ENGEL'S "HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE."
A History of English Literature (600 to 1900). By F. Engel. (Methuen and Co. Is. 6d.)—There is certainly an air of freshness about this book, which is a joint translation by various hands of the fourth edition of a work published by the now famous German assailant of the Gallup-Bacon theory of Shakespeare. Professor Engel claims for it, quite correctly, that "it is not a thirteenth rechavffe of a dozen other histories." There is certainly no pedantry in it. It will almost inevitably provoke comparison with Taine's celebrated work. But it is much more compressed, and— this almost goes without saying—is not nearly so notable in point
of style. What will above everything else in it be noted, and with favour, is the writer's cordiality towards Great Britain and its authors. It is a rare pleasure to be told that " it is an inesti- mable blessing for every cultured person to have access to the wealth of noble treasures provided by English literature. Wo feel there the heart-beats of a brave and sturdy people, we feel that we are speaking to spirits who are at once the glory of their nation and of the whole world." The sincerity of this enthusiasm will be perceived by all who take the trouble even to read what Professor Engel has to say of Chaucer, of Shakespeare, of Byron, and of Burns, whom he considers the most living figure in British litera- ture between Shakespeare and Byron. Certain of his criticisms of comparatively recent writers, such, for example, as Dickens and Lander, may not be generally approved of, and, speaking broadly, Dr. Engel is not quick to appreciate the real shades of difference between authors who resemble each other. This work will, however, be found specially valuable as a means of testing the accuracy of the knowledge one has obtained of English literature through the ordinary home-produced handbooks.
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