THE BRONTZS
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By Irene Cooper Willis :., _
In The Brontës (Duckworth, 2s.) /disk:Willis has written a ivery matter-of-fact little book. Her unemotional handlingoi the tragic material.of these lives, with its studied-ay.oidanceor romantic gloom, has the effect of a miniature in-which eael, ;figure stands out distinctly in hard, clear light. Her hook nee be recommended to those who want' tO :have- the " faets about the Brontes in a Convenient and compact form. *a !there is such a thing as being too sensible :in 'dealing with -creative natures ; and to that extent Miss Willis's book loses in insight what it gains in Precision._ -Whether the: Broads -:would have 'been "happier " hind.they infixed with cheeiful company and lead more norther lives is really beside the Point, for a -normal and-healthy condition' is not productive ot such works as Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Cert) Miss Willis might have shown a little more imagination in dealing with her subject and even then come far short of " poeticising " it,. As it is there is nothing in her book that 'shows any appreciation of the essential greatness of either Emily or Charlotte Brontë. - But within these limits it is a vivid and well-planned piece of work.
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