14. Littie Novels
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The First Reader
— The Mature Schnitzler —
Follow up Katharine Brush's Night
Club“ (the best of recent books of
American short storles) with Arthur
Schnitzler's“ Little Novels," just issued
by Simon & Schuster. Here áre ten
stories that will hold your interest,
and if they don't make you keep on
thinking about them after you finish
reäding, I miss my guess.
Schnitzler is now the suave master
of tlie Continental short story, and he
delves around among Vienna's half¬
world for his themes. In his present
book his storles have to do with the
death and decay of men and women
who havé had thieir fling, contrary to
the thernes used by Louis Bromfield,
whose heroines are invariably repressed
and inhlbited. But Schnitzler, having
Had much experlence as a dramatist,
also has an éye for lifé’s little ironiés.
He likes nothing better than to present
faté as the ultimate lronist.
Of the stories in this book, Blind
Geronimo and His Brother“ is a tale
de Maupassant might have written.
Perhaps ft does not hävé the intensity
of A Plece of String,“ but it is elo¬
quent in its reading of the human
heart.
The Fate of the Baron“ is à story
Tout of the night lifé of Vienna, with an
actress as the central figuré. The ät¬
mosphere is one of lovers and mis¬
tresses; of strange affairs carrled on
more or less openly in the domaln of
the Opernring. This is an example of
Schnitzler’s ability to carfy suspense to
the end when the lightest misstep
would betray his intention. It is a
story of situation.
American short-story writers can learn
much from Schnitzler. He puts up no
signposts. He makes irony a part of
the situation and leaves human char¬
acter as it Is. Nearly all of his men
and women are of averäge intelligence,
slaves of their feellngs. Some of them
are despicable In their acts, but the
author knows human nature well
enough to preserve us from making a
gesture of superiority.
The theme of The Dark Journey“
might easily have been taken by
Schnitzler. But how differently he
would have handled it—provided he
carrled it on in the mood of these
short storles, and not in the stark,
realistic manner of Therese.“ Some¬
times composers, toying with melodies.
take a familiar hymn and transerlbe it.
In the manner of Liszt, öf Wagner.
of Johann Strauiss. What à revelation
it would be to apply this präctice to
novels.
box 35/11
Pged
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Powe
pe
sumin
right
ordered Schwirzi##'s Lürle
after it was put on sale.. Big things are
predicted for The Psychology of Happiness
by Warren B. Pfrain, scheduled for pub¬
lication on September 19th. It will
appeal te everybody who secks happiness,
n
everybody who thinks abourit, and every¬
body wio relishes gossip. Otherwise
n
there arc no possibilitics in this book
Another tip: watch for the first announce¬
ments of Twelve Against ihe Gods bv Wir- „
LIam Bourrno, Lthe incomparable Bo¬
litho“ whose prosc has swiried and eddied gi
for many months in a neighboring col¬
#s chronicle ofthe world“
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