Saintsbury, George Edward Bateman. History of criticism and literary taste in Europe from the earliest texts to the present day. V. 3. [*]$3.50. Dodd.
The author, professor of rhetoric in the university of Edinburgh, devoting this third volume to a survey of the nineteenth century, includes a study of English criticism from 1860 to 1900, and gives sixteen pages to American critics.
Reviewed by Ferris Greenslet.
| + — | Atlan. 96: 106. Jl. ‘05. 470w. |
“A trial balance of the qualities and defects of this great work might run somewhat as follows: Professor Saintsbury is unreliable, but frequently admirable, on the authors who touch his heart—the romantics; he is almost invariably inadequate and unfair to the critics he dislikes—the doctrinaires, among them the Germans especially; and he is safe only on the critics who bore him—the small fry generally. The volume, although its matter is on the whole the most attractive of the three, is less readable than its predecessors. It is chiefly valuable because the deposit of facts, which careful straining will separate, is considerable. Bad guide as he is for the highroad, the byways of criticism become accessible through Professor Saintsbury’s labors.” F. J. Mather, jr.
| + — | Bookm. 20: 450. Ja. ‘05. 1820w. |
“It is however, only fair to say that Professor Saintsbury never allows his political or religious beliefs, strong as these are, to interfere with his judgment. We are a little surprised, perhaps, to find the section on Lamb one of the best of the book—a good piece of writing without qualification. The poorest chapters of the book—and they are poor beyond forgiveness—are those which deal with topics that require ideas or the understanding of ideas. A book of irritating qualities. He is interesting—despite the continual faults of taste and despite the tedium of the subject, he never allows the reader’s attention to flag, and that is high praise.”
| + + — | Ind. 58: 501. Mr. 2, ‘05. 720w. |
[*] “In spite of its author’s rather slap-dash fashion, is on the whole a valuable, even an indispensable compendium for students of that very special criticism which is concerned with books almost exclusively.”
| + + — | Ind. 59: 1163. N. 16, ‘05. 90w. |