Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
4. C. M.
PIERRE: Or, The Antiquities. Her
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Seventy years have not served to
ripen the novels of Herman Melville to
any general warm acceptance. Within
this period, however, the trend OF Mel
ville's fame has been upward. Some
thing like 20 years ago a group Of the
more discerning and serious readers re-
discovered this writer. The discovery
partook Of the nature Of rescue. To-
day, Melville is greeted with enthusiasm
by the heirs of these pioneers In
search for American literature. Besides,
the times have worked on the side of
Melville and his kind. Ideas have
broadened, a little; judgments have soft
ened, q shade. Slowly Is the convic-
ton finding place that art-great
poetry, great prose, music, painting,
sculpture, dancing-iS not primarily
concerned with saving souls, except as
souls may be saved by way OF the beauty
Of truth embodied In one or another OF
the arts. Such expansion OF view was,
however. no part Of Melville's day. NO
part either Of the day Of his friend.
Nathaniel Hawthorne. who wrote q
vicious story called 1.-The Scarlet Let.
ter" a quickly suppressed story. And
at about the same time an even worse
novel was offered to the public--the
novel pierre" This, too, speedily hus-
tied into seclusion. Today, taking up
any list Of books for public reading one
is sure to find THE Scarlet Letter
So, 1t turns out that the wrong OF yes
terday may be the right Of next week
The common behaviors Of a century
ago are vices at this moment. the
morals Of 1929 will not, you may be
sure, count as the virtues Of a hundred
years from now. It Is this fact that
caught the vision of the novelist, this
puzzling ambiguity Of life wherein
seeming evil and seeming good perform
yeritable devils dance OF union at
one moment, Of repulsion and separa,,
ton at the next, Of confusion at all
moments. The boy, Pierre, beset by
these nimble and bewildering ambigui.
ties of existence, becomes the theme OF
this Melville novel which, unlike the
Scarlet Letter" has not been able 10
secure the accolade of an American
classic" There is good reason Tor
such withholding. o.
In one case the writer chose MS
theme. In the other the theme cap
tured the writer. Hawthorne. having
made his choice, became the builder,
concerned with foundations and super
structure and embellishments. con-
cerned with proportion and symmetry
with balance and poiSe; became the
artist in a word, his material human
errancy and its consequences. Melville,
on the other hand, faced with the puz-
cling and damning antiquities OF hle,
became the bold expositor-the brazen
.expositor, his judges of the day said
became the dangerous innovator, insist
ing on open avowal in the face OF q
day dedicated to shamed concealment,
became the imprisoned protestant
against the futile codes and misleading
dogmas offered as weapons with which
to meet the terrible problems. the con-
fiicting problems Of life. great theme,
you see. A theme that had its way COM
pletely with a writer Of the Melville
temperament. A great book, too. Not
great as architecture, as something TO
analyze for the harmony OF its parts,
for its austere reticencies, for its classic
effect. Not that at all. Instead mess
Of a book in this respect. One, now
ever that takes the reader up into II.
self, identifying him with this puzzled
youth trying to make worthy way
through the morass of right and wrong,
of beauty and ugliness, Of honesty and
hypocrisy, selfishness and self-love-
lust the same morass that opens before
every traveller who Is on O road not OF
his own choosing-on q road Tor Wnlcn
there appears to be no map at all. 80
the reader Of Pierre" founders and
gropes, sins and takes his punishment.
and always he stays by. There - no
giving up once the start Is mace. FOL
this Melville Is obseSsed with life-not
with its outer layers, its eatings and
drinkings and Sleepings and Waklngs-
obsessed with the pursuit OF its inner
content, of its essential essence. OF It's
destination and its beauty. And this
is the reason why one cannot let MIN
60. For we, too are under the same
urge, though in lesser degree, to know
this mystery to tear it open. to uncover
its heart. So We read this OLD oook,
pierre" and shall read 1t again. It's
first publication was in 1852-old, old.
YOU see, for an American book-by the
Harpers. To the story itself the new
publishers have added a preface by II.
M Tomlinson-a robust and illuminate
ing survey Of the story and the man.
It would be this and more.
An introduction in addition by Jonn
Brooks Moore presents a more speclnc
view Of Pierre" itself, a less dlreE s, az
tention to the writer. Both are 1lluml.
mating and useful in their seizure OF
the mystic side of Melville, who could
not be content unless he was PROBING
life beyond its margins OF sense I'M
preston and materialistic manifesta-
lions.
"Moby Dick" that amazing story OF the
great White Whale, Melville has here
terrible and impressive, AS the White
Whale embodied the world Of nature.
against which man may not hope to
prevail so pierre" projects the deep,
unseizable mystery Of life within which
he Is bound to be submerged.
A TALE OF THE PYRENEES. Pierre
Lott. Frederick A. Stokes Co.
Another traveller here offers you
story. A joyous, happy traveller VINO
roanned the world over seeking adven"
ture and beauty and love. All Of these
he found. Indeed, In these latter DAYS
q few have rather houted the genius OF
Lott. Oh, no, not that he failed to de-
liver pictures Of beauty and v1vldness;
not that he failed in the scope and real
substance Of the incidents and events
transcribed-but, you see, he put little
too much stress on that sensitive SUD
ject of love. He himself appeared TO be
a bit too impressionable, q shade too
careless of rules and regulations, not
entirely respectful ,, towara tra sdr sn
easy hour at least, while you 60 with
Lott into the Pyrenees, that disputed
borderland of France to the north. OF
Suain to the south. In series OF love.
ly pictures that open at every turn o!
the way here under the artist hand OF
Lott this ancient strip Of mountain land
stands out embodied In its appearance,
in such of its history a. has come to
light, in the life Of the Basque people
living there completely devoted to this
their own clear heritage. Recognized
as one of the master hands at making
vivid pictures out Of the landscape by
way Of putting words together just
right, Lott Is too human himself to be
content with only seas and deserts, with
mountains and plains. He demands the
human presence invariably just as you
and I do. So. somebody's story goes