LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1887. 



439 



life and manners ; Johan Fastenrath's "Zwolf 

 Alfonsos von Castilien," a glorification of the 

 Alfonsos of Spain ; F. Avenarius's " Die Kinder 

 von Wohldorf," a weird narrative of a fiddler 

 and his doings; Julius Grosse's attractive vol- 

 ume, " Epissoden und Epiloge." In dramatic 

 poetry " Vom Konig," by Paulus Cassel, D. D., 

 pastor of Christ Church, Berlin, is a tragedy of 

 unusual power and effective ethical teaching. 

 E. Bauernfeld, although past four score years, 

 has brought out another volume, " Poetisches 

 Tagebuch," which displays unusual vigor; and 

 M. Bern has made a good collection of German 

 poems from several hundred authors, under the 

 title "Declamatorium." In history, another vol- 

 ume of Ranke's, from manuscripts left by him, 

 has been issued. It contains three long trea- 

 tises on historical subjects concerning France 

 and Germany. We note only one drama as 

 worthy a place in our record, viz., Ludwig 

 Anzeugruber's national drama, ; ' Heimg'- 

 f unden " ; it obtained the Grillpazer prize this 

 year. The harvest of fiction is unusually large 

 and of a superior quality. Ebers, in his " Nil- 

 braut," opens out a new page in the history of 

 the mysterious Nile country. Though criti- 

 cised in several respects, this last production 

 of Ebers is evidently a work of great power. 

 Spielhagen's "Was will das werden?" deals 

 with a question of almost universal interest to 

 the human race. The ethical purpose is far- 

 reaching, and worked out with much skill and 

 success. Paul Heyse's " Roman einer Stifts- 

 dame" is admirably told and of noble tenden- 

 cies ; it has appeared in English under the title 

 " Romance of a Canoness " ; and his volume of 

 novelettes, " Villa Falconieri und andere No- 

 vellen," is praised by the critics. "Arme 

 Madchen " is the name of a Zolaizing novel by 

 Paul Lindau, much criticised ; and a sensational 

 novel with high-flown tendencies, entitled " Die 

 Krankheit des Jahrhunderts," comes from the 

 pen of Max Nordau. Other novels worthy of 

 note are Mrs. F. Lewald's " Die Familie Dar- 

 ner"; H. Heiberg's "Ein Webb"; R. Yoss's 

 " Michael Cibula " ; E. Marriott's anticlerical 

 stories, " Unter der Tonsur," etc. Numerous 

 short stories, admirably adapted for general 

 reading, have appeared, as also humorous tales 

 and sketches, and a full supply of literature for 

 the young. Among these last are F. Schanz's 

 " Mifc Ranzel und Stab," illustrating manners, 

 customs, etc., of the principal nations; V. 

 Bliithgen's " March en quell," a collection of the 

 best fairy tales of the Germans ; Lina Morgen- 

 stern's " Storchstrasse," also a book of fairy 

 tales, etc. In addition to what was said above 

 in regard to Ranke's posthumous treatises, we 

 note that Vol. VII of his " Weltgeschichte " has 

 appeared ; it covers the period between Otto 

 II and the death of Henry IV. The great na- 

 tional work of O. II. Am Rhyn, " Kulturge- 

 schichte des Deutschen Volkes," has reached its 

 conclusion; and F. Ratzel's ethnographical 

 book, " Volkerkunde," is completed by the 

 publication of the second part. As to biog- 



raphy, we have a number of lives of the famous 

 poet L. Uhland, by A. Rumelin, E. Paulus, H. 

 Fischer, etc. The death of the great gunmaker 

 called forth a volume, " Alfred Krupp und sein 

 Werk"; Prof. Brand has dealt fairly with S. 

 T. Coleridge ; and G. Schmeding has published 

 an appreciative life of " Victor Hugo." Three 

 works in literary history deserve to be named 

 here, viz., " Geschichte der Niederlandischen 

 Literatur," by Hellwald and Schneider; " Ge- 

 schichte der Englischen Literatur," by K". 

 Bleibtren ; and " Geschichte der Griechischen 

 Literatur," by M. Bender. Eugen Reichel's 

 " Shakespeare Literatur " is an onslaught 

 against the great poet's authorship of his plays ; 

 the writer also strangely attacks Bacon's au- 

 thorship of the " Novum Organ on." Two or 

 three other miscellaneous books are all that we 

 have room for. Paul Lanzky furnishes five 

 hundred " Psychologische Betrachtungen," 

 short, aphoristic sentences ; M. Selling has col- 

 lected some seven hundred utterances of in- 

 ternational philosophers on pessimism, under 

 the title " Perien der pessimistischen Welt- 

 auschaung " ; and D. Sanders has brought out 

 an excellent anthology of valuable passages 

 from the Bible as well as from the Greek and 

 Roman classics, entitled " Furs deutsche Hans." 

 Holland. Literature in Holland presents little 

 or no improvement over last year's record. In 

 poetry Louis Couperus has given to the public 

 his " Orchideen " ; Coens has brought out 

 " Schakeering," a volume of fair merit; and 

 Mrs. Knuttel has favored her readers with a 

 neat and rather attractive little volume. Hard- 

 ly anything else deserves mention. Few novels 

 have been produced during 1887. No new 

 names have sprung up, and no striking books 

 of fiction have seen the light. For the stage 

 the outlook is better. The dialogues in Mr. 

 Joosten's " Klatergoud " have been deservedly 

 praised; and Mr. Maaldrink's "Jan Masseur" 

 can boast of success too, despite its melodra- 

 matic language and situations. In the depart- 

 ment of history Captain Vervat has furnished 

 a study on the siege of Amsterdam by the 

 Prussians in 1787, and also an entertaining ac- 

 count of the memorable siege of Ostend by the 

 Spaniards (July, 1601, to September, 1604), the 

 details of which are for the most part taken 

 from the diary of an eye-witness. " Prins 

 Frederik en zijn Tijd," by Major de Bas, of 

 which the first volume has been published, is 

 a work of higher character and claims. It is 

 gotten up in handsome style. " The Calvinists 

 in Holland," by Mr. Geesink, describes the 

 struggle of the Calvinistic Church at Rotter- 

 dam (1611-'18), and the energy of the noted 

 preachers, Junius, Plaucius, and Geselius. A 

 monograph, by Rev. F. D. J. Moorrees, on 

 Coornhert, an eminent writer in the time of 

 William the Silent, is regarded as well done. 

 Full justice is meted- ont to Coornhert as the 

 great champion of absolute freedom in religion, 

 and the defender of the rights of the oppressed. 

 A work from Mr. Krauseman, a prosperous pub. 



