LITERATURE OF 848—9. (From the Illustrated London News, May 26)

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 370, 31 October 1849, Page 3

LITERATURE OF 848—9. (From the Illustrated London News, May 26 )

We are often apt, without consideration, to judge crj roneously of contemporary lterature. A. comparison between a well-selected collection of dead authors, and a man of books heaped up on the bookseller's counter, by living writer*, is not much to the advantage of the latter. We forget th.it we take from old authors only the best works ; while of modern authors we have the entire heap of writings, without any distinction between bad and good. We arc persuaded that if the forgotten works of a century ago were fairly examined, they would be found to consist of a much larger proportion of matter utteily valueleis, than in the works of the present day, which, like them, are destined to oblivion. More than this, we believe the proportion of books which will stand the test of time, lo be greater now-a-dayi. We may consider the epoch of English literature to have lasted for three hundred and fitty years : are there twice three hundred and^ fifty works that we care to remember? More, perhaps, if we take class works, and such ai contain particular interest for particular readers. -But of works that are of importance to the general student, we doubt if seven huudred could be named which would be seriously missed. Any year, then, which produces two works likely to be read by posterity, may be fairly said to be of average excellence. These are not days for literary excitement. So much happens daily around us— we have been so familiar with wonders— our attention is distracted by so many different subjects, that we never fall into extacies about anything. Least of all, are we likely to suffer ourselves to be jut out of the way by literacy wondement. In the palmy days of the Edinburgh and Quarterly, the conversation in every man's mouth was the tone, temper, and ability of the last review. Literary criticism was a subject alike for the drawing, room and the club. Now, who asks, except on rare occasions, which is ihe s rand article of the latt Quarterly t Railroads and 1 evolutions have put the finishing stroke to this sort of excitement, which had been gradually declining for many years past. It thus happens that in the past twelve months we feel that the would has been very littla agitated by any book that has been presented to it ; and we might conclude hastily that the literary merits of the twelvemonth had been unJer the average. Yet how far is this from being really the case. Of works that will live, we have a lull average, and those, too, of the highest order of literature. We will not anticipate our detailed criticism on the great works of the year by more than a mention of one or two, which are alone sufficient to stamp it wit'i honour. Mctciulny's History of England will stand beside the most important works in English literature. Grote's History of Greece is another great work on this highest of literary subjects, which, though not belonging exclusively to the year, still in part belongs to it. Of the adjuncts to history, those imuoitant publications which are the foundation of the historian's labJur, The Fairfax aad Castlereagh Correspondence are of firstrate importance. Amidst the writings of fiction, the greatest of living novelists has given us what, in some respects, U the greatest of his productions. Bulwer's Harold will always stand in the very first rank of works of fiction. Li literary biographies, compiled in every instance f.om sources the most authentic and interesting, the twelvemonth has been peculiarly rich. The lives of Campbell, Lamb, Keats, and Hook have ail been written in such a manner as to become the standard biographies of their reap ctive subjects. Future writers may adapt or abridge, but these works will always be the foundation of their labrurs. Science alone h»s not contributed its part to the interest of the year. Some of our first scientific names appear on the list ofcoutributus — Somerville, Chambers, and ueveral others; but UlO works they have produced have, it must be confessed, comparatively a minor importance. We will not particularise further ; but we must observe that almost every man of eminence amongst our hteiary vvriteis Las done something within the year. Ainsworth, James, Talfourd, Dickens, Thackeray, Gore, Trollope, and Bell, have all worked with succes* for the public advantage. In the smaller publications, most of our great political names, who ever write at all, arc to be found at the head of some treatise or pamphlet ; while there is not a question annnitst the multifarious list of modern enquiries that has not been examined with mote than ordinary care in the publications of the year.