Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-27
ALEXANDER POPE. BY Edith Sitwell. Ne
York: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation.

toward the future Besides, poetry is not of
much account today. Almost nobody reads
poetry, almost nobody makes it.
Hardly any of this summary Is true. though
in careless accounting it may seem to be an
exact statement of the fact. Men of the past,
of any past are Of deep concern to the present,
provided only that they have had the capacity
to keep alive through the intervening years.
They are history. Granted But they are also
liKtng partakers of our own present 1t is
mistake to declare that poetry is. nowadays,
neither written nor read. doubt IT, In any
period, more general interest in poetry has
been manifest than is shown today, or If more
poets were ever trying themselves out in poetic
composition than at the present time. How
ever, all this has nothing to do with Miss Sit
wells study of Alexander Pope, save to forecast
for the book much wider and warmer recep-
ton than these casual surveys would indicate.
Here is one poet going back into history for
an accounting of truly great genius in poetic
creation. 1t is partly by such affinity of mind
that the story of Pope comes out anew here
1t is more, however in the spirit OF the cham
pion that Miss SitWen takes up arms in sup
port of the greatness of Pope. There is some
thing clearly defensive in this writer's attitude
throughout yet nos once does 1t decline to
mere defense. Frank recognition of the per-
Sonal frailty of Pope-of his bodily and moral
frailty-gives all the more strength to the
authors claim of genius for the poet himself
A study of this poetry a waywiSe and SYM
meal perfection of Pope's work, Of its superb
finish at q period when such technical per-
lection of sequence and sound the stamp
OF high poetry. It will not be easy to find a
more communicable study of eighteenth century
poetry, one freer from Stilted schoolcraft
such than the one given here. More than this,
there Is here an intimate setting Of the greatest
of Pope's work within the fabric of surrounding
English life that will be q satisfying joy to
students who look upon all art as an inherent
part, an emanation of its surroundings in the
life of its period.
pictures, amplify and illuminate not only the
life of Pope but the life of England as well.
FASHIONS have changed in the ways of art no
less than in the fashions of daily life and COM
mon speech and general outlook, that the
English eighteenth century seems far away and
strange. In this study of one of the poets of
that period the whole is re-created, giving q
sympathetic and ineligible projection not only
of the poet himself, but of all that which made
both him and the England Of that day.
chapter of substantial history, study of in
dividual man, an appreciation of genius.
study of poetry itself-these accrue from Miss
Sitwells competent and truly inspired study of
the life and work of Alexander Pope, English
genius of two centuries ago. living poet of this
century and many to come-no one doubts.
SHOW ME- DEATH. BY w. Redvers Dent.
New York: Harper g. Brothers.
"WHATs living, Slim, what's lving9 We
paddle around in the mud awhile and
even these marks are washed away in the next
days rain AS for me- show me death, for at
least it is something that gives us a new adj
venture Will it be oblivion, will wake up
in the lap of God?"
Neither skeptic nor blasphemous-just a war
soaked soldier instead. And here is the story
of Canadian war-man, a record, think, that
stands for the courage and galantry and en-
durance of the famous army of Canadian
fighters in the big war. Another of those plain
tales" Of hard-boiled Kiplingesque flavor which,
just now, are coming out to picture the war as
it was, all war is The parade is over. The
glitter of trappings, the prancing of war horses,
the sculpturesque abSurdty of the man-on-
horseback, the booming and the bugling. the
shouting and the tumult-these are gone into
the limbo of buried barbarities, where they
belong Instead, We are getting from gifted
young writers who were there, who did the
work, just what the thing was, what the mon
strous thing is Hosts of men, heavy with
war tools, slog-slog- Slogging through miles of
rain and cold, slipping through the trenches
already a-wash with rain, Shiny with rotting
men, sinking with corrupt man-stuf, skitter-
ing with hungry rats, or, now and then, camp
ing for the minute in shell holes along with
the rank obscenity Of men overriding dead.
Something like this is the gathering out of this
Nahduidn SoioIch SVOty' 1eL IL Is III no SeHSe
a sensational recording. That is, it is not such
by intent Instead it is a story of the days
work in active time. Some easements
come, pitiful easements they seem to the reader
an added bite of horse meat, corner of the
buddy's blanket, a little closer smuggling in out
of the rain snow. Maybe a game of cards
IN moments of extra gayety, possibly long hot
drink off, don't know what. I've forgotten
but t warming and heartening and savage
as it should have been in that clearly savage
undertaking. A hopelessly sketchy touch, this
for q hook that is 81 in-reacfinp sn lIn-rnofinp