and published in Holland. And let me add straight away that no one in Holland could have undertaken this task better than Mr. van Kranendonk. He possesses the very qualities that are required for writing a book of this sort, he is widely read, his taste is unerring, his judgment sound, and he is as moderate in the expression of his views as he is guarded in his conclusions.

The masterly manner of mapping out the field of modern literature in the first ten pages gives the reader full assurance of the confidence with which he may accept the services of his guide. Although the author modestly disclaims any great value for his group-division, the neat arrangement of his matter in the subsequent pages shows that the lines of demarcation have been judiciously drawn.

Proportions, always a difficult matter in a book of limited dimensions, have been carefully observed, and on thorough investigation, I have found that not one really important error of omission has been made. It is pleasing to see the names of such world-famous writers as Hall Caine, Marie Corelli and A. S. M. Hutchinson excluded, and delightful to find the author quietly refusing to defend this exclusion.

I really could not say which of the three main divisions, poetry, the novel or the drama has been most competently dealt with, because they are all equally well done. Among the best pages of the book are those on Conrad, Kipling, Hardy and "Barbellion." I will quote for the benefit of nonDutch readers in English what Mr. van Kranendonk says about the poets of to-day in general.

"The works of present-day poets appeal to larger and much more heterogeneously composed groups of readers than those of their predecessors, not because they write more simply, superficially and popularly, but because their view of life has become wider, and their attitude more tolerant. Very few of them are still vehemently sure of the infallibility of some art-formula or other, or of some religious, philosophical or political system. Some combine within themselves tendencies, views and ideals which used to be found in different individuals only. Nearly all are too conscious of the complexity of life to join with intense conviction any definite school of thought, to testify passionately to the truth and glory of any exclusive faith, to seek salvation in one single rigorous theory of art. In so far they are, without loss to their distinctive individual personality, more inter-related than their immediate predecessors."

I also cannot withstand the temptation to transcribe the following passage on Kipling, on account of the ironical light which it throws on English imperialism in literature.

"Though Rudyard Kipling still belongs to the most widely read authors, his popularity culminated in the last years of the nineteenth century. Then he was looked upon not only as a talented poet and a master of the short story, but thousands saw in him a great and inspired prophet. His teaching appealed particularly to the middle classes. The message which he brought was easily understood and did not differ much from that of the average imperialist politician. He did not touch on problems that required laborious thought, he respected established religious conviction, glorified strength and energy and raised chauvinism, the fighting instinct and sound commercialism to the level of lofty virtues. He incited the people to comradeship, cooperation and the spirit of sacrifice, but the ideal to which all those virtues were subordinated, was not the well-being of mankind in general, but the strengthening and expansion of the British Empire. To contribute to the

proud imperial structure according to one's ability was the duty and the privilege of every Englishman, and stern discipline and obedience to the law were in the first place demanded for that.... Nearly all phenomena of life are ultimately seen in their bearing upon this high and holy purpose, the promotion of England's power and greatness. In Kipling's work we find but little attention bestowed on love; love often seems but a temporary folly which keeps man from doing his duty. Dreamers and philosophers provoke his supreme contempt: the State has no use for their meditations. In the character of the fine, pugnacious boys in Stalky and Co he discovers with satisfaction the germs of qualities that will afterwards make them into heroic defenders of the Empire.... His stories about animals are sometimes symbolical, also in the jungle it pays to form large, co-operative groups and to submit to the law. With indignation the animals refer to the arrogant, loquacious, dreamy monkey-tribe, who will not organize and therefore cannot exert power.... Only men of action rouse his admiration, statesmen, engineers, seamen and especially officers and soldiers. He is not at all blind to their shortcomings and in his tales of Anglo-Indian life he does not spare his compatriots. But his satire always condones, the vices he censures are only the temporary vices of men who are at bottom brave and honest, the defects are only those of an excellent system. He seems to anticipate that everything will come right in the end, for those whom he sees erring are Englishmen and the superior qualities of the race will finally with God's help assert themselves again."

It is unavoidable in a book of this kind that the author's personal opinion should on occasion have to be left unsupported by argument. But the quietly authoritative, and unemphatic manner in which such opinions are given, coupled with the ever-present evidence of good taste, often makes us accept them unchallenged.

Yet in some cases the reader is bound to quarrel with the author. So am I, for one, of opinion that Mr. van Kranendonk underrates the value of Barrie's work, and does insufficient justice to this writer's rich and original powers of fancy and imagination. Also I do not think that in The Forsyte Saga Mr. Galsworthy levels a sharp attack at the prevalent spirit amongst the upper middle classes. He loves the beautiful traits in the typical Forsyte character far too much to do any such thing. My objections to Mr. van Kranendonk's views on Shaw I shall state in another issue.

The book is rather carelessly printed and edited. Three pages on Meredith should at least have been introduced by a new paragraph. Mac Sinclair (p. 128) is a misprint, so probably is George Dumaurier, although the Index gives the same spelling. The editor of The Adelphi is J. Middleton (not M.) Murry. I also made a note of the spellings wijfelen, exentriek and precisieeren. When I see the author writing 'tegen het einde komt er een droef-berustenden wijsgeerigen toon in het boek' (p. 106), I am reminded of a certain book, also published in Holland, which professed to unravel the intricacies of syntax for the reader, and yet confronted the eye on the second page with 'er wordt een geweldigen storm beschreven.' When the consciousness of case-differences is evidently dying out or dead in those who handle a language in writing, it would appear desirable to knock the specific endings off its inflectional corpses, both as a matter of prudence and of seemliness.

This book should be translated and published in England.

London.

J. KOOISTRA.

Brief Mentions.

Shakespeare Grammatik. Von W. FRANZ. Dritte verbesserte auflage. Heidelberg. 1924. Carl Winter. 640 pp. geb. 17 M.

Professor Franz's Shakespeare grammar is one of those books that it would be impertinent, especially in a younger scholar, to criticize. It is the standard work on the subject, and is likely to remain so for many years to come. The new edition is a reprint of the second, but in an Appendix the author has conscientiously collected all the improvements that have been made possible by his own study and by the work of other, chiefly German, scholars. It must be confessed that it does not amount to much. The publisher is perhaps able to supply the possessors of the second edition with an offprint of the Appendix; no one, at any rate, is likely to buy the third if he possesses the second edition. I have no details to add to the text, but may state my conviction that a further and more minute study of present English will show several differences between the language of Shakespeare and the language of the present day that are not noticed in the work at present. For one thing, the use of the non-finite verb was far more restricted in Shakespeare's time. No example can probably be adduced corresponding to such accusatives with infinitives as I hate you to go there; or prepositional acc. cum inf. as Molly could not imagine how she had at one time wished for her father's eyes to be opened. The difference between He asked her to stay there and He asked for her to stay there a little longer could be expressed in Shakespeare's time only by using a subordinate clause in the second case. The use of some gerundial constructions, too, is an innovation of modern English. The nominative with infinitive and the use of the passive infinitive are also different in the two periods. — K.

Herrick's Poetical Works. With a prefatory note by PERCY SIMPSON. Oxford University Press, 1921, vii + 446 pp. 5 sh. net.

This edition, containing: 'Hesperides', 'His Noble Numbers' and 'Additional Poems', differs from the larger one published by the Clarendon Press under the editorship of the late Professor Moorman, in two points: it confines itself to the text of 1648 noting only the variants of that issue and it omits almost entirely the Epigrams of the Hesperides which are indeed of little value except for the specialist. The publishers have thus made Herrick's beautiful work more easily accessible to the lover of poetry. The book is very carefully printed and provided with an index of titles and one of first lines. A. G. v. K.

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MARY SHELLEY: Proserpine, Midas. Two unpublished mythological dramas. Edited by A. KOSZUL. London 1922. Humphrey Milford. These small and unpretentious dramatic compositions of Mary Shelley were issued by A. Koszul on the occasion of the Shelley Centenary. They testify to the close collaboration of the couple and prove in addition that, contrary to Godwin's verdict, Mary Shelley was after all possessed of some small dramatic talent. In the editor's estimation these productions rank above her novels Frankenstein and Valperya. They remained hitherto unpublished and should, according to Medwin, be assigned to the year 1820. Their source is Ovid, whom, as we know, Mrs. Shelley was particularly recommended by her husband to read. In fact her fondness of Ovid was such that she would often recite from his work and even try her hand at poetical composition in a similar style. (E. Dowden, Life of P. B. S. I, 517). Perhaps we may assume that these experiments have suggested the composition of the two dramas or quite possibly even they may be regarded as a preliminary practice. To both pieces Shelley has contributed smaller lyrical poems.

Besides many useful literary references and explanations, Koszul's long and full Introduction contains the unfinished and so far unpublished draft of a treatise on the Necessity of a Belief in the Heathen Mythology to a Christian, rather preposterous stuff indeed, but interesting nevertheless as additional evidence of the attitude of the Shelleys towards the fundamental principles of religion.

Bochum.

F. ASANGER.

Moderne Amerikaansche Letterkunde. Edith Wharton. Door

J. H. KLOOSTER. Diss. Groningen, 1924. 22, X 16 c.M. Pp. 166.

Miss Klooster has examined lo Edith Wharton's significance as an author, 20 her relation to European literature, 30 the conclusions to be drawn from her works with reference to the position of women in American society. She has divided her book into an Introduction and five chapters: Historic survey; Mrs. Wharton as a short story writer; Novels and Novelettes; Books of Travel and other Work; Conclusion.

It appears that of late English and American literature have occasionally attracted students of Dutch in search of a subject for a dissertation. Dr. Halberstadt's on Dutch imitations of Thomson's Seasons is another example. We should be sorry, however, for there to be many more theses, either by students of Dutch or of English, in a similar vein to the present one. Miss Klooster indeed almost disarms criticism by her utter lack of pretension, and by a number of shrewd remarks which season her narrative. But it may be wondered, for all that, whether a volume consisting mainly of a series of summaries alternating with extracts from reviews, constitutes an addition to learning worthy of the doctor's degree.

Z.

The Oxford English Dictionary. Volume X. Unforeseeing-Unright. By W. A. CRAIGIE. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1924. 10s. net.

The instalments of the famous Oxford Dictionary do not succeed each other with the clockwork regularity to which we had become accustomed before the war. At the present rate of progress it will take many years before the small gap that is left will be filled up. But one result of the change is that we have more time to examine each new part as it appears before putting it into our bookcase. The present instalment is not rich in interesting words. Five sixths of the 128 pages are occupied by words formed with one or other of the two prefixes un-. They illustrate among other things the history of the relation of the negative suffixes un- and in-. Of special interest to the grammarian is the article on unless, even though the earliest quotation is identical with the one given by Mätzner in his Grammatik. I have noticed one strange mistake: unilateral as a term in phonetics is defined as meaning 'uttered or produced with the glottis open on one side only'. It is clearly due to a misunderstanding of the quotation from Bell's Visible Speech: Uni-lateral formations. When the breath issues by only one side aperture in forming any 'divided' consonant, the modifier, etc. Of course side refers to the tongue here, not to the glottis. — K.

A Year's Work in English. By J. W. MARRIOTT. London, G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1921. 175 pp.

The object of this interesting little book is to give material for thinking exercises, opportunities for self-expression and imaginary effort and introductions to great authors or masterpieces of literature. In the preface the author lays stress on the necessity of 'self-expression'; a zeal for reading is not enough, the pupil must be encouraged to write, to communicate his thoughts and the impressions made by the books he has read. In dealing with grammar, he has 'selected only those subjects which happen to be useful and fascinating' and always treated them in close connection with literature.

The series of exercises makes a somewhat chaotic impression; there is little coherence, the questions are very unequal in value and sometimes rather difficult even for the teacher. I confess that e.g. the following 'exercise in ingenuity and imagination' puzzled me: "Here are a few names for a well-known heavenly body: Latin: luna, German : der Mond, Greek: selene, Japanese: getsz, French: la lune, English: moon. Which word sounds yellowest? Which word looks coldest ?"

But apart from such occasional excesses of originality, Mr. Marriott's book certainly deserves attention. It contains some helpful hints fo the teacher of language, a mass of new material and exercises that will really interest the pupil and make him think and a great many admirable suggestions for class-reading. A. G. v. K.

A Grammar of Modern Dutch. By E. KRUISINGA, Lecturer on English Philology for the Modern Language Association, The Hague. London. George Allen & Unwin. 1924. 5/- net. XII + 168 pp.

As no review of this book will naturally be published in this periodical, the writer may be allowed a selbstanzeige. It is intended in the first place for people of English speech who wish to learn Dutch. But if it is true what is held by most students of language, that the study of one's native tongue is a desirable preparation for the study of foreign languages, the book may be of practical use to students ot English too. It treats of some peculiarities of Dutch that are seldom if ever treated in grammars written for Dutch readers, such as wordorder; it also, unavoidably, treats more familiar subjects from a different point of view. - E. K.

Bibliography.

PERIODICALS.

Neophilologus. X, 1. Oct. 1924. F. P. H. Prick van Wely, Kantteekeningen bij H. Poutsma's Grammar of Late Modern English, II, Section I, A: Nouns, Adjectives and Articles. I (pp. 31-36). W. van Doorn, An enquiry into the causes of Swinburne's failure as a narrative poet. With special reference to the "Tale of Balen'. I. (pp. 36-42). W. Fischer. Über eine angebliche Quelle von Oscar Wilde's Erzählung The Canterville Ghost (pp. 42-49).

Onze Eeuw. Sept. 1924. Includes: Deirdre door William Butler Yeats, Metries vertaald door W. van Maanen. (193-216).

Revue Anglo-Américaine. 11, 1. Oct. 1924. M. Castelain, Byron en 1924. M. Weill, Thackeray et la Société anglaise au XVIIe siècle. L. Wolff, Le sentiment médiéval en Angleterre au XIXe siècle, et la première poésie de William Morris (fin). J. Malye, Les Mémoires de Wolfe Tone (fin).

Revue de Littérature Comparée. IV, 3. Juillet-Sept. 1924. Includes: P. Laumonier, Ronsard et l'Ecosse. L. Cazamian, La psychanalyse et la critique littéraire. Id. IV, 4. Oct. Déc. 1924. Includes: Ch. Grimm, Encore une fois la question MarivauxRichardson. R. Messac, Caïn et le problème du mal dans Voltaire, Byron et Leconte de Lisle. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. XX111, 3. July 1924. Includes: D. Bush, The classical tales in Painter's Palace of Pleasure. O. F. Emerson. The early literary life of Sir Walter Scott, 111.

Philological Quarterly. 111, 3. July 1924. Includes: E. N. S. Thompson, The interest of English poets in Italian freedom. J. M. Berdan, Marlowe's Edward II. — K. Malone, Granville Sharp (1767) on English pronunciation. E. Colby, Thomas Holcroft: translator of plays. J. S. Reid, Caesar's "Thrasonical brag". Id. 111, 4. Oct. 1924. Includes: E. F. Piper, The miniatures of the Ellesmere Chaucer. R. C. Whitford, A little Lyttleton. C. W. Nichols, Social satire in Fielding's Pasquin and The Historical Register.

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Modern Language Notes. XXXIX, 7. Nov. 1924. Includes: A. W. Crawford, The Apparitions in Macbeth. Part. 11. H. H. Hudson, Grimald's translations from Beza. O. K. Lundeberg, The true sources of Robert Dodsley's The King and the Miller of Mansfield. J. M. Lindeman, A note on Cynewulf.

Anglia. XLVIII (N. F. XXXVI), 3. (Aug. 1924). Helene Richter, Byron. Klassi zismus und Romantik. Werner K. Rupprecht, Felicia Hemans und die engli schen Beziehungen zur deutschen Literatur im ersten Drittel des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. 111. A. H. Smith, The Place names Jervaulx, Ure, and York. - Id. XLVIII (N. F. XXXVI) 4. (Okt. 1924). Werner K. Rupprecht, Felicia Hemans und die englischen Beziehungen zur deutschen Literatur im ersten Drittel des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. IV. [End.]. – Karl Danz, Frances Burneys „Evelina" (1778) und das Aufkommen der Frauenromane. Otto B. Schlutter, Weitere Beiträge

zur altengl. Wortforschung.