Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Critical Notices Of The Literature Of The Last Three Months,
The first novel on our list is " Margaret ; or , Prejudice at Home and its Victims ; " * and in its favour Ave may safely say that it is written with a good object , and with the pen of a practised writer . Tho author , however , in our view of it , has fallen into the error of exaggerating in order to condemn , and making tho world appear worse than it really is , for the mere pleasure of administering a sound castigation to every one in it . The moral of the tale is this— that worth is almost always
, neglected , —that wealth rules the roost , —that to be rich is to be bad . — Avhile to he poor is not always to be good . Accordingly , almost every individual in the book is an abominable sinner , except the heroine , hor poor grandfather , and aunt , while the only character who really practises Christianity is an infidel , those who proclaim themselves to be Christians being little better than inhuman brutes . Formal religion , and the favour with which society looks " respectabilit" are both alike condemned
upon y , , —the writer stigmatizing the former as hypocrisy , and the latter as A * ery little short of vulgarity . Now in all this , while there is much truth , there is also much exaggeration and we cannot therefore praise the Avork as a true picture of general life . Nevertheless , it is written with force and thought , and contains many an apt illustratiori , besides many a page of good writing . " Avillon , and other Tales , "f by the author of "Olive , " is a collection
of sparkling stories , contributed by the author at different times to various periodicals . Without exception , they are charming reading , full of pure and holy thoughts , the foundation of a quick and ardent imagination , not uninfluenced by a spirit of deep and earnest reflection . In " Oakfield "J we have a view of Indian military society and Indian friendships . The hero is a young officer , who joins his regiment in India , is disgusted with the vulgarity of the mess-room , and the respect
he is bound to pay to certain conventional rides of honour . These last he takes an early opportunity of disregarding , by declining to fight a duel Avith the bully of the regiment , although he subsequently administers to him a sound horseAvhipping , and establishes a reputation for " pluck " by his conduct at Chillianwaliah . The book is evidently written witb the intention of exposing the vices and abuses of the military and civil service in India , and if not very artistic , has at least the merit of being sincere aud truthful .
" Ailieford , ' § by the author of " John Drayton , " is undoubtedly a work of merit , although the writing is somewhat unequal . The story is thus told by William Mitchell , one of the three brothers in the tale , who writes the book iu an autobiographical form . Andrew , the elder , is a prudent and respectable tradesman , though somewhat selfish Avithal ; he marries his master ' s daughter , and to save his family and himself from disgrace , advances money to enable his younger brother , the scapegrace of the familto . -Williamthe autobiographeris a quietunimportant
y , escape , , , character , is jilted in early life , falls in love again in Germany only to see the object of his passion carried off by a more successful rival . The hero is the other brother , James , a popular , winning character , intensely selfish and weak , unable to resist the temptation which ultimately leads him into crime . He man-ies secretly , and when discovered , treats his
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Critical Notices Of The Literature Of The Last Three Months,
The first novel on our list is " Margaret ; or , Prejudice at Home and its Victims ; " * and in its favour Ave may safely say that it is written with a good object , and with the pen of a practised writer . Tho author , however , in our view of it , has fallen into the error of exaggerating in order to condemn , and making tho world appear worse than it really is , for the mere pleasure of administering a sound castigation to every one in it . The moral of the tale is this— that worth is almost always
, neglected , —that wealth rules the roost , —that to be rich is to be bad . — Avhile to he poor is not always to be good . Accordingly , almost every individual in the book is an abominable sinner , except the heroine , hor poor grandfather , and aunt , while the only character who really practises Christianity is an infidel , those who proclaim themselves to be Christians being little better than inhuman brutes . Formal religion , and the favour with which society looks " respectabilit" are both alike condemned
upon y , , —the writer stigmatizing the former as hypocrisy , and the latter as A * ery little short of vulgarity . Now in all this , while there is much truth , there is also much exaggeration and we cannot therefore praise the Avork as a true picture of general life . Nevertheless , it is written with force and thought , and contains many an apt illustratiori , besides many a page of good writing . " Avillon , and other Tales , "f by the author of "Olive , " is a collection
of sparkling stories , contributed by the author at different times to various periodicals . Without exception , they are charming reading , full of pure and holy thoughts , the foundation of a quick and ardent imagination , not uninfluenced by a spirit of deep and earnest reflection . In " Oakfield "J we have a view of Indian military society and Indian friendships . The hero is a young officer , who joins his regiment in India , is disgusted with the vulgarity of the mess-room , and the respect
he is bound to pay to certain conventional rides of honour . These last he takes an early opportunity of disregarding , by declining to fight a duel Avith the bully of the regiment , although he subsequently administers to him a sound horseAvhipping , and establishes a reputation for " pluck " by his conduct at Chillianwaliah . The book is evidently written witb the intention of exposing the vices and abuses of the military and civil service in India , and if not very artistic , has at least the merit of being sincere aud truthful .
" Ailieford , ' § by the author of " John Drayton , " is undoubtedly a work of merit , although the writing is somewhat unequal . The story is thus told by William Mitchell , one of the three brothers in the tale , who writes the book iu an autobiographical form . Andrew , the elder , is a prudent and respectable tradesman , though somewhat selfish Avithal ; he marries his master ' s daughter , and to save his family and himself from disgrace , advances money to enable his younger brother , the scapegrace of the familto . -Williamthe autobiographeris a quietunimportant
y , escape , , , character , is jilted in early life , falls in love again in Germany only to see the object of his passion carried off by a more successful rival . The hero is the other brother , James , a popular , winning character , intensely selfish and weak , unable to resist the temptation which ultimately leads him into crime . He man-ies secretly , and when discovered , treats his