A Difficult Terrain: The Peaks

49 7· A Difficult Terrain: The Peaks J. I. M. Stewart. EIGHTMODERM"RITERS. NY: Oxford U P, 1363. 11.00 Mr. Stewart's book is the twelfth volume of the Oxford History of English Literature . It covers the period 1880 to about 1939, though Mr. Stewart makes clear that a new impetus in English letters became well-defined by 1922 with the publication of THE WASTEUND and ULYSSES. "Scholars will pivot an era upon [these two books]," says Mr. Stewart, "as infallibly as they do upon THE SHEPHEARDES CALENDER or LYRICAL BALLADS. Both are Janus-faced: innovatory and forwardlooking in one aspect, reaching deep into the past in another. They bear this mark of stature: that instantly upon their appearance anything that can be seen in any relationship to them is changed." But EIGHT MODERN WRITERS does not focus on the 1380-1920 period as a whole; it concentrates on eight of the most important figures, the figures who have gained "classic" stature and who will most probably retain this status. The eight modern writers are Hardy, James, Shaw, Conrad, Kipling, Yeats, Joyce and Lawrence. Following the patern of the earlier volumes of DHEL, EIGHT MODERN WRITERS has a detailed chronological table at the end of the essays and extensive selective bibliographies which often include mention of manuscript locations. However, because of the limitation of this study to only eight major figures, bibliographies of background material and of other authors of the period are omitted. In this respect the twelfth volume of OHEL departs radically from the pattern set by the preceding volumes. Individual critics and scholars may argue about some of Mr. Stewart's comments, evaluations, inclusions or omissions, but no one can argue that Mr. Stewart does not complete the task he set out to do. He surveys the major writings of the eight figures with emphasis on their development as writers, (Kipling, as a poet, simply did not develop, Mr. Stewart says.) Biographical material is kept to a minimum in introductory sections to each chapter and the usual method of discussion is a chronological survey (Kipling is an exception to the chronological analysis). Many lesser works are of necessity omitted, and each student of literature will feel favorites of his slighted. For example, no mention is made of the ConradFord collaborations such as ROWNCE, and as a matter of fact no mention is made of Ford Maddox Ford at all. But to make an endless list of omissions is a useless task since this is not a "definitive" history of the 1380-1920 era. Obviously Mr. Stewart has read each author thoroughly, carefully, and often lovingly, and has weighed his comments carefully. Within the limits set for himself he has written cogent and succinct essays. His remarks are often illuminated by comparisons of the work of one of the eight authors with that of another. For example: "Yet TESS with all its imperfection is ultimately a greater novel than THE SECRET AGENT—perhaps simply because compassion is deeper than pity and indignation nobler than scorn. But Conrad owns artistic resources of which Hardy, in fiction, has no conception." And: ". . .to the landsman, at least, Kipling's conduct of events [in 'Bread upon the Waters'] lacks nothing of the knowledge and confidence that one might expect of Conrad while being flung on its marine canvas with an impetus and verve such as Conrad seldom achieves." Or: "Set beside Hardy, James and Conrad both display themselves as artists of great technical sophistication. They represent a fresh phase in the development of the modern European novel, and in the establishing of its claim to be a major and hightly evolved literary form. . . .Hardy's characters are themselves essentially innocents—for 'evil' is merely a name for the insensate force hovering perpetually behind the iron 50 curtain of determinism and ready to strike out without consciousness that it is doing so. . . .Alike in James and Conrad the situation is transformed. Their greatest books turn on the horror of betrayal. And James's work, almost as much as Conrad's exhibits an obscure sense of guilt." The problem facing Mr. Stewart in the final volume of the Oxford History of English Literature...