- Mr.
- Howells
- shows
- a
- light
- and
- exquisite
- touch
- in
- "April
- Hopes,"
- a
- novel,
- it
- is
- safe
- to
- say,
- in
- which
- all
- his
- finer
- qualities
- are
- seen
- at
- their
- best.
- The
- sweetness
- of
- it
- is
- perhaps
- a
- trifle
- cloying
- now
- and
- then
- to
- robust
- palates,
- but
- the
- story
- is
- for
- all
- the
- world
- like
- a
- spring
- day
- where
- showers
- and
- sunshine
- grace
- fully
- intermingle.
- Story,
- we
- say,
- while
- in
- reality
- there
- is
- no
- story
- at
- all,
- in
- accordance
- with
- Mr.
- Howells'
- views
- of
- the
- lack
- of
- stories
- in
- "real"
- life.
- Only
- an
- account
- of
- how
- two
- young
- things
- fell
- in
- love
- with
- one
- another
- and
- quarreled
- and
- made
- up,
- and
- quarreled
- again,
- and
- made
- up
- again,
- and
- broke
- off
- the
- engagement
- once
- more,
- and
- finally
- made
- up
- for
- good
- and
- got
- married.
- But
- how
- charmingly
- the
- affair
- is
- put
- before
- us—all
- the
- foolish,
- silly,
- entrancing
- details
- are
- there,
- and
- never
- does
- the
- author
- exceed
- the
- limits
- of
- probability
- or
- the
- canons
- of
- good
- taste.
- It
- is
- like
- a
- pretty
- play,
- for
- the
- narrative
- in
- the
- book
- is
- a
- poor
- pennyworth
- of
- bread
- to
- an
- infinite
- deal
- of
- sack
- in
- shape
- of
- bright
- and
- sparkling
- dialogue.
- We
- sit
- and
- watch
- Dan
- and
- Alice
- at
- their
- love
- meetings
- and
- their
- love
- quarrels,
- hear
- them
- exchange
- their
- bits
- of
- romantic
- nonsense,
- see
- them
- go
- through
- their
- little
- deceits
- and
- flights
- of
- tragedy
- and
- playings
- at
- broken
- hearts,
- and
- listen
- while
- they
- utter
- protestations
- of
- undying
- affection
- and
- vows
- of
- unwavering
- faith.
- It
- is
- all
- very
- pretty
- very
- dainty,
- very
- touching,
- and
- everyone
- who
- assists
- at
- the
- performance
- must
- feel
- that
- here
- at
- any
- rate
- is
- a
- bit
- of
- reality—softened,
- indeed,
- and
- modified
- somewhat
- by
- the
- essentially
- idealistic
- temperament
- of
- the
- author,
- who
- finds
- it
- hard
- not
- to
- give
- a
- Watteau-like
- grace
- to
- all
- his
- fond
- imaginings—
- yet
- sufficiently
- "real"
- to
- chime
- in
- with
- the
- actual
- or
- fancied
- experiences
- common
- to
- the
- majority
- of
- commonplace
- humanity.
- The
- doctrine
- of
- elective
- affinities
- has
- no
- place
- in
- the
- world
- of
- 'April
- Hopes.'
- "Girlhood",
- in
- the
- author's
- view,
- "is
- often
- a
- turmoil
- of
- wild
- impulses,
- ignorant
- exaltations,
- mistaken
- ideals,
- which
- really
- represent
- no
- intelligent
- purpose,
- and
- come
- from
- disordered
- nerves,
- ill-advised
- reading,
- and
- the
- erroneous
- perspective
- of
- inexperience."
- When
- two
- creatures
- thus
- constituted
- indulge
- in
- the
- frantic
- effort
- of
- trying
- to
- reconcile
- their
- ideals
- the
- comedy
- and
- tragedy
- of
- courtship
- begin,
- for
- as
- Mr.
- Howells
- says
- once
- more,
- "the
- difficulty
- in
- life
- is
- to
- bring
- experience
- to
- the
- level
- of
- expectation,
- to
- match
- our
- real
- emotions
- in
- view
- of
- any
- great
- occasion
- with
- the
- ideal
- emotions
- which
- we
- have
- taught
- ourselves
- that
- we
- ought
- to feel."
pro-mbooks3 : libris
