LITERATURE, AMERICAN, IN 1880. 



465 



nor, M. D., a lately deceased Southern writer of 

 verse, includes the pathetic ballad of ''Little 

 Giffen" (Philadelphia, Lippincott). Another 

 volume of Southern verse is Father Ryan's 

 " Poems " (Mobile). " The Maid of Northum- 

 berland," a drama by Daniel Bedinger Lucas 

 (New York, Putnams), is also a Southern pro- 

 duction. "Three Friends' Fancies" is a col- 

 lection of simple and sincere verses by three 

 Southern ladies. The fine short poems of T. 

 B. Aldrich have been published in a collection 

 entitled " XXXVI Lyrics and XII Sonnets " 

 (Boston, Houghton). The first complete trans- 

 lation of Schiller's works has been published 

 in Philadelphia by J. Kohle and edited by 

 Charles J. Hempel. 



The Novels of the year are numerous, and 

 many of them of high character. The " Un- 

 discovered Country," by W. D. Ho wells, is a 

 gracefully handled delineation of an intellect- 

 ual type not uncommon in America, that of a 

 devotee to a speculative hypothesis ; his crotch- 

 et was also a typical one, being connected with 

 the theories of modern spiritualism. "Dr. 

 Heidenhoff's Process," by Edward Bellamy 

 (New York, Appletons), is a remarkably artis- 

 tic and effective story, containing many life- 

 like details strung upon an ingenious and fanci- 

 ful thread. "A Fool's Errand," by One of the 

 Fools [Albion W. Tourgee], is a political novel 

 in which the author, who had filled a judgeship 

 in North Carolina during reconstruction, at- 

 tacked the South so trenchantly and bitterly, 

 and presented tales of Southern barbarity and 

 persecution with so skillful a simulation of his- 

 torical candor and reality, that the intended 

 political effect was very successfully accom- 

 plished, a more momentous effect than has been 

 produced by any other pamphlet of late years. 

 This partisan novel was followed by a second 

 of like import " Bricks without Straw." Mr. 

 Tourgee had previously published a tale of 

 Western life, called "Figs and Thistles, 1 ' in 

 which the untrained but somewhat graphic 

 power of his episodes and the lack of every 

 quality of a coherent plot are seen undisturbed 

 by the political imprest of his other novels 

 (New York, Fords). A " Reply to the Fool's Er- 

 rand " (New York, Hale) was written by a Mr. 

 Royall, of Virginia. " Democracy " (New York, 

 Holt) is a political satire of broader purpose, 

 in which the roguery of practical politics is 

 painted with a moderate degree of skill and 

 truth. " The Virginia Bohemians " is a tale in 

 which the characteristics of Southern life be- 

 fore the war are exhibited with an instinctive 

 and delicate touch, though the scenes and in- 

 cidents are placed in the present day, and noth- 

 ing in the story itself bears the stamp of dra- 

 matic realism, by John Esten Cooke (New York, 

 Harpers). "^The Stillwater Tragedy " is a ro- 

 mance of crime combined with a love-story, 

 both parts as well done as might be expected 

 from the accomplished author, T. B. Aldrich, 

 but hardly well blended (Boston, Houghton). 

 George W. Cable's " The Grandissimes " is an 

 VOL. xx. 30 A 



historical novel of the highest order, whose 

 scene is laid in Louisiana at the time of the 

 annexation (New York, Scribners) ; Cable's 

 pictures of life are artistic and real, showing 

 qualities in which American novelists have be- 

 fore proved themselves wanting, and in his 

 portrayal of feminine character he ranks with 

 the highest artists of any land. In " The Con- 

 fessions of a Frivolous Girl," Robert Grant has 

 produced one of the best satirical sketches of 

 fashionable society which has appeared (Bos- 

 ton, A. Williams & Co). " The Worst Boy in 

 Town " is by the author of " Helen's Babies " 

 (Jack Habberton), and in a similar vein. "Sal- 

 vage " (Boston, Roberts) is a well-conceived 

 though imperfectly sustained story. " A For- 

 eign Marriage" (New York, Harpers) de- 

 scribes the fortunes of a selfish and ambitious 

 beauty and an aspiring artist. "Tales of the 

 Chesapeake" is a collection of good dialect 

 sketches, by George Alfred Townsend (New 

 York, American News Co.) ; as is also " Camp 

 and Cabin," tales of Western life, by Rossi ter 

 W. Raymond (New York, Ford). One of the 

 best works of the kind ever executed in the 

 only field for such a work which our country 

 presents is "Uncle Remus's Folk-Lore," by 

 Joel Chandler Harris (New York, Appletons), 

 a genuine collection of the legendary tales, 

 which have animals for their actors, current 

 among the Southern negroes, the embellish- 

 ments of characteristic negro humor and fancy 

 adding to their value as a collection of myths, 

 while imparting a quality of irresistible fasci- 

 nation; the only perfect reproduction of the 

 negro dialect which is embodied in this col- 

 lection gives it, even in a higher degree than 

 the myths which it preserves, a lasting phi- 

 lological importance. " Cape Cod and All 

 Along Shore " (Franklin Square Library) is a 

 collection of amusing stories illustrating char- 

 acteristics of New England people, by Charles 

 Nordhoff. Julian Hawthorne's "Sebastian 

 Strome " is a work of considerable power, and 

 contains many striking and original features, 

 though lacking artistic unity ; it accomplishes 

 the difficult task of drawing base and wicked 

 characters without making them unreal beings 

 incapable of awakening a human interest and 

 a degree of sympathy (New York, Appletons). 

 " Golden-Rod " is a pleasing and refined soci- 

 ety story (New York, Harpers). " A Strange 

 Disappearance," by Anna Katherine Green 

 (New Y'ork, Putnams), is a well-w^rought-out 

 story with a mystery, like her former one of 

 " The Leavenworth Case." " His Majesty My- 

 self" (Roberts's "No-Name Series") is a fine 

 example of character-drawing and graphic de- 

 piction of social life. " The Heart of It," by 

 W. 0. Stoddard (New York, Putnams), is a 

 realistic study by a new author. " Uncle 

 Jack's Executors " is a pleasant story of three 

 professional young women, by Annette Lucille 

 Noble (New York, Putnams). "Rodman the 

 Keeper " is the title of a series of sketches of 

 Southern life, remarkably poetical and dra- 



