[248]. Lamartine, in a letter given in the book (p. 129 sq.), says roundly of Beyle: “Il n’y a selon lui et selon nous d’autres règles que les exemples du génie”; and though I do not remember that Beyle himself formulates this Brunonian (v. vol. ii. [p. 95 note]) trenchancy, he evidently adopts it.
[249]. P. 180 sq., ed. cit. inf. All this passage is important, especially the reference to B.'s habit of “taking the other side,” a habit common with critics, but not critical.
[250]. C. du L., ix. 314 sq.
[251]. It is fair to say that the oddity is Beyle’s own. See for instance his Lettres Inédites, p. 235.
[252]. Lettres Intimes de Stendhal (Paris, 1892).
[253]. My copy is in 2 vols. (Paris, 1879).
[254]. Himself a terrible critic in a certain sense: hardly one at all in others, and in most parts of ours.
[255]. There is no complete edition, either of Nodier’s collected work or of his criticism: and many of his books are not at all easy to obtain separately. The editor of the Tales, &c., in the Charpentier collection, has, however, most wisely prefixed certain capital articles to the various volumes—Des Types en Littérature to the Romans; Quelques Observations sur la nouvelle école Littéraire to Les Proscrits; Du Fantastique en Littérature to the Contes. All these are important.
[256]. One of Crapelet’s best produced books (Paris, 1829).