Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-18
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
1. C. M.


to one talking on his own subject, the
subject which he knows with depth and
intimacy, with enthusiasm and easy
communicability. The theme itself may
not so much matter as does the spirit
in which 1t Is envisioned and projected
1.-THE French Novel" covers q topic
which, by implication at least, Is one
concern to all Broadly speaking, read
ing, in its basic nature and value, be-
comes the substance of the discussion
Nowadays everybody reads. So 1t Is
said, despite dark rumors from the
backlands of ignorance so complete, for
lack of print and the way of handling
it. as to cling to the belief Of George
Washington, President while repudiat-
ing q wild hearSay of one Herbert Hoo
yer in the White House at Washington
Nevertheless, reading is practically q
universal art. Yet, but few are readers
The great majority are gluttons with
print, gobbling 1t up in huge quantities
with loud smackings and gusty sto-
machic returns. Bulky bodies of news
overloadings of fiction, all hit or miss
in an inside turmoil of confusion and
uninformation. Indigestion Of the
worst sort.
Then some well-doer among his kind
brings out man like Pierre Mile, OF
Grant Overton, or another. One who is
able to select from his literary field
and to throw away with a free hand
One who knows how to weigh writings
and writers against each other per-
haps, against the periods in which they
work maybe, against the life they as
sumo to picture possibly, against the
true beauty of speech itself. These
better than mere students, serve to
of1er to the overstuffed and distracted
reader the relief of a simpler and saner
course in reading by way Of discrim-
mating choice, by way of natural
groupings that tend toward clarity OF
view on his own part. that gradually
develop in him an independent sense
OF values in literature. Benefactors,
these, in reading world gone dyspeptie
over print.
But let us sit down with Pierre Mile
while he talks to us about the French
writer's, what they have done by way
OF the novel to attract attention from
outside the borders Of old Gallia itself
A good manager, this writer, for within
the hours scope Of his book he has
given .bird's-eye view of the course
OF the novel in France from its begin
nings, quite outside the borders Of the
country itself, up to its day before yes
terday.
The schoolmaster, all for order and
regularity, laughs at the few irregu-
lars who claim preference for reading
many books backward-and the laugh
Is by no means q smile of mere pleas
antry. Nevertheless and notwithstand-
ing, there Is now and then good rea-
son, Of pure psychologist brand besides,
for following such an order. But let
us not argue with the pedagogue-God
bless him!-since he is the proud boast
and bulwark of our beloved landl Let
US return to our muttons instead.
which, in this case, is the succulent
French novel, purveyed by the faciIe
hand of Pierre Mile, novelist and
critic. After an hour, more or less,
We come away with the savors of
Marcel Proust and Andre Glide, and
Mauriac and Cocteau and others Of
the tribe-all Of yesterday. today and
tomorrow-setting our gustatory nerves
diacy, kinship, Illumination. The revo-
luton Of this young tribe is our revo-
luton. Therefore, more or less I'M
derstandable. II art be life, then the
art of these becomes measurable by
us, for we share alike in 1t.
Under the easy talk Of this COM
panion, that tantalizing and endless
Proust becomes, not merely less puz-
zling, but his apparent dawdling
around on the inside Of himself. serves
by degrees to throw ifinumerable white
rays OF revelation upon the reader
himself and to himself So, not mind
story at all, one fingers long and long
over q single page or paragraph or
sentence, amazed at the sheer naked
ness Of himself in the unerring flashes.
However, one must move along, move
backward away from these new intro
spectionists to the older romantic
realists. Back to those earlier record
ers of the human comedy, those who,
with pencils bit Smudged by an ex-
cess of outside over the inside, gave to
the world q truly glorious gift OF
French genius working so artfully and
subtly out through human stuff into
the domain of a great literature. You
know these-Balzac and the rest. And
backward still further to the point
where sheer romance. webbed Of
dreams and hopes, took its place in
the march forward toward the present
Of literary ideals and achievements.
And here we are. We read this deeply
interesting book forward, quite prop
erly. Then pondered it backward, be-
cause that backward course was the
only one that permitted us to go along.
And we simply had to 60 along. Run
ming ahead now in three jumps we
have 1t. Romance Of chivalric turn
and beauty. Then the encroachment
of realism under urge of the time
spirit itself. Soon science gave deep
emphasis to the art of the novelist,
now skeptic like all scientists de-
manding to be shown. and then the
introSpectionist. probing the secret
places for springs Of action. Such, in
the large, are the movements of this
absorbing study.
An inclusive survey Of the French
novel, approached in a spirit Of ripened
knowledge and appreciation, in COM
mand also Of the peculiar art of useful
critical appraisal. The latter a most
difficult art, prone to stiffen to bony
inutility. Not here, however. There
fore, deeply informing study. But the
book Is even more than this. 1t is
temperament. 1t is q personality Of
vividness, Of geniality, of comradely talk
about the essential values and effects
of the French novel along the course of
its development through the various pc
RODS OF French change and growth.
The novel stepping out alongside such
periods Of change.
Interesting bits, outside the immedi-
ate stream of the theme itself come
and go here. A case in point, the
great antiquity of the novel in its es-
sence and purport-the far time before
print, when novels, or romances, were
sung and tntoned by gifted ones travel
ing the lands with such welcome wares.
Notice Of the "Iliad" as great war ro-
nance; Of the Odyssey as prime ad-
venture of the sea. Further notice that
not till the Middle Ages did woman rise
to the heights Of fair lady" shining
star of mans rise toward great hero
isms and so on. A mere biologic incl
dent, before that time. Bits of fact,
something like these, strew these pages
with an effect of the latest news. All
in all, most competent, most alive
study of the French novel, calculated
to give to readers one of the moments
of pause and accounting that produc-