LITERARY GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13342, 6 February 1909, Page 7

LITERARY GOSSIP.

The correspondence in <- T. P.'s Weekly" about the bosfc book for a desert island has closed. "Wordsworth and BosweJl's "Lifo of Johnson' , were the two favourites. Poetry and other works of a more serious character easily out-distanced fiction in popularity, mo Bible was barred, but many correspondents mentioned it. 'mc strongest appeal for it came from an Agnostic.

Just before Christmas tlio "Daily M«il"' enquired into the most popular books with the educated public. It says:—A surprise is provided in the fact that purchasers are choosing expensive and solid books rather than light literature, though they are also buying more largely than before tne old favourites Dickons and Thackeray, whose sale is eclipsing that of modern purveyors of fiction. Lytton, on tho contrary, is now c. drug in tho market The novels of to-day which are selling best are as follows:—(1) Mrs Humphry Ward's "Diana Mallory," (2) Mr E. F. Benson's 'The Climber," (3) Miss Marie Corelli's "In Holy Orders." Tho demand for fiction in the circulating department of the Book Club ("The Times") is still strong. But people do not buy new novels as th«y used to do. Stevenson and Mr KipHng still sell well and steadily, and there- also a constant, demand for Mr Hardy's and Mr Meredith's books. Birt more recent fiction at a comparatively high price is eschewed by ■tho book-buying public which prefers the cheap editions, and waits for xhem, if it is minded to buy a .novel. There has been a great overproduction recently of mediocre novels and the public has apparently awakened to the fa ct-.

In our "Topics of the Day" a week or two ago we recorded a case in which a. man had recovered damages for the bad behaviour in print of a person lx»ar'»vt the same name zs himself. "T.P.'s Weekly" quotes some interesting cases in which embarrassing results have followed the choice of names for characters.

In. '*Mast««rnian Ready' , the old sailer Heady tolls tho story of the rascally proceedings of his godfather—-described as one Mr Mastennan, a shipbuilder, of North Shi-elds—who dofrauded Ready of his patrimony. In a not© appended by Captain Marryatt to the later editions of tho book, he expressed his deep regret at finding that n-o had unwittinaly put into Ready's mouth, not only tlie name and the calling of an actual ship-builder, but also the place- whero that calling had bcon followed for years by tho same- family. That was a three-fold coincidence not likely to reoccur in fiction, but in 1534 Marryatt fell himself a victim to a similar inadverent libel. In that year F. I). Maurice published, with Richard Bent-ley, his only novel "Eustane Conway." Beins somewhat of a recluse, he had not heard of the novelist's fame, and presented in th.-vt book a certain Captain Marryatt of evil character. Marryatt. hearing from his friends of the tnistske. hurried to Bentley's office and. bursting with rape, demanded on ospianation. After some time the publisher cnlnjcd tho offended author enough to make him take n nrir*\te apolonv, but even then he went in fear of a libel action being brought acainst tho famous cleric.

Thnckcray finer sinned in a way one wnr.M not cxprot from eminent a clubman the saino paper). Near xh<- «nl oi '•PoiKlciuiis' , h-e hnd on.- of his wotr.onts of rhetoric, an*;-. t:;l!;inp: of the thin p->p-;ila:- irick of taking oriminais a> heroes for popular r.ovlc. wrote: -'Lot us udnrire- the-diver-ny of tho tr.;.tr> of mankind, a nil the the uplift, th« stupidest-, anil most pompous. t!u> .sillie.:- l--■n;>! mo-t vapid, the jireatest criminal, tyrant, 1-or.hv. IJhicboar.-l. Catherine Harrs. Cioorgo BurmviU amongst us need. cr>vrr despair." It happen* .1 tliit a ohnnniiii; ycuns singer named Gathering Hiiycs. was at Tho moment "sthrr>n<V' m opera in Ix>ndon, nnd; the papers, scout ins pool copy, declared tliHt the novelist- hrxl insulted Mis& Hi\vo*i by mixing her up -with "nrur<!,*rers and cm-throats."' Thackeray whs. of course, roforriiiK to Catherine Hayes. the- murderess, who ir.is haugedi at Tyburn, but ho ought to have- reniembfrrcl mooting the. (vinfrer eio;Vt years before- in Ireland. Besides those cases of novelists. thc> snnw sort of thine: has happened to drain?.t;.:ts. During the origin.".] productions, for of \toth '"The Second Mrs Tnnqiierny'" and "Tho Notorious Mrs l£M«n;ith\" pentlomen rose in tho sta]]s and protostod against their names being used for sitfh l'.ndesiiablo charoctcrs. Yet in oach caso Mr Pinoro had been carefully through the London Directory -t-o find umisual names.

Mr Donald Macdonald, who has been writing _in thr. ••Argus" , about the ti-achers" sumiiK-r school in Victoria, makes the following interesting remarks about the attitude of teachers and inspectors towards Australian literatim*:—"While not neglecting the best that is in literature from -whatever source it comes, one finds amongst the students of the- summer school notably amongst the meni-a patriotic devotion to Australian literature. Some of the teachers, in allotting tiino lor literary study, adopt the plan ot devoting a ■third, of ie to -works of Australian authors. . . . Mr Pearse. one of the teachers, thought it a great pity that no Australian writer—one, lor choice, who in reaching the years •-t manhood had never lost or left foe•hinu him the mind of a boy—has writton Australian books for Australian hoys, though our history is full of heroism, of'adventure", and of all the colour -which appeals to tho .boyish mind. Such Iwoks were tho very ot-st antidote to tho Doadwood Dick rtyle of literature which boys now read, lln .His critical estimate and appreciation cf Australian poetry Inspector Lovjk re- . carded tho sixties—tho period of Gordon, Kendall, Harpur—as the ftoklen ago of Australian verse—because almost without exception, the pootry j=inco written -was inspired and influenced by one or other of the songs and singers of tirax period. Ho noted Laweon—a man who had written in a new and original v ? ln ~~? s the only exception to the■ Tule. He drew attention to thf fine anthology of Australian verse which was incomplete only in that, in addition to tho idealistic or romantic, little was given of tho spirited open-air school. That -was due to copyright reasons, wlvicn, lie understood, had now been overcome, bo tkrvt a complete anthology —a particularly valuable work to teachors-—would shortly be obtainable Mc drow particular attention to tV splendid work acoamplish-od by Kendall I?. t! Vv I,as ' t ' T ' nroo years of his life, when otr Henry Parked—who, with all his faults, was a fine Australian and a good friend to literature—found for him a sinecure which placed him beyond want and gave him leisure for just a little of tlvo croat work whk-h under happier conditions he would undoubtedly .have acc.orr'p!>.>hed'." This reminds the compiler of the** notes -that when ho read a I rriper on Koiul.-ill before an audience of New Zealand University undergradu- ' nte.s Itn to several of those j prreont even tJ:e poet's ruime was quite unknown.

\A<? !oarn from tho '"D.iiiy Ejrorese" thet Mark Twain lies followed, tho oxamplo of the Duke of Plazn Toro and' other dutmjuished pereoneges by turnnig himself into a company (sa'vs the "Pall M.*il! Gazette"). The capital ;.s only £1000, which seems small enough, but the principle, at any rato, issomul fho company is intended to take over all rights to the name "Mark Twain." by winch Mr Clemens is knoivn throughout the- humor-loving world, in order to scenic future brnrfits to his family. Presumably, therefore, the- public wi'l not be- allowed' to come in, though uioro are plenty of innocents abroad as well as in the Unit-ed States, who would, he delighted to have a share or two. Mark Twain, wo believe, has always shared the natural resentment felt by other stars of literature against tho law's failure to secure to their descendants property rights similar to those which heredity confers in the eases of other things than literature and art. Meaawhile, the transformation of himself into a company will, it is to l>o hoped, provide hdau with one more congenial theme for ©xtravacant fun.

There is some entertaining gossip about celebrities in Mr Comvns Oarr's reniiniseen-ces. Neither Tennyson nor Browning were ardent tcetotallciß. '•"Wat-or, Hoberfc!" exclaimed; tho eld«r Browning to liis son, in dismay. "For washing purposes it is. I believe, often employed, a n<l for navigable canals I admit it to be indispensable; but for drii&ing, Robert, God never intendod it , " "Irving, , ' said Tennyson, to the a<'tor ■when, he -was his guest, in. tho Isle of Wight, you like a plats or port?" When Irving; confessed that n«» would, Tennyson, poured him out one> glass and drank iho rest of the 1 bottle himself. On Irving's next visit Tennyson -was, not. •unnatur.allv suffering from gout, and was restricts by his doctor to a single ghass of his favourite inne, Vhile> Irving, having dot his inmngs, finished' tb« bottle? As Irving had to xo away early tho next morning, he took bis leave overnight of his host, and -was thereforo surprised upon his awaking, to find Tennyson sitting at tho foot of the bed. "Irvine how are. you this morning? , ' as kod anxiously. \ cry -rrell indeed," replied his guest. Are you?" came tihe response, ■α-ith just a tinge, of doubt in Ins voico. \oa drank a lot of port last night. Tho most extraordinary I story m connection with Irving is that of Lord Randolph Churchill's bursting into the actor s dressing-room after thl secona act of "Hamlet" to adjur© him to tell now toe piece ended! Lord Randolph had to hurry off to attend a reception given by his father but was m> intensely interested in -what ho saw ol the play that ho could not resist

this intrusion into Irving:'* dressingroom to ask how "Hanilei" ended! When ho next met Irving, Lord' Randolph said, "Do you know, Mr Irvius, I have read- for myself not only ,'llamiet-.' lmt two or three other pJays bjtht> same author, arid have found thorn enormously interesting."