DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
BY
ARTHUR SYMONS
INDIANAPOLIS
THE BOOBS-MERRILL COMPANY
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
Although it would be presumptuous to introduce the work of ArthurSymons, a word or two about this particular collection may not be out ofplace. A number of these essays have appeared in representative Americanand English periodicals, but their preservation here needs no apology asthey have already earned a meritorious place in the bibliography ofEnglish criticism. The publisher believes, also, that the criticalreader must realize the futility of any attempt to correct discrepanciesdue to the death of contemporaries, or augmentations to their work, lestthe essays as originally conceived by the author suffer in spirit.
CONTENTS
CONRAD
MAURICE MAETERLINCK
EMILY BRONTË
ON ENGLISH AND FRENCH FICTION
ON CRITICISM
THE DECADENT MOVEMENT IN LITERATURE
THE ROSSETTIS
CONFESSIONS AND COMMENTS
FRANCIS THOMPSON
COVENTRY PATMORE
SIR WILLIAM WATSON
EMIL VERHAEREN
A NEGLECTED GENIUS: SIR RICHARD BURTON
EDGAR SALTUS
RECOLLECTIONS OF RÉJANE
THE RUSSIAN BALLETS
ON HAMLET AND HAMLETS
LEONARDO DA VINCI
IMPRESSIONISTIC WRITING
PARADOXES ON POETS
DRAMATIS PERS0NÆ
CONRAD
"The Earth is a Temple where there is going on a Mystery Play, childishand poignant, ridiculous and awful enough in all conscience."
I
Conrad's inexplicable mind has created for itself a secret world to livein, some corner stealthily hidden away from view, among impenetrableforests, on the banks of untraveled rivers. From that corner, like aspider in his web, he throws out tentacles into the darkness; he gathersin his spoils, he collects them like a miser, stripping from them theirdreams and visions to decorate his web magnificently. He chooses amongthem, and sends out into the world shadowy messengers, for the troublingof the peace of man, self-satisfied in his ignorance of the invisible.At the center of his web sits an elemental sarcasm discussing humanaffairs with a calm and cynical ferocity; "that particular field whosemission is to jog the memories of men, lest they should forget themeaning of life." Behind that sarcasm crouches some ghastly influence,outside humanity, some powerful devil, invisible, poisonous,irresistible, spawning evil for his delight. They guard this secretcorner of the world with mists and delusions, so that very few of thoseto whom the shadowy messengers