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LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1888. 



Maria Ocantos. Angelon has brought out a 

 charming novel, " Espinas de una Flor " (Part 

 II of "Flor de un Dia"), and Dona E. P. 

 Bazan sustains her high reputation (noted last 

 year) in her " Los Pazos de Ulloa," Vol. II, and 

 " Mi Romeria," or pilgrimage. Several other 

 ladies are active in this line. In general liter- 

 ature, criticism, and bibliography, improve- 

 ment is visible. Juan Valera shows this plainly 

 in his " Apuntes sobre el Nuevo Arte de 

 Escribir Novelas," as do also Miguel Alvarez, 

 in '' Tentativas Literarias," and Leopoldo Alas, 

 in " Folletos Literarios." Historical science 

 is also making rapid advance, and numerous 

 students and explorers are busily occupied in 

 searching old libraries for rare manuscripts, 

 unpublished documents, etc. M. Fuente's gen- 

 eral History of Spain (1850-'62) in twenty- 

 six volumes, is being reprinted, with a con- 

 tinuation by Juan Valera. Balaguer, whose 

 " History of Catalonia " was noted last year, 

 has brought out the eleventh, twelfth, and thir- 

 teenth volumes of his complete works; V. La- 

 fuente is steadily occupied in critical studies 

 of the history of Aragon : and Pella y Forgas 

 has reached the seventh volume of his archaeo- 

 logical and topographical description of Am- 

 pnrdan in Catalonia. Provincial and local 

 history is cultivated with spirit and success. 

 The number of publications is too great to 

 allow of naming them here, save only Ciriaco 

 Vigil's " Asturias Monumental, Epigrafica y 

 Diplomatica," three large volumes, with illus- 

 trations; O. y Rubio's " Investigaciones sobre 

 la Historia de Valladolid"; and Vol. XV 

 of the richly illustrated work, "Espafia y 

 sus Monumentos." The Geographical Society's 

 "Boletin," two volumes, shows that consider- 

 able impulse has been given to this study. Two 

 works on Morocco have appeared; the Philip- 

 pine Islands have been described by Captain 

 Moreno, and "La Isla de la Paragua," by Cap- 

 tain Canga-Arguelles, both of the royal navy. 

 A volume on the Nicaragua Interoceanic Canal 

 by Sepulveda, and further " Noticias de Chris- 

 toval Colon," by Fernandez Duro, are worthy 

 of note here, as of special interest to Ameri- 

 cans. In the way of reprints, or continuations 

 of important work?, much has been done, such 

 . as Lopez de Gomara's " Conquest of Mexico," 

 M. Pelayo's " LaCiencia Espafiola," Vols. I and 

 II ; Arteche's '' War of Independence," and 

 Bethencur's " Anales dela Nobleza Espaflola," 

 Vol. VIII. On the whole, the outlook in regard 

 to Spanish literature is decidedly encouraging. 

 Sweden. As noted last year, women in 

 Sweden continue to occupy a foremost place 

 in literature. Mrs. Benedictson's " Fru Mari- 

 anne" was noted in the record of 1887 as 

 one of the best novels published. We may 

 add that it carried off a prize from the Swedish 

 Academy and attained great popularity. Mrs. 

 Benedictson writes under the pen-name Ernst 

 Ahlgren. Another lady, Madame A. Agrell, 

 furnishes a collection of tales, " In the Coun- 

 try," which are pleasing and have been well 



received. A. Strindberg, the Zola representa- 

 tive in Sweden, writes with his usual vigor and 

 ability in " The Inhabitants of Hernso " ; but 

 his invectives against family life, and his at- 

 tacks on the female sex, especially married 

 women, are offensive and discreditable in a 

 high degree. Two of Strindberg's adherents 

 have written comedies, viz., Per Staaff and G. 

 af Geijerstam. The former's, entitled "Svea's 

 Banner," is severe on what is called the boule- 

 vard press, and the latter's, named " Father- 

 in-law," ridicules young officers' intrusions into 

 families to catch prizes in marriage. The 

 drama is weak this year. Fiction, on the other 

 hand, is flourishing. This is shown by the 

 large number of novels and tales published in 

 1888, among which we may name Ernst Arpi's 

 'From a Plebeian Borough," Anna Wahlen- 

 berg's " With our Neighbors," Hilma Strand- 

 berg's " Westward," i. e., life on the west coast, 

 and a new series of tales by Tor Hedberg, son 

 of the veteran Frans Hedberg. C. D. af Wirsen, 

 both rival and once friend of Count Snoilsky, 

 and champion of the altar and the throne, has 

 published a volume of poetry displaying much 

 ability ; and A. U. Baath has given a long de- 

 scription in verse of persecutions for witch- 

 craft and sorcery in Sweden in the seventeenth 

 century. A work on sociology, entitled "Om 

 Nationernas Sammanvaxning," by G. Bjork- 

 lund, has attracted much attention, especially 

 with reference to the dispute between free 

 trade and protection. Political history has 

 been enriched by a new volume of O. S. Ryd- 

 berg's " Sweden's Treaties with Foreign Pow- 

 ers," 1534 to 1560. The same writer has 

 brought out an essay on the meeting at Kalmar, 

 1397. A. Blomberg supplies a popular work 

 on Charles XIV (Bernadotte). A. Nystrom is 

 very busy on his work (noted in last year's 

 record) respecting the history of civilization 

 and culture. S. J. Boethius has completed his 

 history of the French Revolution; and J. 

 Thyren gives a documentary history of the 

 armed neutrality and the peace under Na- 

 poleon, including also the European policy 

 from the peace of Amiens (1802) to the 

 rupture between France and England (1803). 

 Prof. G. Ljunggren has added - a new volume 

 to his great work, ' ; The Annals of the Polite 

 Literature of Sweden (1809-'14)"; and H. 

 Schtick is continuing his history of Swedish 

 literature. The distinguished poetess, Anna 

 Mnria Lenngren, is handsomely dealt with in a 

 monograph by Karl Warburg; and L. L<>o- 

 strom's "The Swedish Academy of Art during 

 the First Century of its Existence, 1 ' is much 

 praised by the critics. A few volumes in gen- 

 eral literature may be noted in conclusion. 

 Dictionaries in that phenomenon of the day, 

 Volapiik, have been published by G. Liedbeck. 

 C. Lundin has brought out a description 

 (splendidly illustrated) of modern Stockholm. 

 In a volume for young people the historian 

 Victor Rydberg tells the story of " The Myths 

 of our Fathers." E. Dahlgren addresses book- 



