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    I March 30, 18 50.] Wfyt 3Ltti&tt. 15

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    NEW GERMAN BOOK ON SHAKSPEARE. Maktpeare...

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    Caklylie Against Downing-Sthekt. R Jatln...

    1 past experience , long continued now , I should say with 1 brevity , ' Either of them—neither of them . ' If our 1 Government is to be a no-Government , what is the matter I who administers it ? " 1 Not in this official class of officials or ex-officials I must we look for our official man ; nor is he to be I eliminated by constitutional processes :- I i < a _™; _T , _» , rnnOOt ; nn _ir _* _* _aaAi wk . 1 . ni , oP « n , _;« I and _takTfnKd the < _Judder of Government , ' othlr _^ fse I called the ' spigot of taxation '; shall it be the Honourable Felix Parvulus , or the Right Honourable I fett _^ anl _^ r 5 _ffint C _tX e epi ng of f _^ _ZZS goes on everywhere , we manage to settle that ; to have it declared , with no bloodshed except insignificant blood I _^ _et _andTnlsh _^ { darkens all the air , that the Right Honourable Zero is to be the man . That we firmly settle ; Zero , all shivering with rapture and with terror , mounts into the high saddle ; cramps himself on , with knees , heels , hands , and feet ; and the horse gallops—whither it lists . That the Right Honourable Zero should attempt controlling the horse—alas , alas , he , sticking on with beak and claws , is too happy if the horse will only gallop any whither , and putlic h g ° oodo _^ except , if he could but devise it , some measure that would please his horse for the moment , and encourage _rnSKn" _^ wearing . This is what we call a Government , in England , for nearly two centuries now . " What then to do ? " More important , " as Carlyle says , " than the past history of these offices in Downing-street is the question of their future existence . " Thegreatthingtogetis " ablemen ; " the great thing to eschew is dulness and stupidity and " darkness" of any sort . Yet we cannot , with the writer , assume once for all that human intellect—the ratiocinative faculty—is the embodiment of God upon earth , and that the ignorance of man , or darkness , is " the Devil . " Intellect for its purposes , instinct for its purposes , impulses of affections as great as either ; but all of these are human faculties ; and all , if God there is as we believe are subject to God . If -we rely solely upon intellect , then truly can we but clinch the nail that has been driven in , to rivet our bondage faster ; for it is by forgetting the influences beyond the pale of intellect , —the affections and the forces , that must , and do , and will govern the world , influences which are to be called forth and directed by somethin _g that may go parallel and harmoniously with _intellect , but yet is not identical with intellect nor inferior to it , —it is by forgetting these powers that exist amongst us , and will act , forgotten or remembered , that the men of our day have lost the faculty of commanding the affections of the people , or of using their powers as the bodily instrument with which intellect works . Therefore is it that the Demosthenes-Cicero of our time speaks . . ., e ., _c , , _•* £ _*! . not to the ears of the Senate or people , with the . _, , r ,. . . , i _^ i _ii j actual sound ot living voice , but pokes a tool-called pen into the unsenttent ink , ana casts forth his jeremiades to a pamphlet-buying public who buy , , , . * , \ , _* j read , and _regret-and there it ends . Still it is true that we want abler men in Parlia- , , , , _y . _,., . ,. | .. j > mont—men placed there for their ability ; men of _«* _„ ,, _* , tvmiii _^ .. _™ o ,, _„««• v _. _000 ? v , _^«»« Vv « t _, _q « _, _;«„« such mould as may not pass through the sieve ot electoral tests or Reform-Bill qualifications . It is true that , if you look among the twenty- seven millions , you may find " diviner men ' * tl ,. n + > , _ _v , o -ji . _!^_ on wu _1 _« v . ; D _„«„ , of _+ v . _« _v , _aa A than trie beadle race which is now at the head of affairs . True , that the rotten Parliament and _pocket-borough system did let in , by the whim of _borou"hmon"ers men not onlv diviner but men ot boiou hmon 0 ers , men not only diviner , but men governed by the personal impulses which , after all , . . ,. J . , A .. _v _m , _u _* _•* . * * originate great human actions . The substitute for that is _Carlylc . joint of the wedge for reform in OYyning-stiect : th . _tiu _i _^^ . _"&^« M ? S _^ SSjS . < _SSi ? ra the Government-offices shall be selected without reference to their power of getting into Parliament ; that , in short , the Queen shall have power of nominating the half- _prS ' _* ' _iTS . _'SSht'SSS _& _'S _^ ffiSr _^ S _. _" _'JitaSI scats there , without reference to any constituency but her own only , which , of course , will mean her Prime eii : _Su r Uon tf' _^ ll _^ f , _^ _riJTu . _" » S 3 » 1 _SnJ change in present methods , and I almost think a maximum in results to be derived therefrom . The Queen nominates John Thomas ( the fittest man she , much- _^ _Zl _&^ Jl _^^& 5 _to _£ _^ B _W _oaS £ 5 ! under or , perhaps , even upper secretary of what she and her Premier find _suitablest for a working head so emi- nent , a talent so precious ; and grants him , by her direct pd . Or thIl offi _^ . u _^ er _Secre _^ a r _^ _avfn gn _^ e _" to in Parliament , and being so bound to be in favour thcro ,

    Caklylie Against Downing-Sthekt. R Jatln...

    would , I suppose , at least till new times and habits come , be expected to be chosen from among the People's mem- bers as at present . "

    I March 30, 18 50.] Wfyt 3ltti&Tt. 15

    I March 30 , 18 50 . ] _Wfyt _3 _Ltti _& tt . 15

    New German Book On Shakspeare. Maktpeare...

    NEW GERMAN BOOK ON SHAKSPEARE . _Maktpeare . By G . G . Gervinus . 3 _vols . 8 vo . London : D . Nutt . Thb Germans arrogate to themselves immense superiority in the critical appreciation of Shakspeare , and Englishmen have somewhat too easily acquiesced in those claims . Although -we think German criti- cism has , on the whole , as much , darkened and T _^ ff _*" 8 ***** - * _*» . _«»« _?* . «* simplified it , we cannot withhold the praise of pains- taking investigation , and serious thought . Vicious hT _^ LT _^^ _ZrP _^ to _^ l _^ txcs » combined with an inordinate love of rhetoric , have displaced the real subject , and given us ambi- tious verbiage where we needed calm inquiry and Vo _^ _t _, Tw » _rr # mtinn nf _nnptip truth * -n _pvprthplpsq £ ht » Jceen P er _<* Ption of poetic truth , nevertheless the reverence felt for Shakspeare has been so deep , and the patience with which his works have been studied so steady , that , with all deductions , we must admit the in quiries hav e not been witho ut valuabl e results . Here is the last and , by many degrees , the best spe- cimen . Innumerable as the writings on this subject _rr h h y _- _^ in _r Sen 8 rf e _fwaT S XrL U _^ Engl _« h industry has gone far towards clearing up the manifold obscurities in which every section of this great topic is involved ; and Gervinus , dex- terously availing himself of all the results hitherto obtained , steers clear of dry antiquarianism on the one hand , and of cloudy philosophism on the other , He has written an eminently instructive book . It brings much and suggests much . The name of Gervinus was a guarantee . There is no literary history to be placed beside his " German Literature , "—a work as admirable for its criticisms as _* ° r its honest exhaustive erudition . The qualities which make that work conspicuous in its class shine , in this work on Shakspeare , in undiminished lustre , It has not , indeed , the glowing rhetoric and felicitous P nrase of A . W . Schlegel , but it is free from his wil- ful adoration and shallow philosophy . Ithasnotthe occasional acuteness of Tieck , but it is free from his extravagancies . Above all , it is free from the pon- derous philosophism of Herman TJlrici , and the scho- lastic " profundity " of Rotscher . Not in detached apercus _, nor in brilliant epigrams , does the merit of this work consist ; but in the calm equable light of a clear and _meditative mind , which , thrown upon the whole subject , brings it out distinctly . Every step you take » 80 methin S of the haze wluch hovered over the subject gradually disappears ; you close the book Wlth the _eviction that you have gained a clearer ? nd more consistent idea of Shakspeare than you had be £ ore' ,. , . . , U 1 . . _. , ,. Something of this is , doubtless , owing to the his- „ . . , _^ ? . , , , f . . . . _x torical treatment , whereby each question as m its . , . J ,. ,. ; . ,, ., PJ ° P e _f P laC ? ' _, ™ cexve ! b _« . . ° m . tlie . ° th ? T » ' ? he ? _* rwrt _™ ethod 1 S no les _* ™ n _» criticism than in science . Gervinus properly begins with Shak- Stratford . He does not pretend _r _' . , , , x to give an accurate picture ; he knows that every _^ - v , ,. « . . _^ _« account of the poet ' s life must be a matter of guess- work and infereilce from a few scanty , insignificant _ .. ,. , _t _?«» tov . \ n A _, f * _. , _~ A facts \ B _^ tak . in _S all / , th . at _^ ngl _' 8 h _m _*™** an _^ sagacity have discovered xn the shape of fact and probability , he therefrom constructs a programme of * V , _' ,.- _, . _^ . ¦ , -, _T ° , . . , the poet s life , such as it stands out before _^ mind 1 hen foows an admirable chapter on " Venus and Adoma _» and " Lucrece / considered as the first- Stratford period . After that we see o , . T , _^ „« , * _± -u Shakspeare in London . The dramatist begins . * the _^ q £ society _^ of b nterature fa at _^ period > GeivinU 8 introduces dissertations on the early dramatists and « the _««! _, _«« .. -dun m » w historical and ™ - thetical criticisms on the plays of the first period— " Titus , " " Pericles , " " Henry VI ., " " Comedy of Errors , " and " Taming the Shrew ; " the second V ** - » _I' _** _*™ _Ottoman of Verona , " ' ¦ Love ' s Labour Lost , " " All ' s Well that Ends Well , " " Midsummer Night's Dream , " " Romeo and _*»«* _¦ " " _}? ° _"ant _«* Venice . " the " KichardS , ;; " Henrys , " " King John , " and " Merry Wives . ' The discussion of biographical significance of the sonnets closes the second volume . The third volume _«»«•«»• _«!» _t"rt period of his style- "' As You Like It , " «• Much Ado , " " Twelfth Night , " " Mea- sure for Measure , " " Othello , " "Hamlet , " " Mac- beth ' . .. Lear .. «< Cymbclinc . " The fourth volume , not yet published , will contain the remaining plays , and the general characteristics of Shakspeare ' s style ,

    New German Book On Shakspeare. Maktpeare...

    By the admirable use of historical criticism applied to these _nlavs he is enabled to _nlar >«» miioh tii _. _f to mese piays , ne is enablea to place much that was dubious in a clear and satisfactory li ght , and not only to lead us to a better _undemanding of the plays themselves , but also to a clearer view of the genesis of Shakspeare's poetical and dramatic style . That he could not have done this had not the materials been furnished by English critics is to be _underwood ; his merit lies in the thorough grasp of these materials , and the adroitness of their application There J- * fulness of knowledge and a largeness . f .. _^ - Uon in this work which render it very delightful . It is a whole , not a collection of fragmentary _^ T _^ ? h » v _« _? . P « " ? ?* _^ _meditation and masterly workmanship ; and in this sense it is peculiarly worthy of the great subject it deals with _, A pure historical spirit runs through its pages , which , _*» < _. _«< _,.:.. e * \ _.-u r j * \ _T j j j massing facts as they are found to hand , deduces conclusions from them without stopping to splinter the narrative with bickerings and sarcasms without drawing away your attention from the main question to any irrelevant matters . It is astonishing how little polemical matter there is in its pages , although discussing a subject upon which scarcely two writers _^^ TV _* others the task of disputing , he rarely disturbs the even tenor of his way ; but , having facts to state and views to develop , he marches steadily onward to his goal . One thing the English reader will assuredly miss , and that is the fine discriminating analyses of character in its involuntary self-betrayals—the glimpses of passion—the _twistings and torturings of sophismthe subtle penetration of motives which abound in , Shakspeare , and which our critics have from tho earliest times delighted to point out . The acuteness and gusto of Coleridge , Hazlitt , Lamb , and others , which arrest attention upon details of exquisite beauty , will not be found in Gervinus , who eschews details , and whose style of criticism is avowedly borrowed from that celebrated critique on " Hamlet " which Giithe gave in " Meister , " and which Gervinus holds as the exemplar of all fruitful criticism . Nor will the student of dramatic art gain any insight from these volumes . " The Edinburgh Review , " in a recent paper on _Shakspeare _' s critics , expressed its dissatisfaction at the singular neglect of the great dramatist ' s excellence as a theatrical artist by all critics , and pointed out how every one had busied himself with explaining Shakspeare ' s art as that of a poet only , not *> f a dramatic poet . Gervinus is more open to this reproach than most critics . On the other hand he is alive to the absurdity of _supposing-as Gothe and others _suppose—bhakspeore s plays to be unfit for representation :-" Shakspeare ' s works , " he says , " , properly _speakine _; , only be understood in _representation . For . { _. Ir _., _^ * v , ot _ftniom . _™ ti _>» v writtpn Thp _spmritinn that and that only wire they written , _xne separatum between dramatic art and theatric art , which has with us _damaged botTwas not known in lho 8 _' e day 8 . The great difficulty in understanding any of ku . play , arises from the fact of our reading , and not seeing , them , lor crowded a . they are with poetical _beauties , psychological traits wise aphorisms , and allusions to persons and things ot , r , _Q ? : „ . _„ * _v , a fltto ,, ti ,, n i « distrarttd bv these details tne _^ i the attention is aistracua uy _tneBe _ueiuus , which render it difficult to grasp or to enjoy the whole _, But when they are represented by players equal to the task , here a division of labour steps in which _makea the one art more easily appreciable and enjoyable by moans of the other . Players who have _rightly conceived their parts save us from the terrible labour in _reading of _{ _„ .,: __ - . a . n _. _,., „ _, _„?« _HiflVrfnt characters Rcnarnic _£ _^ , £ 2 _^^^ mu tual relations , ' the appearance , carriage , _language , ftnd _gesture of each individual actor explain to u 8 , without any effort , as in a picture , the figures and pivots of th *» _Ration " lne action . _sputable , and could never have been doubted had not i our love for Shakspeare made us such students of his plays that we read and reread i them after having seen them _perfar _^ _d ( i . e ., after j having gained a distinct idea through the represcntation ) , and then , forgetful of the benefit derived from representation , we picture to _ournelves how much UUer the _playa would be if , hey could be acted by ideal actors ! But , to gain an adequate idea of the valueofstage representation , let any one rccal a perusal of Beaumont and Vtatehn or Ben _Jonson-tnot is of ; , plays he has rot seen _rcprcscntccl--and tho wnnt ol ; | distinct apprehension of their significance as works ; of art will at onco suggest the true explanation . ; , | Gervinus not only maintains his thesis with respect !; _, to the actable plays , but also with respect to that ? _.- ; most difficult of all \ )\ a . _yat " Tho Midf 3 ummer Night ' s j , Dream . " Hazlitt said , and said truly , that when the , _,: j play was acted it was " converted from a delightful f | fiction into a dull pantomime . All that is finest in the t . if

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), March 30, 1850, page 15, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/ldr_30031850/page/15/