essays and lectures-第20章

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fourths　of　the　British　public　on　all　points　is　one　of　the　first

elements　of　sanity；　one　of　the　deepest　consolations　in　all　moments

of　spiritual　doubt。



As　regards　the　ideas　these　young　men　brought　to　the　regeneration　of

English　art；　we　may　see　at　the　base　of　their　artistic　creations　a

desire　for　a　deeper　spiritual　value　to　be　given　to　art　as　well　as　a

more　decorative　value。



Pre…Raphaelites　they　called　themselves；　not　that　they　imitated　the

early　Italian　masters　at　all；　but　that　in　their　work；　as　opposed　to

the　facile　abstractions　of　Raphael；　they　found　a　stronger　realism

of　imagination；　a　more　careful　realism　of　technique；　a　vision　at

once　more　fervent　and　more　vivid；　an　individuality　more　intimate

and　more　intense。



For　it　is　not　enough　that　a　work　of　art　should　conform　to　the

aesthetic　demands　of　its　age：　　there　must　be　also　about　it；　if　it

is　to　affect　us　with　any　permanent　delight；　the　impress　of　a

distinct　individuality；　an　individuality　remote　from　that　of

ordinary　men；　and　coming　near　to　us　only　by　virtue　of　a　certain

newness　and　wonder　in　the　work；　and　through　channels　whose　very

strangeness　makes　us　more　ready　to　give　them　welcome。



LA　PERSONNALITE；　said　one　of　the　greatest　of　modem　French　critics；

VOILE　CE　QUI　NOUS　SAUVERA。



But　above　all　things　was　it　a　return　to　Nature　…　that　formula　which

seems　to　suit　so　many　and　such　diverse　movements：　　they　would　draw

and　paint　nothing　but　what　they　saw；　they　would　try　and　imagine

things　as　they　really　happened。　　Later　there　came　to　the　old　house

by　Blackfriars　Bridge；　where　this　young　brotherhood　used　to　meet

and　work；　two　young　men　from　Oxford；　Edward　Burne…Jones　and　William

Morris　…　the　latter　substituting　for　the　simpler　realism　of　the

early　days　a　more　exquisite　spirit　of　choice；　a　more　faultless

devotion　to　beauty；　a　more　intense　seeking　for　perfection：　　a

master　of　all　exquisite　design　and　of　all　spiritual　vision。　　It　is

of　the　school　of　Florence　rather　than　of　that　of　Venice　that　he　is

kinsman；　feeling　that　the　close　imitation　of　Nature　is　a　disturbing

element　in　imaginative　art。　　The　visible　aspect　of　modern　life

disturbs　him　not；　rather　is　it　for　him　to　render　eternal　all　that

is　beautiful　in　Greek；　Italian；　and　Celtic　legend。　　To　Morris　we

owe　poetry　whose　perfect　precision　and　clearness　of　word　and　vision

has　not　been　excelled　in　the　literature　of　our　country；　and　by　the

revival　of　the　decorative　arts　he　has　given　to　our　individualised

romantic　movement　the　social　idea　and　the　social　factor　also。



But　the　revolution　accomplished　by　this　clique　of　young　men；　with

Ruskin's　faultless　and　fervent　eloquence　to　help　them；　was　not　one

of　ideas　merely　but　of　execution；　not　one　of　conceptions　but　of

creations。



For　the　great　eras　in　the　history　of　the　development　of　all　the

arts　have　been　eras　not　of　increased　feeling　or　enthusiasm　in

feeling　for　art；　but　of　new　technical　improvements　primarily　and

specially。　　The　discovery　of　marble　quarries　in　the　purple　ravines

of　Pentelicus　and　on　the　little　low…lying　hills　of　the　island　of

Paros　gave　to　the　Greeks　the　opportunity　for　that　intensified

vitality　of　action；　that　more　sensuous　and　simple　humanism；　to

which　the　Egyptian　sculptor　working　laboriously　in　the　hard

porphyry　and　rose…coloured　granite　of　the　desert　could　not　attain。

The　splendour　of　the　Venetian　school　began　with　the　introduction　of

the　new　oil　medium　for　painting。　　The　progress　in　modern　music　has

been　due　to　the　invention　of　new　instruments　entirely；　and　in　no

way　to　an　increased　consciousness　on　the　part　of　the　musician　of

any　wider　social　aim。　　The　critic　may　try　and　trace　the　deferred

resolutions　of　Beethoven　to　some　sense　of　the　incompleteness　of　the

modern　intellectual　spirit；　but　the　artist　would　have　answered；　as

one　of　them　did　afterwards；　'Let　them　pick　out　the　fifths　and　leave

us　at　peace。'



And　so　it　is　in　poetry　also：　　all　this　love　of　curious　French

metres　like　the　Ballade；　the　Villanelle；　the　Rondel；　all　this

increased　value　laid　on　elaborate　alliterations；　and　on　curious

words　and　refrains；　such　as　you　will　find　in　Dante　Rossetti　and

Swinburne；　is　merely　the　attempt　to　perfect　flute　and　viol　and

trumpet　through　which　the　spirit　of　the　age　and　the　lips　of　the

poet　may　blow　the　music　of　their　many　messages。



And　so　it　has　been　with　this　romantic　movement　of　ours：　　it　is　a

reaction　against　the　empty　conventional　workmanship；　the　lax

execution　of　previous　poetry　and　painting；　showing　itself　in　the

work　of　such　men　as　Rossetti　and　Burne…Jones　by　a　far　greater

splendour　of　colour；　a　far　more　intricate　wonder　of　design　than

English　imaginative　art　has　shown　before。　　In　Rossetti's　poetry　and

the　poetry　of　Morris；　Swinburne　and　Tennyson　a　perfect　precision

and　choice　of　language；　a　style　flawless　and　fearless；　a　seeking

for　all　sweet　and　precious　melodies　and　a　sustaining　consciousness

of　the　musical　value　of　each　word　are　opposed　to　that　value　which

is　merely　intellectual。　　In　this　respect　they　are　one　with　the

romantic　movement　of　France　of　which　not　the　least　characteristic

note　was　struck　by　Theophile　Gautier's　advice　to　the　young　poet　to

read　his　dictionary　every　day；　as　being　the　only　book　worth　a

poet's　reading。



While；　then；　the　material　of　workmanship　is　being　thus　elaborated

and　discovered　to　have　in　itself　incommunicable　and　eternal

qualities　of　its　own；　qualities　entirely　satisfying　to　the　poetic

sense　and　not　needing　for　their　aesthetic　effect　any　lofty

intellectual　vision；　any　deep　criticism　of　life　or　even　any

passionate　human　emotion　at　all；　the　spirit　and　the　method　of　the

poet's　working　…　what　people　call　his　inspiration　…　have　not

escaped　the　controlling　influence　of　the　artistic　spirit。　　Not　that

the　imagination　has　lost　its　wings；　but　we　have　accustomed

ourselves　to　count　their　innumerable　pulsations；　to　estimate　their

limitless　strength；　to　govern　their　ungovernable　freedom。



To　the　Greeks　this　problem　of　the　conditions　of　poetic　production；

and　the　places　occupied　by　either　spontaneity　or　self…consciousness

in　any　artistic　work；　had　a　peculiar　fascination。　　We　find　it　in

the　mysticism　of　Plato　and　in　the　rationalism　of　Aristotle。　　We

find　it　later　in　the　Italian　Renaissance　agitating　the　minds　of

such　men　as　Leonardo　da　Vinci。　　Schiller　tried　to　adjust　the

balance　between　form　and　feeling；　and　Goethe　to　estimate　the

position　of　self…consciousness　in　art。　　Wordsworth's　definition　of

poetry　as　'emotion　remembered　in　tranquillity'　may　be　taken　as　an

analysis　of　one　of　the　stages　through　which　all　imaginative　work

has　to　pass；　and　in　Keats's　longing　to　be　'able　to　compose　without

this　fever'　（I　quote　from　one　of　his　letters）；　his　desire　to

substitute　for　poetic　ardour　'a　more　thoughtful　and　quiet　power；'

we　may　discern　the　most　important　moment　in　the　evolution　of　that

artistic　life。　　The　question　made　an　early　and　strange　appearance

in　your　literature　too；　and　I　need　not　remind　you　how　deeply　the

young　poets　of　the　French　romantic　movement　were　excited　and

stirred　by　Edgar　Allan　Poe's　analysis　of　the　workings　of　his　own

imagination　in　the　creating　of　that　supreme　imaginative　work　which

we　know　by　the　name　of　THE　RAVEN。



In　the　last　century；　when　the　intellectual　and　didactic　element　had

intruded　to　such　an　extent　into　the　kingdom　which　belongs　to

poetry；　it　was　against　the　claims　of　the　understanding　that　an

artist　like　Goethe　had　to　protest。　　'The　more　incomprehensible　to

the　understanding　a　poem　is　the　better　for　it；'　he　said　once；

asserting　the　complete　supremacy　of　the　imagination　in　poetry　as　of

reason　in　prose。　　But　in　this　century　it　is　rather　against　the

claims　of　the　emotional　faculties；　the　claims　of　mere　sentiment　and

feeling；　that　the　artist　must　react。　　The　simple　utterance　of　joy

is　not　poetry　any　more　than　a　mere　personal　cry　of　pain；　and　the

real　experiences　of　the　artist　are　always　those　which　do　not　find

their　direct