits
No Mr. strahey always and dispassonate
T how badly he writes essays
book The Stendha really very shoddy He doesn't
particularly the other about Stendha and his essay
Bows probably prompted piece
novelist by his club who had
But having down enlighen his friend, he concluded
M all, just well he hadn't heard Of Sendhal At
a essay. nothing
~ as informative essay on Sndhal in Egoists
critical insight it displays all Again the sketch
Lady Hester Stanhope he has hardly related than rather
anece he the piece order begin
anmadyon the Pitt and with She lying
1i her bdnexcab grand preposterous with her the
The essay Mr. Creeve keeps expectant
he going say something that IS significant very
gnatng And the essay Thomas Lowell Bdio though vel
auso Of the neglect this has fallen into scarcely
ordinary bit Of don hackwork competent documented but
enhL
BIT subjects which he has definite opinions
AaA Shakespeare Voare Nine du Defend Frederick the Great
r Vsm axe therein lies the he
@ he particularly fond Of the eighteenth century eighteenth
Ey figures bring him glow and chucke Of delight when he
~ Presenting them.
his high comedy dranaaton Of the relations between the fiery
nced shrewd and brilliant little monkey" vare and the
jealous, ironwied egotst Frederick the Great
grand Srachey his best when he relat
yek ndomnable efforts to become elegant monarch in the
m writer Of French lyrics and Of the great world
sh Frederick only kept Votaire at court but also motley
"a Of foreigners which he could play OF against Votare with his
order Voares staying with him and keeping
in his obligations the king There hardly Of them
that thoroughly second-rae Agaroi ee
dsbbler scientific matterhe had written book explain New
dArgens aable and erudite Of dull
,eiing turn; Chasot a retired military with many
v and Darge goodnaured secretary with too love
sl Ia Metric who had been eed from France for
An bad Ponz decang who under
had unfortunately been obliged change his
Gpon SIX times"
.ts yo, Sir Bro @