Moberison, Sevit, Tdbury, Oxford, 2/6, The July number of "The Countryman" has some outstandingly good articles and if Thomas Hardy remarked that this magazine "makes one feel in the country," an exile will certainly agree that it "makes one feel in England," for the article on Motoring in the Alps is the only one hot redolent of the English country side, "A Welsh farmer in one of the articles says: must be an old fool, 10 go Into foreign' parts.".-but tT love' Engl Jand....there''' something about "Oni and we cordially agree with him whether or not we look on England as foreign, Mention of Hardy. reminds one that the issue contains a reproduction of an unpublished letter from Hardy to Masefleld together with his biography. Photozraphic. studies of "collage character" ave interesting, while the articles on bird songs, wild-flowers,- badgers, and warden butterflies are particularly noteworthy. Also one is glad to sce Some of the best brains of the nation refute, point by point, the arguments in favour of State' ownership. of farms. The only criticism one can make is confined to the book review which the attempt is made to re: view too many books in too small a space, with the result that one falls to get a clear idea not only of what the book is about, but whether i is worth reading, Cureats New © Lereaarune: Selections with Comment by Pierce C. Vaught, No. 2. Asia Studies Series, The Asia Studies Series certainly eserves support, for it is supplying want fell by many who, though
studies themselves, are genuinely in-thay ave not the "time for clove terested in Chinese contemporary liz perature. In this, the second publica tion of the series, there are' eleven short stories, each being preceded by a short resume of the life and work of the author. "The General Tntroduction is, however, of even greater interest than the actual stories, for it & a concise history of the new movement, showing the various. influences which have contributed to its Birth, and the ambitions, successes, difficulties, and failures of its leaders, After reading the eleven stories one realizes how true are the words of the introduction; Glancing at a new literature involves a certain amount of risk. For {ne thing the newness may hide the net "that it "tnt tterature. Por Another, it may: nide the {act that Mlefature that cannot clearly be seen "ti the newness Weare Of, Unhappy Side of Life It is certainly true that it is aim-cull to judge these stories by the usual standards; "Meeting" by Chany Taping, and "The Fall of Lotus Flower" by Mu Shih-Ying, appear to be the two outstanding contributions, for they have inferred much in few words, conveyed a definite atmosphere, and. achieved subtlety without "becoming obscure—the chief fault with most of the others.
Like most post-war writers," the writers have turned to the sordid and unhappy side of life for most of the subject-matter, unhappily they have not escaped the school of extremists described in the introduction as body of opinion which feels that James "Joyce "has bean superseded 'They base this fecting on Impressions Feeelved from the witings of Mu Shih-ing and. his' coterie of "theorists....M Joyce in aimeutt, these new 'Writers are Impossibe. this may'be.a matter of immaturity, singe' the "theorists" "are of very: Feeent origin, offshoots of the older Deyehotogieal" school headed by. Lee Chiangewu, and they "may make a ore effective stand" when the ver= Binge Is out down.
The above extracts from Mr. Vaughn's comments make it apparent that although his knowledge his subject is undoubtedly wide and thorough, his style of writing has been tainted with that very obscurity which he castigates in others, and a closer attention {0 grammatical construction in his sentences would frequently assist the reader to und fand his arguments at the first read-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.