John of Gerisay, By John . Oxenhatn.. (Hurst and Riacke(t. Os.).Telia.
of "Gerisau. is distinguished from the general. run 'f "mock-Royal"zomanees,by:its dealingaF1th tiro real pagee'c.,f history. Nothing less than the .making of the German Empire and the Franco-Prussian War supply "john Oxenham" withrfize setting for his story. Like all writers On battles nowadays, he dijes not spare his readers realistie details. The description. Of tlni fight against Bismarck's forces which the reigning Grand Duke Of G-erisau (John's father) wages near his capital is bad enough, but if is a, joke to the horrible descriptions of the battles in the Franco- Prussian War. The account of the search among the wounded after Gravelotte is almost sickening. It is really a carious payeho- logical problem why the writers of fiction should have" taken to this minute realism on the subject of battlefields just at this moment, when most of us have the most intimate reasons for wishing to remain a little blind to the worst horrors. If this realistic outbreak had come before the beginning of a campaign, one could understand it ; but why now, when the war is over? "Out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh." Whatever the reason, it is certain that this particular realism has come as a fashion to American and English writers of fiction ; and America is still at war, while England has only sheathed her sword during the last few weeks. John of Geriian is cleverly written, but we cannot help thinking that it would have been -im- proved by the omission of the part of the plot it in Pinafore" in which John and his wife prove to have 'been mixed ttf• • and changed as infants. Merle, the wife, is altogether -an =con- vincing and rather uninteresting- personage. Paragons always
are. •
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