462 ROMANCE LITERATURE 



chosen, and represent authors from the seventeenth century to the 

 twentieth. 



Out of the twenty Southern colleges referred to thirteen offer courses 

 in Spanish, generally of one year, and six have short courses in Italian. 

 It is evident that there is great room for improvement in the study 

 of the Spanish and Italian languages and literatures in our Southern 

 States. Judging from the catalogues, the courses in the three prin- 

 cipal Romance literatures, French, Spanish, and Italian, in the large 

 universities in the North, in the East, and in the West are very 

 extensive, both in the undergraduate and in the graduate depart- 

 ments. In undergraduate classes it is not possible to give to the 

 students a thorough understanding of the literary merit of a work, 

 unless the course be of more than two years' duration. Beginning 

 with the third year the professor should often have his students 

 read the text in French. Spanish, or Italian, without translating it 

 into English, and asking questions about the text, which should be 

 answered in the language studied at the time. 



In graduate work some of the larger American universities offer 

 good courses in literature, but thus far the apparent result obtained 

 has not been very satisfactory, as there has been little work of a high 

 order done by American scholars, students of American universities, 

 in literary criticism of the Romance literatures. More attention 

 should be given in our higher institutions of learning to this import- 

 ant branch of study. There should be close seminary work of the 

 masterpieces themselves, and also of the works of the great European 

 critics, among whom the French stand so high, from Sainte-Beuve 

 to Taine. Brunetiere. Faguet, Doumic. Lemaitre. and IVllissier. 

 Utmost attention should be given to make the students feel the 

 artistic, aesthetic, eternally human spirit which pervades all the 

 masterpieces in literature. 



The study of literature can only be complete when it is supple- 

 mented by the history of the people, political, social, and economic, 

 and by the study of the fine arts. It is impossible to understand 

 a number of the greatest works written in the Romance languages 

 without knowing thoroughly the history of the countries where lived 

 the authors of those masterpieces, and an appreciation of the beauti- 

 ful works in painting and in sculpture helps to understand art in 

 literature. Were it possible I should like to see the students of 

 Romance literatures appreciate also the masterpieces of the great 

 musicians. They should, while studying Lamartine and Hugo. Dante 

 and Petrarch. I. ope <le Vega, and Calderon. visit the great museums 

 of art in Kurope and in this country, and go often to the theatres to 

 hear admirable operas. The study of literature should be scientific, 

 that is to say. literary works should often be analyzed critically; 

 it >hould be. above all. testhetic. so that we might 



