396 



LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1898. 



count of his travels. K. B. Mtidl furnishes the text 

 for a fine book on architect Dienzenhofer's villa 

 " America." V. Flajshans is the author of a work 

 on Bohemian literature. Bibliography, not especi- 

 ally cultivated here, is represented by J. Truhlaf's 

 abfe catalogue of a rich collection of manuscripts 

 in the University Library of Prague. and the " Bib- 

 liographic Catalogue for"l895," a record of contem- 

 porary literature. 



A. Kochazka, in " Monatsschrift fur neue Liter* 

 tur nnd Kunst", October. 1897, tells us that " Bohe- 

 mian literature, the older as well as the younger, 

 can not show a novel of lasting worth. We find 

 praiseworthy attempts at social and psychological 

 works of a larger style, but this work of art still 

 awaits its creator," and the "drama is at a low ebb." 

 The list of fiction is long : A. Jirasek's historical 

 novel " U nas " (glowing style) ; J. Zeyer's " In the 

 Dawn of the Gods " and "-the House of the Drown- 

 ing Star"; three stories of the life of the middle 

 class, by Rais; Ig. Hermann's "Father Kondelik 

 and his Son-in-law Vejvara" (on Prague's humbler 

 citizens); collections of short stories such as "On 

 the Thread of Humor," by Herites, and Sova's 

 "Prose"; Slejhar's "Zatisf" (vigor; "sympathy 

 for the oppressed"); "A Poisoned Rose." by the 

 late V. Kosmak, a collected edition of whose writ- 

 ings has been announced; and Laichter's " After 

 the Truth " (attempts to describe life of Bohemian 

 students). Noteworthy poetry is found in J. Vrch- 

 licky's lengthy " Bar-Kochba," " Bunch of Lyrics," 

 and " Portraits of Poets " ; and S. Cech's powerful 

 narrative poem "Rohac na Sione," published in his 

 monthly, " Kvety. L. Quis has collected and edited 

 the scattered poems of Havlicek, " the first and best 

 of Bohemian journalists." " Dramatic literature," 

 says a Bohemian writer, "appears ... to have re- 

 ceived a new impulse, in consequence, perhaps, of 

 the lively interest awakened by the attempts to es- 

 tablish a second Bohemian theater in Prague." In 

 this field we have Hilbert's play " For God " (repre- 

 senting struggle between belief and unbelief; pro- 

 hibited by the authorities) ; Zeyer's fairy play " Ra- 

 duz a Mahulena " (beautiful language, deep feeling) ; 

 Vrchlicky's comedy " King and Fowler " ; Kvapil's 

 fairy play " Princess Dandelion " ; Masek's faithful 

 picture of the life of "Students"; and Stech's 

 "Fireland" (satire upon small-town life). Two 

 operas are added : Fibieh's " Sarka," libretto by Ag- 

 nes Schulz, and Kovafovic's " Psohlavci," libretto 

 by Sipek (powerful plot). 



Denmark. Some new historical works are N. P. 

 Jensen's " Den forste slesvigske Krig, 1848-'50 " ; 

 II. C. A. Lund's "Studentenforeningens Historio, 

 ' Dansk Studenterliv i det 19. Aarhun- 



rlrede " (Vols. I and II) ; and E. A. Svedstrup's " Fra 

 Kong Georgs Land under Krigen 1897." Johan- 



" 



n.- .F'">r^i-ii-.-ii, a convert to Romanism, in " Helve- 

 dMQeoaer" (supporting the doctrine of hell), elo- 

 )iiently defends the Church. 0. Ilansen traces 

 " Filosofien i Danrnark i det 18. og 19. Aarhundrede," 

 and C. Koch writes of "Sftren Kierkegaard." Lit- 

 erary criticism is supplied in a volume on " Henrik 

 Ibsen " (piil.lished on the occasion of Ibsen's seven- 

 tieth birthday) by (Jeorg Brandos, who also presents 

 a work on " Poland" (observations and thoughts on 

 conditions and moods of the land and the people ; 

 somewhat eulogistic); .1. Paludan's EmileZolaog 

 Naturalistnen " ; mid T. Bierfreimd's "Shakespeare 

 og hans Kunst." F. R. Frils offers a " I'.idrag til 

 dansk Kunst historic." Krist offer Nymp's " Kysset 

 og dels Historic " is a " beautiful anil most learned 

 piece of pleasantry." 



We are told that the literary movement which 

 began some twenty- five years ago with the lectures 

 of Brnndes is ebbing fast, This movement, called 

 realism by some, Brandesianism by others, and nat- 



uralism by Brandes himself, developed better liter- 

 ary methods, a closer study of Nature, and a wider 

 range of themes. " Finally, it waged a warfare 

 against authority which . . . has long ago passed 

 all reasonable boundaries." And this has brought 

 on a reaction. The year's fiction includes "Lyk- 

 kens Blsendva?rk," a miserable story of marital 

 immorality, by Edvard Brandes (conveys an im- 

 pression of hopelessness, like much of the natural- 

 istic literature); Jacob Hansen's"En kritisk Tid " 

 (the hero a weak-willed philosophize!*; the author a 

 " prophet of unmitigated worship of Nature, espe- 

 cially sexual nature"); "Kristian Vesterbro" (a 

 portrait of the Copenhagen tramp), by Karl Lar- 

 sen, whose "Model og den blanke Klinge " is a 

 vivid picture of Spain, drawn with acute obser- 

 vation and solid judgment; Holger Drachman's 

 melodrama " Brav Karl " (variously described as 

 "delightful " and "unsuccessful "): Gustav Wied's 

 curious " H. C. Andersen. Stemningcr og Eventyr " 

 (stories in Andersen's manner; unlike the author's 

 previous work) ; Carl Ewald's humorous and imagi- 

 native "James Singleton's store Udenlands Rejse"; 

 and K. Gjellerup's "Ved Graendsen." Poetry has 

 been published by Niels Mcillcr, Stuckenberg, Val- 

 demar Rordam, Recke, and Georg Brandes (who 

 has issued his early poems). Dramatic literature is 

 represented by Einar Christiansen's politico-social 

 drama " Cosmos " (much praised ; forceful, at times 

 obscure ; chief characters are puppets) ; and K. 

 Gjellerup's " Gift og Modgift. Komedie i fern 

 Akter og paa Vers." 



In the " Nordisk Tidskrift " for 1897 Vilhjalmur 

 Jonsson had an interesting contribution on " Newer 

 Icelandic Literature," ilaunes Haf stein (lyrical 

 writer) and Gestur Palsson (novelist) being among 

 the writers referred to. K. Gislason's " Forelaes- 

 ninger og videnskabelige Af handlinger " was pub- 

 lished at Reikjavik in 1897. 



" Kajakmen," stories collected and translated into 

 Danish by Signe Rink (first samples of Greenlandish 

 literature which have come to us), is interesting, 

 giving clear pictures of the people. First printing 

 establishment opened 1861, producing the journal 

 " Atiyagagdliutit," from which the present collec- 

 tion is taken, and which still exists. 



France. Titles in national history are ever 

 numerous. They include: "Tableau de la France 

 en 1614. La France et la Royaute avant Rich- 

 elieu," by G. Hanotaux ; R, Monlaur's " La Duchesse 

 de Montmoreney 1600-'66"; "Le grand Conde, son 

 Fils le Due d'Enghien, son Petit Fils le Due dc 

 Bourbon (1630-1684)" by Henri Cherot (a study in 

 the education of princes): "L'Alsace an XVII 6 

 Siecle," by Reuss ; Comte A. de la Borderie's " 11 is- 

 toire de Bretagne" (Vols. I and II) ; F. A. Aulanl's 

 " Etudes et Lecons sur la Revolution fransaise. 

 2 de Serie"; Edme Champion's " La France d'apres 

 les Cahiers de 1789" (1897); Charavay's biography 

 of Lafayette (historically, excellent: as literature, 

 indifferent); Frantz Funck-Brontano's interesting 

 and admirably written "Legendes et Archivesde la 

 Bastille "(upsetting the popular idea of the prison); 

 Andre Lebon's "Cent Ans d'llistoire interieure, 

 1789-1895 " ; " Campagnes de Crimee, Italie, Afrique, 

 Chine. Syrie. Lettres adressees au Marechal de 

 Castellane": G. Bapst's "Le Marechal Canrobert. 

 Souvenirs d'un Siecle " (Vol. I) ; and I. V. La- 

 borde's " Leon Gambetta. Biographic pyscho- 

 logique." New Napoleonic literature includes the 

 useful "La Jeunesse de Napoleon: Brienne" and 

 " La Jeunesse de Napoleon : La Revolution," by 

 A. Chuquet (indefatigable and exact, but rather 

 overwhelmed by his documents); "Davont. M.ir- 

 e'chal d'Ernpire". Due d'Auerstaedt, Prince d'Eck- 

 nmhl : 1770-1825," by Count Vigier (his grandson); 

 F. Masson's minute description of "L Existence 



