No one who would learn the
evasive art of constructing a good short story can afford to neglect the
little master-pieces which Monsieur Guy de Maupassant has given
us. The volume before me contains thirteen of these, very
effectively done into English by Mr. Jonathan Sturges, and gracefully
introduced to our notice by Mr. Henry James. Those who are so
unfortunate as to be debarred from knowing M. de Maupassant's work in
the original, are here enabled to acquaint themselves with many of those
qualities which have won him his rich and enviable reputation.
These translations reproduce for us the flawless clarity, the
definiteness of outline, the satisfying unity and simplicity of
structure, the wonderful combination of brevity with adequate fullness
of detail, which we have learned to look for in this writer's
work. Therefore, they are salutary models for our own authors, who
are wont to carry so much superfluous and retarding toggery with them
when they set out to run the race for fame.
For some years M. de
Maupassant has been producing these wonderful vignettes of life at the
rate of almost one a week. He has been, I believe, under contract
of some sort to do this; and in such a case, with his manuscript sold
before-hand, and with the creative faculties kept so unremittingly at
work, it is not strange that he frequently falls below his own
standard. Yet it is wonderful to note the high average he
maintains, showing the thoroughness of his mastery. According to
his own confession he early adopted the principle that "to prove
that you have a first rate talent you must have a first rate
style." M. de Maupassant is an artist who has acquired
complete control of the vehicle in which he works. His achievement
depends upon his conception, his inspiration, for he knows that whatever
he may have to express, he is sure of being able to express it.
This confident strength, this absence of fumbling, manifest themselves
plainly in the translations before us,—which, by the way, though they are fair
specimens of de Maupassant's best in this field, are no better than
scores of others that might have been selected. Hence this
collection may be regarded as faithfully representative.
After
one has delighted in the crisp and novel flavor of these sketches, he
will still be far short of appreciating de Maupassant's full
power. What perhaps cannot be reproduced in translation is the
style—the gleaming brilliancy, the firm
decisiveness, the captivating chute de phrase. Even a
certain amount of the rich, yet transparent, color which glorifies de
Maupassant's papers, as it does those of his wonderful contemporary, the
author of Madame Chrysantheme, seems to escape in the process of
decanting. I may mention here that M. de Maupassant and Pierre
Loti represent the youngest generation of accepted masters in French
literature. They are yet young in their thirties.
It
is a strange, sharply accentuated life that we come in contact with in
these tales. Such transcripts from unfamiliar life—life unfamiliar to the educated classes even
in France—as "The Piece of Thread" and "Little
Soldier," are so emphatic in outline and color that, after a short
time, they fit themselves into the memory like a part of one's own past
experience. They stand out with almost the same sort of
perspective—which arises, I think, from the skill with which M. de
Maupassant has emphasized the salient points of his subject, while
deliberately throwing out the minor incidents and color—tones which,
if admitted, might have tended to level the scene. It would be
difficult to convey a definite idea of the distinguishing flavor of the
book without quoting one or more of the tales, which space peremptorily
forbids; but to one who wishes a fresh and piquant literary relish, in
the way of fiction, I would say—try M. de Maupassant. If you
must have him in English, then get this altogether admirable translation
by Mr. Sturges. The volume is a charming piece of bookmaking, with
clear type and a luxurious page.
