James——andtherehasbeennoendofit——hispowerofengagingyourpreferenceforcertainofhispeoplehasbeensolittlecommentedon.Perhapsitisbecausehemakesnoobviousappealforthem;butonelikessuchmenasLordWarburton，Newman，Valentin，theartisticbrotherin\"TheEuropeans，\"andRalphTouchett，andsuchwomenasIsabel，ClaireBelgarde，Mrs.
Tristram，andcertainothers，withathoroughnessthatisoneofthebesttestimoniestotheirvitality.Thiscomesaboutthroughtheirownqualities，andisnotaffectedbyinsinuationorbydownrightpetting，suchaswefindinDickensnearlyalwaysandinThackeraytoooften.
Theartoffictionhas，infact，becomeafinerartinourdaythanitwaswithDickensandThackeray.Wecouldnotsuffertheconfidentialattitudeofthelatternow，northemannerismoftheformer，anymorethanwecouldenduretheprolixityofRichardsonorthecoarsenessofFielding.Thesegreatmenareofthepast——theyandtheirmethodsandinterests;evenTrollopeandReadearenotofthepresent.ThenewschoolderivesfromHawthorneandGeorgeEliotratherthananyothers;butitstudieshumannaturemuchmoreinitswontedaspects，andfindsitsethicalanddramaticexamplesintheoperationoflighterbutnotreallylessvitalmotives.Themovingaccidentiscertainlynotitstrade;anditpreferstoavoidallmannerofdirecatastrophes.itislargelyinfluencedbyFrenchfictioninform;butitistherealismofDaudetratherthantherealismofZolathatprevailswithit，andithasasoulofitsownwhichisabovethebusinessofrecordingtheratherbrutishpursuitofawomanbyaman，whichseemstobethechiefendoftheFrenchnovelist.Thisschool，whichissolargelyofthefutureaswellasthepresent，findsitschiefexemplarinMr.James;itishewhoisshapinganddirectingAmericanfiction，atleast.Itistheambitionoftheyoungercontributorstowritelikehim;hehashisfollowingmoredistinctlyrecognizablethanthatofanyotherEnglish—writingnovelist.Whetherhewillsofarcontrolthisfollowingastodecidethenatureofthenovelwithusremainstobeseen.Willthereaderbecontenttoacceptanovelwhichisananalyticstudyratherthanastory，whichisapttoleavehimarbiterofthedestinyoftheauthor\'screations？Willhefindhisaccountintheunflagginginterestoftheirdevelopment？Mr.James\'sgrowingpopularityseemstosuggestthatthismaybethecase;buttheworkofMr.James\'simitatorswillhavemuchtodowiththefinalresult.
Inthemeantimeitisnotsurprisingthathehashisimitators.
Whateverexceptionswetaketohismethodsorhisresults，wecannotdenyhimaverygreatliterarygenius.Tomethereisaperpetualdelightinhiswayofsayingthings，andIcannotwonderthatyoungermentrytocatchthetrickofit.Thedisappointingthingforthemisthatitisnotatrick，butaninherentvirtue.Hisstyleis，uponthewhole，betterthanthatofanyothernovelistIknow;itisalwayseasy，withoutbeingtrivial，anditisoftenstately，withoutbeingstiff;itgivesacharmtoeverythinghewrites;andhehaswrittensomuchandinsuchvariousdirections，thatweshouldbejudginghimveryincompletelyifweconsideredhimonlyasanovelist.HisbookofEuropeansketchesmustrankhimwiththemostenlightenedandagreeabletravelers;anditmightbefitlysupplementedfromhisuncollectedpaperswithavolumeofAmericansketches.InhisessaysonmodernFrenchwritersheindicateshiscriticalrangeandgrasp;buthescarcelydoesmore，ashiscriticismsin\"TheAtlantic\"and\"TheNation\"andelsewherecouldabundantlytestify.
Thereareindeedthosewhoinsistthatcriticismishistruevocation，andareimpatientofhisdevotiontofiction;butI
suspectthattheseadmirersaremistaken.Anovelistsheisnot，aftertheoldfashion，orafteranyfashionbuthisown;yetsincehehasfinallymadehispublicinhisownwayofstory—telling——orcallitcharacter—paintingifyouprefer，——itmustbeconcededthathehaschosenbestforhimselfandhisreadersinchoosingtheformoffictionforwhathehastosay.
Itis，afterall，whatawriterhastosayratherthanwhathehastotellthatwecarefornowadays.Inonemannerorotherthestorieswerealltoldlongago;andnowwewantmerelytoknowwhatthenovelistthinksaboutpersonsandsituations.Mr.
Jamesgratifiesthisphilosophicdesire.Ifhesometimesforbearstotelluswhathethinksofthelaststateofhispeople，itisperhapsbecausethatdoesnotinteresthim，andalarge—mindedcriticismmightwellinsistthatitwaschildishtodemandthatitmustinteresthim.
Iamnotsurethatanycriticismissufficientlylarge—mindedforthis.IownthatIlikeafinishedstory;butthenalsoIlikethosewhichMr.Jamesseemsnottofinish.Thisisprobablythepositionofmostofhisreaders，whocannotverylogicallyaccountforeitherpreference.Wecanonlymakesurethatwehavehereanannalist，oranalyst，aswechoose，whofascinatesusfromhisfirstpagetohislast，whosenarrativeorwhosecommentmayenterintoanyminutenessofdetailwithoutfatiguingus，andcanonlytrulygrieveuswhenitceases.