THE BOOR OF PUP, RIINDRED-AND!-Olt.E.
. LITERARY men seem, to be incapable of writing in crowds: they jostle each other's ideas out. When a man composes for himself ' and by himself, the 'responsibility rests wholly upon Himself, and all the glory, if any should accrue, is his own. Authors require the aid of every wholesome stimulus: when, they write in large bodies, they are depressed by the apprehension of being excelled, of offending, and interfering with the opinions and tastes of their copartners. The hope of surpassing, which might be supposed to . animate some, is but a baleful inspiration, in most cases, and seems ..in joint-stock literature wholly to fail: at any rate, it forms no counterbalance to the paralysing effect of non-individuality. The . effort here seems to be not to outdo—this is the turn French coin- ' plaisance takes. The practical proof of such paralysis- might be exhibited in detail.: since Jonxsox with his Dictionary far excelled the efforts of the joint labour of the whole French Academy, "beating forty Frenchmen," as GARRICK said, and able "to beat forty more, down to the time of our Annuals, • instances might be collected in abundance. A. more remark- - able example could not be found than in the insipid book .before us. It is a selection from the contributions of one hun- • dred and one of the best known modern French writers, to a charitable effort to prop the sinking fortunes of a favourite pub- lisher. The best and most striking papers are of course picked out : so that the collection ought naturally to be considered as a specimen of French talent double distilledthe elite of the Hite— the frank company of the literary grenadiers of la Jew* France. Alas ! for the literary glory of that once celebrated literature, if this were a fair specimen of its modern chef d'ouvres. The French writer used to be famous for his esprit, his smartness, his bril- liancy, and his vigour: we only know one word in our language which gives the exact character of the present effort .of the com- bined army of French litterateurs, and that is vapidity. Some of the papers are solemn, some are frivolous, some mawkish, some commonplace, some trivial, some melodramatic—but all are vapid, nearly without exception. The want of originality is utter: not one of the themes has not been treated a hundred. and. One times better, and sometimes by the same authors:: Every . thing has: the appearance of taskTwork; and this. is most cious in a "voluntary contribution." A -voluntary contribution extorted- by means-of. a-thumbscrew er a brainpress, is, on the face of it, a contradiction thatgreatly disturbs the repose which a reader would naturally take over a work of this kind. It is a se7 -rue punishthent to be kept awake during the perusal of: these, lected works of a hundred and one French authors, by the •mere ugliness of the grimaces made in the act of doing a charity. The charity in this case' is purely scriptural : one hand could not be . knowing what the- other was doing, or it would have put a stop to such paralytic fanibling. History tells us, that of all the taxes dreaded in former times by the people of England, the tax imposed under the name of a " benevolence" was the: most odious.. It would seem that the gave have been writing .as-En formerly gave their tax--that is,as the Devil -gets-his due . —with much grumbling and cursing. A little liveliness-, though • , altogether in the.way of mischief, wouldhave relieVed- the tedium of their joint labours, We should have preferred something hearty, -even if it were not over and above ingenious, to the: forced simper that ripples over the whole of the cream-coloured surface of these Yoliimes. We have heard-of men, and 'women too; training thems selves for a length Of time,, for some great-exertion. Mr. L'Au- .'toc.AT must liave.kept his authors for, six weeks on tapioca, he- - fore they did this. How pale they must have looked when it was • all-over! We recommend-the whole of them to a course of Lis, bop diet drink, after which they will be able- to resume Medoc . and fridandeau without danger. The book was written for the relief of the: publisher. Alas! if lie should- have relied upon , such a dependence. A bookseller, consumptive . theugh he - be, :ia not to be restored' by asses'- milk.' The. Thousand and -One-Arabian 'Nights have made that curious r number famous: -:.it must now 'yield the ;palm to the Hundred and One—i- ` tve shall soon have:authors, advertising that they, did not belong to the battalion. ofinvalids, and that: they were, guildessof this • bundred-and-oneth part of this- monstrous dish :of thin potage. • Among a people sOMercurial as the' French; and who :feel the forge' of ridicule So keenly, we can understand-the eagerness with _ :which each will withdraw, from battery of jokes which will ;be-levelled against thisllaison de Sauté of authors. :" Paris indeed! the-name of: Paris is taken. in vain : any one who takes his-idea. of'Paris from -this sample; might 'as-well judge of -Naples by' 4 yardef Macaroni Without cheese. • • The fault is .not: in the translation ; liich is; far:better eieeuted bzikban is "usual: in #•bs of Ibis ephemeral description:. --The -plan of 'Abe week, taken as a- Whole, islan ithitatien of il-oIt'slaierstite kaa,beerc before now imitated Alinnst,eyexy flanguage :of EIPPIts4 axe consequently .babIlies:flOw repulsive, The attention that has been given to this publication; has-been solely owing to the fact of One gundred and One authors contfi- buting to the composition of one work, forining a most convenient handle-for puffery. Thus., the public have been duped, as they are some way. or other'every day of their lives, by impudence, pre- tension, and quackery.
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