Evening star., 1924-10-07
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
THE RELUCTANT LOVER. stephen

THE RELUCTANT LOVER. Stephen
Mckenna. Little, Brown g. Co.
The title of this story is. by and
large, the story itself. Or 1t would
be that were it only possible for any
lover in the world to register 100 per
cent reluctant" This, however, Is
not possible. The very essence Of the
matter is against it. For with every
one of these there is, unfailingly, a
margin of eagerness beyond any gem
aversion. And this margin, this dis
concerting ardor Of advance, be 1t
never so narrow, is ever of an accom-
modation, ever Of a breadth and depth
to suck the lover down finally into
the bottomless pit of matrimony. The
common doom Of all lovers, this, the
terms of their predestined end. The
one at hand. this Cyril Fitzroy, though
figuring as a man in q made-up tale,
differs no whit in this respect from
the millions of futile and defeated
protesters in the real world round
about. And the story itself departs
from the average run of inventions
upon this theme only by virtue of the
of which comes it's fresh individuality
of texture and colors and pattern.
This Is the romance of lost cause,
the record Of a smashing defeat by
way of which the long-guarded cita-
del of Cyril Fitzroy's heart gives way
under assaults so finished in technic
so persistent in renewal as to free
the man from any suspicion that, like
so many of his class, he may all
along have been no more than a plain
faker of pretense on the one hand, or
clear tyro in the art of self-defense
90 the other. Enough, that at the
- q a long matter the avowedly
'sSAtnG1naas IJru went the way of all
o~H marrying, finally. a lovely fluff
of gIrlhood. What the man does is of
sliAht consequence. 1T is what he as
sumes to be that counts here.
"The Reluctant Lover" is Stephen
Mckenna's first novel. written back
in 1912. At that time Oscar Wilde
had been dead a dozen years, long
enough for a few of the bolder sort
to speak out for him as a genius, a
man of noble artistic achievement, a
writer of surprising brilliance and
charm. To young authors of certain
temperament Oscar Wilde must have
been. must still be, an influence ire
sstible and deep. The prince of
esthetes; vain and impudent. but also
the triumphant poseur, proclaiming &
an art of life that transcends all 9TH
er arts; embodying this in his own
attitudes and postures; amplifying it
in thought SO striking. in paradox 30
astounding, in a surface SO smooth
and cadenced and singing that it be-
comes enchantment and seduction to
the plain reader. To the young
writer. the certain young writer, he
becomes the shining star of desire.
Nobody else approaches for sheer
audacity Of brilliance, save only Shaw
and George Moore-1rishmen, all
three.
In The Reluctant Lover" it is
clear that Stephen Mckenna is in
thrall to Oscar Wilde. Cyril Fitzroy
is. in design. the artist in life of
which Wilde has so much to say. Oh.
no, not within a thousand miles of
Wilde himself, but an excellent imi-
tation for young man to make when
he is just setting out in literature.
The book is a promise-one that Mr..
Mckenna not to have kept to the full.
Perhaps he later fell by the wayside
through deliberate intent. Maybe he
became discouraged. finding this pat
tern too intricate for everyday hu-
man use. But-let us get back to
Cyril Fitzroy who looks upon himself
as cynic. disillusioned man, sophisti-
cate in an awkward and inept world,
mailed against the common frailities
OF life-among them, love and mar
riage. He is great talker, this
Fitzroy, given to long monologues.
manner. A languid fellow lolling
about in easy chairs while he mur-
murs-"My time and strength are
given to the greatest art of all, the
art of life" (This is not merely like
Wilde. 1t is Wilde. in his own words.)
Or when you know life as l know
it you will restrict yourself to your
own company for the years between
20 and TO-. During that time if your
income exceeds your expenditure the
world cries in chorus that it must
now find you a suitable wife: if your
expenditure exceed your income, the
world tries to find you suitable en-
ployment; if you are able-bodied one
half of your friends urge you to work
for them and the other half to play
with them: the art of being is de-
stroyed by the artif1ce of doing.
Again. Man is born into this world
without being consulted; he creeps
away at the end of his predestined
period, usually against his will and
without knowing whittier he is bound
One thinks he is going out like a
candle. | see him trying to enjoy
his little life before that day comes
marrying a wife and trying to per-
petuate his little self in his children
or giving himself up to riotous f1eshly
indulgence and being sorry for il
afterward. A second amuses himself
by thinking that he is going into an
other world when he dies.
II see him making his preparations
for that, fashioning little god ir
his own image, putting little laws
and prophecies and gospels into his
little gods mouth and then expend.
ing his leisure in explaining why he
does not live up to them. Yet an
other processes to be undecided what
fate the future has in store for him
but wants to be on the safe side by
devoting himself to good works in
the world. l like to watch him, be.
cause he is of the most direct benefit
to myself. He does the public work
of the nation by which 1 prosper
England he says, has the noblest
and most widely spread civilization
in the world. 1t must be perpetuated
improved and extended So he take.
rifle or a battleship and protect.
me. He passes wise and human,
laws. / pay for them. it is true, bu
they keep the poor more or less con.
tented, and l should have to pa,
much more If the poor undertook tn.
task themselves. He puts a police
man at my door, gives me good road.
to drive down and a sanitary city tt
live in. l am. indebted to the mar
who finds his vocation in public life
he wins his reward by being made {
peer or a cabinet minister, but h.
has to work very hard for it, and
get the chief benefit from first t.
last There is a great deal to he sa il