American Novels And Novelists

Mr. Howells and Mr. James have founded a now school of novel-writing, one distinctly of New England and of a very reflned and modern type, a,nd a cluster of minor writers like Lathrop and Misa Iloward are gathering rouud them, -who havemuch of their grace and cleverness. Outside of the group our novel-writing is somewhat crude and inartistic, withthe cxception of Mrs. Burnets works, which have the delicacy of the New England writers with more imperfectiona, but also moro freshnes5 and enthusiasm and passionate vehemence. One naturally looks to this new school with more interest, because abroad the prosspect is so unpromiaing. Tourgueuef has no successors in Eussia. Germán ncvel-writing is at a very low ebb. FraDce, with its innate dramatic forcé, is much better off, but its work seems to tend irrepressibly to senaualism of the Zola school, vvhen it is not cloyingly goody. In England, where the art has reached its greatest development, and, indeed, over-topped all the other arta, it seems to be dying out, and not from any change in public taste, but simply from the lack of menof genius. Thus our own movement is more important, and it is pleasant to see how much tbere is that is good in it. lts style is sweet and ammated, with the smoothness and simplicity of modern English and a touch of crispness and light sentiment more akin to the French. It has the purity of conception of English art and the subtle analysis of the French. But unfortunately it has neither the fiery inensity of the latter nor the strong simplicity of the former.and it is apt to take adilettaute tone. In its rea'.ism it suggests Jane Auster, but it is less prosaic and Lees humorous, with more self-eonsciousness and more analysis of halfrecognized feelings. lts tone has not the heaity ring of the English. Our American authors prefer Hfe aiter inmarriage to the illusiuns of youth, and they of ten write a blasé air, and let their stories end badly because they think the world snch a tiresome and imperfect place that they can't conscientiously flatter it by giving it even temporarily the ideal complétenos which belongs to an artistic conce ption. It is like private theatricals, with the light humorous eharacters neatly carieatured, and tbe refined parts of the adíes and gentlemen given with nice appreciation, but with no ability to render the po werf ui passions that make a play great. Our authors have none of those warm likes and dislikes for the creations of their brain which the great foreigu artists have. ïhey stand dside and describe themwitha cold critical severity that r.erer misses a telling stroke, and never arouses an enthusiasm. The eharacters themselves are in the same super-eivilized mood, swayed by slight half-feit emo,ions, with no strong soul-possessing jassions. We feel that we cannot syniialhize veiy keenly with pcople who are so chillingly revealed to us. and it daunts us to ünd that we care more for hem than the author, who ought to uiow them best. ïbey are our friends, and it is always palnful to have the half-ignored iaults of those we are tttaehed to set before us, so clearly and unforgetably. The showy neektie of Henry Jamea's hero in ''The American," the countryüed dooratep experience of "The Ladyof the Aroostook," are blots on their eharacters that stick in our memory. üir. Howell's touch, if less striking, is ighter. than tbat of Mr. James. Hei ia iften satirical, but never swpercilious. ilis delicious humor hides with kindy drollery the severity of the analysis, mt it is there still. And when, as in he "Undiscovered Couutry," his people begin to bore him, they bore us stil] nore, and in "Dr. Breen's Practica" tiiey even bore each other. Jt is a great pity that enthuaiasm should be so often reñned away in the writers of his group, for art cannot reach its ïightest point without enthusiasm for m ideal. In his descripüons of scènes and scenery Mr. Howells displays an extraordinary power quite unapproaehed by any other living Americ.i. The wo men, ArbutonandEllison, arenew o fletion, representatives of the Kast and West. and botk drawn with admirable skill. But Mr. Howells' artistic inclination has always been to the other sex, and in some of his novéis. 'The Lady of the Aroostock" and "Private Theatricals," for exaraple, the young men are drawn with a feminine over-reünement and over-sensitiveness hat reaches weakness and almost ffeminacy. There is u Jack of simple motive and straight forward passion, and instead we have a hundred delicate ïalf emotions, very harmoniously )lended, but with no effectiveness. The inen scarcely know whether they are in love or not, and they never hate. This tendency to over-refinemenh is lis greateat weakness. Mr. Plowells' stories aro more aitistically conceived, as a whole, than those of the other writers of his school. They have a beginning and end. But the quality which most strongly marks his genius, next to his imagination, is bis delicious humor of the flnest llavor, a quality m which the other writers are comparativelv deficiënt.