The New York herald., 1922-03-26

"HERE is significance in the
title of Senator Croce,s latest
contribution to the study of
Dante. 1t is emphatically the poetry
of Dante to which he wishes to guide
the reader; not to Dante the theo-
Logan. scholar or politician, but the
poet. OF course, no great writer is
separable into distinct, component
parts-he is an integral whole
parts that can be profltably spread
out on dissecting table and exam
ined, separately. to any good result.
But attention may be focused in
such way as to get the best vision
of the whole. Perhaps Croce's great
est service lies not so much in his
erudition-though he is universally
recognized as the leading Dantist OF
our day-as in his application of
what may be called an Illuminating
common sense to consideration of
Dante. 1t shines in this study, which
is intended to be a brief ''methodo-
logical introduction" to the reading
of the Divine Comedy, conducted in
a straightforward fashion, free from
distracting considerations unessential
to the theme" 1t is no small service.
I'm the history of philosophy the
doctrines Of Dante. he says. must
be rethought in their logic and dia-
lectic and linked with anterior and
posterior doctrines. But
in the history of poetry as in the
simple reading and enjoyment OF
poetry this does not matter; We're it
introduced it would cause disturb
ance. They should be known,
but in the same way as we know 4
myth or fable, or any other fact.
that is to say. rs clements or parts
of poetry. from which. and not from
logic, they derive their significance"
The same thing is true of the
actual historical or political data.
He points out, In writing history or
anecdote we should examine the
truth of the tragic death of the
lovers OF Rinini, or of the greatness
and ruin of Count Ugolino, as re-
counted by the poet. But
when reading the episodes beware of
separating what cannot be separated
and substituting the results of such
researches for the living qualities Of
Dante's characters! If you do,
whatever the characters have OF
piteous or tragic disappears at once.
!. The love of a Francesca over
/ thirty for a cousin over forty, ap-
pears to be nothing but an
| ignoble intrigue and this of
that Francesca about whom the god
like power of poetry has woven a
new history, a history which made
Byron in Ravenna feel such keen de-
| light to breathe the air and made
Carducci long for the expressed hill
where she 'softened her ardent eyes
TO smile.'"
| This book does much to point out
/ the right road. After brief intro
| ductory examination of the youthful
/ Dante, and of the structure and
poetry of the Comedy. he takes up
4 the three poems in rapid but highly
Illuminating survey, emphasizing the
high spots" and showing how best
to find and enjoy the Whole. He
adds a short chapter on the history
of Dantean criticism, which has
enough in it to be capable of expan-
sion into a large book. Like all
Croce's criticism. the study is very
| closely reasoned. 1t is not a thing
to digest at a single sitting. and it
calls for genuine effort on the part
of the student. But it can teach
him much. The volume is fortunate
IL we'll indeSed; an important aid TO
usefulness in such books that is only
too often missing The translation
is by Douglas Ainslee. an apparently
faithful rendering but sometimes a
! trifie grabbed in its phrasing.