Evening star., 1937-04-03
By Mary.Carter Roberts.

BONAPARTE. BY Eugene Tarle. New
York: Knight Publications.
"HE author Of this new life OF
Napoleon devoted IS years to
research before beginning the
L writing, so his publisher in
forms us. On reading the work re-
sulting from such formidable studies
one cannot help rejecting that as
events have come about, Prof. Tarle
Is playing distinctly in luck. For II,
IS years ago, he had been able to fore
see the present, he could hardly have
picked more popular theme for this
day than the one he has chosen on
which to fit the events in his hero's
rather well-publicized life. For that
theme is Napoleon in relation to the
class struggle or, as sometimes seems
to be the case, the class struggle in
relation to Napoleon. And the class
struggle would appear to be as enter
tanning reading matter in these thirties
Is sex was back in the wicked twenties.
Prof. Tarle's contention is that Ma
poleon was the logical champion Of
the "workers"-and one understands
by this that he means not all Of us who
work, but those whose work is known
uniquely as "labor"-two curious con-
centrations of meaning, by the way,
since there is hardly any one in the
world who does not work and so is
not worker" while quite tolerably
arduous "labors" have been performed
before now by individuals who were
,sir 1o for ShnVe1C
ever, when one speaks today of a
champion of the workers, one under
stands what is meant. That, says
Prof. Tarle, is what Napoleon might
have been.
His book follows the line that the
original revolution in France was one
which benefited the bourgeoisie, and
that the workers." dissatisfied, were
ripe for still more change at the time
Napoleon made his entry into impor-
tance. They supported him, he says,
but Napoleon was Indifferent to their
good will. Napoleon built his regime
instead on the middle classes, and the
middle classes repudiated him
promptly when they understood that
his aim was not to bring about an
orderly government, but to execute
plans for world conquest. Not so the
faithful workers, according to Prof.
Tarle. They remained Bonapartists
even to Waterloo and afterward. Had
Napoleon taken the support they ten
dered, his fall might not have come
about
This is the theme which the book
undertakes to prove, and frankly to
the reviewer it seems little tenuouS.
But it gives necessary new twist to
old matter and saves the author from
repeating what has been repeated
often enough, since, in most OF the
crises of Napoleon'S career, instead
of relating the events, he occupies
himself with explaining the connec-
ton OF these events-their knowledge
by the reader assumed-to the afore-
mentioned theory. If a reader can
agree that Napoleon'S career would
have been different if Napoleon had
followed another course, and sub
scribe to the possibilities Of that course
as Prof Tarle outlines them, and take
an interest in all these past conditional
happenings, too, he ought to like the
book 1t is we'll enough written and
thoughtfully worked out.
JORDANsTOWN. BY Josephine John
son. New York: Simon 81
Schuster.
with the publication of 'Jordans-
town" announce the publishers
of that work, "the author Of Now In
November enlarges the field Of her
sympathies."
Now In November" as readers will
remember, was the Pulitzer prize win
ming novel of 1885.
Now, just what Miss Johnson's field
OF sympathies" has been up to the
present the reviewer cannot say. Miss
Johnsons only published book since
1885 was a collection of short stories.
The reviewer read them, but is obliged
to report that she found them COM
pletely uncommunicative on any sub
ject whatsoever. They were, as it hap
pened, Of that gloomy, maundering
portentous incoherence which quite
frequently impresses publishers who
are cunning enough to be aware that
it may be art and and whose motto
Is, Take no chances in an issue like
that" In this state of mind, much
praise should be given. For, after all,
art is so worth While
So just what territory is being en-
larged by the present novel must be
left to readers own perspicacity. As
to the enlargement itself, the reviewer
can only comment that Miss johnson
seems a little slow. She is coming
out now with a book on the dear old
class struggle, and most of our young
novelists have already gotten brisk
ly over that ground and now are
putting out their second and even
their third volumes on that highly
profitable subject. Mayhap, the dig
nifty of Pulitzer Prize taker requires
lingering a bit behind the frankly
scrambling literary herd. Again praise
is due. Let us have, by all means,
propriety in all things
Anyway, "Jordanstown" is novel
on formula so commonly in use that
the fact that Miss johnson has en-
doWed her performance with even an
hysterical individuality deserves credit
She has done that, and she has also
written at times with poetic beauty.
But novel is a book, and her book,
judged as whole, Is neither convinc-
Ing nor interesting.
1t Is one of those intolerably numer-
GUS tales of IAN average American
small town." with the familiar bigotry,
meanness and brutality (all Of which
were discovered by genuine creative
writer's back in the 20s, while Miss
johnson was still in high schooD,
trotted out once more, but this time
OF course, set before the reader in
the currently popular terms Of social
injustice. The hero "a young idealist
naturally buys newspaper and be-
gins writing revolutionary editorials