454 ROMANCE LITERATURE whom stood first Cesari, who dreamed of the resurrection of the language of the fourteenth century. But many devoted themselves to the research, the illustration, the publication of old texts, with more temperate ideas, even though usually not exempt from the whim of the " Testi di lingua." And for us none is so worthy of being pointed out as Vincenzo Nannucci, author of the excellent Manuale delta Letteratura del primo aecolo, which appeared in 1837. Nannucci follows the Italian tradition even in having his eye continually upon the Provencal, with which he makes continual comparisons. Ever increasing ardor and richness of content are found in the Dante studies, that receive a worthy banner in the Discorso sid testo delta Divina Commedia of Ugo Foscolo, which was brought forth in a land of exile. Dante and their country — their country enslaved and awaiting freedom — become inseparable loves for all elevated minds, for all generous souls: Rossetti, Troya, Balbo, Tommaseo, and I know not how many others. And even outside of Dante, neither mere erudition, nor the consideration of form according to old con- ceptions, any longer satisfy: one demands thought. More steeped with thought than any that had preceded it amongst us is the Storia deUe Belle Lettere in Italia of Emiliani-Giudici. Foreign streams descend to render fruitful our fields. Not to speak of Ginguen^, Sismondi, Villemain, Fauriel, Ozanam who succeeded Fauriel in his chair, act upon our scholars and gradually educate the generation that will come forth later. Even the German action is felt. Biondelli follows on the tracks of Bekker, and begins amongst us the public- ation of old dialect-texts, governed by scientific principles. German pollen of quite a dififerent kind falls upon a southern flower, and produces an exquisite fruit, with a flavor all its own: the sesthetic- psychological criticism of Francesco de Sanctis. In the Iberian Peninsula the German action produced since 1828 the plentiful Romancero general of Augustus Duran. But fruitfulness could not be expected from a country at once upset and depressed by civil, political, and religious conditions. No wonder, therefore, that Spain should to a great extent learn the history of her own literature from a translation of Bouterwek,^ and later from the far larger work published in English by George Ticknor, a son of the United States, the first who can be said to enter, and with no small honor, into this studium of ours. Ticknor was often assisted by one of his future translators, Pascual de Gayangos, who notably increased the Spanish version, and who afterwards gave to the important Biblioteca de Aviores Espaflolea, undertaken by courageous editors, * A Spanish tranfilation of the parts oonceming Spain was undertaken by J. Gomez de la Cortina and N. Hugalde y Mollinedo. A first volume was published at Madrid in 1829; but the publication stopped there: and it was a pity, because in the form of notes the extension of the original work had been much more than doubled by the translators (pp. 107-273). STUDY OF ROMANCE MEDIEVAL LITERATURE 455 a collection of Escritares en prosa anteriores al sigh XIV j which cor- responds to the poetical collection of Sanchez. The task of providing his country with an indigenous history of literature, which, in scope and in abundance and accuracy of information, should leave be- hind all foreign histories, was undertaken by Jos6 Amador de los Rios. And we shall not, on account of the impatience occasioned by his wordiness and useless talk, deny him the deep debt of gratitude to which he is entitled. Almost as a compensation Spain simul- taneously offers us MilA y Fontanals,^ a Catalan, it is true, in whom sobriety almost reaches the degree of dryness. He was one of those privileged minds, knowing the right road by a kind of instinct, with- out needing a guide. The book De loa Trobadores on Espafia was already written when MilA became more or less acquainted with Diez; * and entirely original, notwithstanding the almost pain- fully careful review of all his predecessors, was the book on the Poesia heroicO'popular casteUanaj worthy of being called a real sur- prise, and to whose power is due all the best that Spain has produced since then. I have been led to mention a publication of 1874. But in general my review aimed to stop at about 1860. Indeed I could not speak of the period that followed on account of the overwhelming abundance of the material. Yet here the question is not one of reviewing special studies, but rather of pointing out how the present conditions have been reached. The freedom and unity of Italy, the prevalence which liberal sentiments have gained almost everywhere, the relaxation of hinder- ing religious restrictions, and, very happy circumstance, the un- dreamed-of facility of communications at home and abroad, have begun to change the aspect of Europe, and have prepared still further changes. Science had the will and the power of being uni- versal to a degree it had never reached before. Ascertained doctrines became known, methods of ascertaining grew familiar. And Germany was in our study, as well as in many others, directly and indirectly, teacher, — Germany, which had done much to perfect the singularly eflScacious critical, historical, comparative method which was used on words, on things, on thoughts. Special merit was acquired by certain men in this "propaganda," and it will be a mere debt of justice to single out two : Adolph Mussafia, and, surrounded by a far larger num- ber of proselytes, Gaston Paris. But men could have done far less without suitable tools; and a wonderful instrument of unity was found in the reviews, thanks to which monographic work grows, within the minds of the readers, into a whole. It was a memorable day, therefore, when Adolph Ebert, assisted by Ferdinand Wolf, started ^ Amador de los Rios and MiU were bom in the same year, 1818. > Seethe"Pr61ogo." 456 ROMANCE LITERATURE the Jahrbuch fur romanische und englische LUeratur^ The paper of Edelstand du M^ril on La tne et les auvragea de Wace had the first place in it. And French names were plentiful, nor was the Italian and Spanish collaboration entirely lacking. Exhausted in strength the Jahrbuch brought forth the vigorous Romania, and the Zeitschrift fur romanische Philologie can also be called its posthumous daughter. The foimdation of the Romania marks in a certain way the Romance emancipation from Germanic guardianship. And there certainly was no need of a guardianship, where Gaston Paris and Paul Meyer, his worthy competitor and comrade, were to be found. But this emanci- pation did not prevent the continuation of harmony. And the esteem in which Germany held her former ward is also shown by the numbers who crossed the Rhine to listen eagerly to the spoken word. In the first decades of the century for Uhland, Bekker, and Diez, Paris was comprised in its libraries. Since 1870 the German students have frequented the College de France and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes no less than the BibUoth^ue Nationale. The Grundrias der romanischen Philologie, imagined, coordinated, and in no small extent also carried out by Gustave Grober, shows how wonderfully and usefully productive the industriousness of the period to which I wish to refer has been. This is an ency- clopedia of which, a century ago, not a single chapter could have been written. Together with literature it takes in languages and other things too. Together with the middle age, the modem age. But how much space our subject-matter occupies in it! The re- cognition for the literary order of those medieval rights that one had long been compelled to recognize for civil and political history really constitutes one of the characteristic features of the culture of the nineteenth century. It is plain to all now that not even what follows can be fully understood without going back to the sources. Likewise it is now clear that we cannot judge of one region without considering the others with which it has connections. Hence a privileged con- dition for France, standing first in time and productiveness, and against which we come up on every side. And by this, the single histories of literature are changed; in the first place French literature. Examine the one produced under the direction of Petit de JuUeville, or the more succinct one of Suchier and Birch-Hirschfeld, and compare it, let us say, with the work of Nisard, which comes only a few decades earlier,^ and what a difference is seen, in some places more, in some less distinctly (for much still remains to be done), for Spain and ^ Already in 1846 L. Herrig and H. Viehhoff had begun to publish the Archiv fUr das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturenf still alive and prosperous. But it was not their purpose to give special attention in it to Romance medieval literature; nor is the scientific value of the Archiv in its ancient phases to be com- pared with that of the Jahrbuch. ' The first of the foiir volumes of Nisard was published in 1A45; the fourth in 1861. STUDY OF ROMANCE MEDIEVAL LITERATURE 457 Portugal I For reasons we know, the history of our literature has had to undergo less change; but look at the work of Bartoli, unfortunately too soon broken off; consider that of Gaspary; imagine an under- taking of this kind accomplished by D' Ancona and Carducci, who have carried so many stones to the building, and a vast contrast with the past will always show itself. We have seen strangers and natives attend the exhumation of the Romance Middle Ages. A post of honor is due to Germany. Little by little other nations followed. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, even tiny Finland (not to mention Roumania, Romance herself) have rendered distinguished services to Romance philology. It is singular that, outside of Dante studies, England has kept apart, notwithstanding the manifold appeals of her own literature, of her language, of her history. But what the mother failed to do, the daughter did instead. Amongst you Romance philology has attained a truly conspicuous place. And the uncertainty of the first steps is followed by a surer gait, pledge of a precious cooperation in the fulfillment of a task which can hardly be considered half finished. And the mother country is rivaled in what concerns Dante, the true sun of medieval literature, just as the literature of France is its star-studded sky. Your most famous poet, Longfellow, lovingly undertook to render the Divine Comedy into his own tongue. Nor has the fear of comparison deterred other valiant souls from renew- ing the attempt. A Dante Society exists, and is usefully active here. The richest Dante collection gathered until now is found in this your American land. A greeting, therefore, to you from the country of Dante, from his own native city I PRESENT PROBLEMS IN THE FIELD OF ROMANCE LITERATURES BY ALCEE FORTIER [Alcee Fortier, Professor of Romance Languages, Tulane Univeraty of Louis- iana, b. June 5, 1856, St. James Parish, Louisiana. Student at University of Vindnia, New Orleans, and Paris. Litt.D. Washington and Lee Univer- sity; Officier de TAcad^mie' d'Instruction Publique au Cambodge; Cheva- lier de la Legion d'Honneur. Professor of French, Boys' High School, New Orleans, 1878-79; Professor of French, University of Louisiana, 1880-^; and Tulane University, 1884-94. President of Modem Language Associa- tion of America, 1898; American Folk-Lore Society, 1894; Ath^^ Louis- ianais, Louisiana Historical Society; Catholic Winter School of America. Member of the American Historical Association, American Dialect Society, International Phonetic Association, State Board of Education, Presidmt of the Board of Civil Service Commissioners, New Orleans. [Official delegate from the Uoited States to Congress of History, Paris Ex]>oedtion, 1900 ; member of the Congress of Higher Education, Paris Exposition. Author of many books, Louisiana Folk-Tales; Louisiana Studies; Histoire de la Littirature fran^ise; Precis de V Histoire de France; A History of Louisiana, etc.] I FEEL greatly honored to have been invited to read a paper before this Congress of scholars, but I fear that I acted with rashness when I accepted the invitation of the committee. The subject assigned, the "Present Problems in the Field of Romance Literatures," is too vast to be treated in its entirety, and to do it full justice it would require the learning of Friedrich Diez or of Gaston Paris. These two great professors were philologists in the highest sense of the term, and to them Romance philology meant not only the study of granunar, but also of literature, of civilization. Diez had a preference for literary subjects, and published in 1826 an important work on the Lives and Poetry of tUb Troubadours. His masterpiece, however, is his Grommaiik der Romanischen Sprachen, of which the first edition was published in 1836. Gaston Paris also had a high literary taste and was a worthy member of the French Academy. He was at the same time an accurate student of language, and his edition of La Vie de ^L Alexis served as a model for subsequent scientific criticism. Literary ability and taste and high scholarship in philology in its restricted sense are a rare combination. Dante wrote his treatise De vulgari eloquentia, and this work is interesting as being the first written about the philology of one of the Romance languages. Yet it is the Divina Commedia that has given immortality to the won- derful bard of Florence. On the other hand, Raynouard's literary works, his tragedies, are completely forgotten, while his comparative grammar of the Latin languages has placed his name next to that of Diez among the founders of Romance philology, in spite of his erron- PRESENT PROBLEMS IN ROMANCE LITERATURE 459 eous statement that Provencal was the link between Latin and the languages derived from it. In science we are far above the men of antiquity, whether we include in the term science the study of language or of the natural sciences, but we cannot claim any superiority over the ancients in letters or in art. At the very dawn of history the mind of man seems to have been as vigorous as in our own time, and the genius of Homer, Virgil, Apelles, and Phidias is not surpassed by that of Dante, Shakespeare, Moli^re, Hugo, Goethe, Raphael, and Michael Angelo. The artistic feeling, literary genius, is the dire'ct gift of God to a great man, who will produce inmiortal works, provided he labors sufficiently and cultivates his genius. The knowledge of science, however, is the heritage of centuries, and each generation enjoys what the preceding one has bequeathed to it. The discoveries of Pascal and Newton will never be lost to the world, and the bulk of knowledge will go on increasing down the ages. Literary works remain also, but they are not dependent upon one another for their existence. Dante did not need Homer to enable him to produce his masterpiece, and Homer, long before Dante, produced a work as great as the Divina Commedia. Archimedes, on the other hand, could not have done the work of our modem scientists, and they, in their turn, are generally indebted to their predecessors for some principle on which their discoveries are based. If, therefore, we speak of the highest works of literature, we find among them but few pro- blems to solve. It is, however, interesting to study the forces which have influ- enced men of genius in some parts of their works. The creative instinct was theirs as a divine gift from the very beginning of their career, and they did not owe to their predecessors that essential part of their works which has given them immortality. Let us, neverthe- less, endeavor to discover the sources of the minor parts of great literary productions. We shall, in this way, understand better the workings of a great mind and obtain a more accurate knowledge of the character and disposition of the author. How interesting it is, for instance, to study in Molifere's works what that extraordinary man owed to French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Latin models, and what he owed to his wonderful observation of the living man. There are, therefore, many influences and tendencies which affect greatly the mass of literature, and we shall endeavor to discuss some of those problems. The teaching of the Romance literatures in the colleges and uni- versities of the United States is one of the most serious problems which we have to solve. For a number of years higher instruction in our country has been dominated by the German methods. The splendid work done by the German universities attracted to them 460 ROMANCE LITERATURE many American students, who acquired there the true scholarly spirit, that is to say, rigid accuracy and thorough dissection of a subject. The influence for good of German scholarship on American professors was incalculable, and raised to a high degree the standard of teaching foreign literatures. Before this introduction of German methods both the teaching and criticism of literature were too vague, too dilettante. The attempt had been made to cover too much ground in a limited time; whole periods were gone over, and the principal authors in those periods were studied in a general way. This was changed by the introduction of the German method in graduate work, and it was thought better to study in detail one author or one work, to endeavor to ascertain all possible facts concerning the author and the work. This rigid scientific method was first applied to Romance philology in the United States by Professor A. Marshall Elliott at the Johns Hopkins University, and he has rendered thus an immense service to American scholarship. Professor Elliott was also the founder of the Modem Language Association of America, which has been one of the principal factors in the development of higher education in the United States and in the diffusion of the scientific spirit, Vesprit universitaire, on which so much stress was laid in 1900 at the Congress of Higher Education in Paris. At the first meetings of the Modem Language Association there were many discussions about methods of teaching modem languages, but soon the Association declared as its opinion that the chief purpose of teaching modem languages in the United States was to impart the culture obtained by the study of their literatures. This did not mean that the training acquired by the study of lin- guistics was to be abandoned, but it indicated the idea of the Asso- ciation that the literary spirit should be attended to more than it had been in the past. This expression of opinion on the part of the Modem Language Association of America was very important, and the result was that, in our secondary schools and our collegei^, much more extensive reading has been done, and therefore a better know- ledge of literature has been obtained. In University or graduate work the effect has been felt also, but to a lesser degree. The rigid, accurate work of German scholar- ship was carried to an extreme, and the study of literature from an aesthetic point of view and for the purpose of culture had been very much neglected for a number of years. There has been lately a reaction, and a great demand for a broader and more artistic study of literature has arisen: For many years I have been convinced that the problem could be partly solved by introducing into our American universities some of the French ideals, some of the French art and culture. This could only be done if a sufficient number of Americans were to study in France and be permeated with the French feeling PRESENT PROBLEMS IN ROMANCE LITERATURE 461 with regard to literature. There should be a combination of the German painstaking accuracy and of the generally superior apprecia- tion of art in literature of the French. This would produce admirable results in American universities. For a long time there were few students from the United States in France, for it was very diflScult to obtain the French Doctor's degree. It is to Mr. Harry A. Furber, of Chicago, that Americans are indebted for the possibility of obtaining the degree of " Docteur de I'Universit^," which corresponds to the German "Doctor of Philo- sophy," without being obliged to fulfill all the requirements de- manded of French students. We should encourage our young men and young women to go to France for the study of the Romance languages, in order that we may have later in this country a better appreciation of the Romance literatures. This would be felt, not only in the colleges and universities and by the students there, but almost immediately by the general public. The scholars who would have acquired in France, or under instructors animated by the same ideas, the French taste for literary art, would write reviews and crit- icisms which would have a great influence on the people who read journals and magazines. In this respect let us say that the opinion of the American public with regard to French life, as seen in many novels, is entirely erroneous. It should be the duty of American students of French literature to correct this false impression and to show that nowhere in the world is family life nobler and more respected than in France. A professor in an American college assumes a great responsibility when he attempts to direct his pupils in the study of the Romance literatures. In most of our colleges the teacher of literature is also the teacher of the language in which that literature is written, and he should try to teach literature when he teaches the reading of the language. It is, therefore, interesting to see how much reading is done in our institutions of collegiate grade. Professor Henry Johnston Damall, of the University of Tennessee, has calculated most patiently from catalogues the number of pages read in undergraduate French courses in twenty colleges in the following Southern States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The largest numbers were 3772, 2991, 2705, 2516, and 2100. The smallest number was 423, and the average was 1795. The courses were generally of two years; some were of three, and very few of four. We should endeavor to raise the average number of pages read to at least 2500 in two years. This can be done by giving parallel reading, from the first year, ascertaining by an examination, either written or oral, whether the work assigned has been well done. As given in the catalogues the texts read seem to have been judiciously 462 ROMANCE LITERATURE chosen, and represent authors from the seventeenth century to the twentieth. Out of the twenty Southern colleges referred to thirteen oflfer courses in Spanish, generally of one year, and six have short courses in Italian. It is evident that there is great room for improvement in the study of the Spanish and Italian languages and literatures in our Southern States. Judging from the catalogues, the courses in the three prin- cipal Romance literatures, French, Spanish, and Italian, in the large universities in the North, in the Blast, and in the West are very extensive, both in the imdei^graduate and in the graduate depart- ments. In undergraduate classes it is not possible to give to the students a thorough understanding of the literary merit of a work, unless the course be of more than two years' duration. Beginning with the third year the professor should often have his students read the text in French, Spanish, or Italian, without translating it into English, and asking questions about the text, which should be answered in the language studied at the time. In graduate work some of the larger American universities offer good courses in literature, but thus far the apparent result obtained has not been very satisfactory, as there has been little work of a high order done by American scholars, students of American universities, in literary criticism of the Romance literatures. More attention should be given in our higher institutions of learning to this import- ant branch of study. There should be close seminary work of the masterpieces themselves, and also of the works of the great European critics, among whom the French stand so high, from Sainte-Beuve to Taine, Brunetidre, Faguet, Doumic, Lemattre, and Pellissier. Utmost attention should be given to make the students feel the artistic, aesthetic, eternally human spirit which pervades all the masterpieces in literature. The study of literature can only be complete when it is supple- mented by the history of the people, political, social, and economic, and by the study of the fine arts. It is impossible to imderstand a number of the greatest works written in the Romance languages without knowing thoroughly the history of the coimtries where lived the authors of those masterpieces, and an appreciation of the beauti- ful works in painting and in sculpture helps to understand art in literature. Were it possible I should like to see the students of Romance literatures appreciate also the masterpieces of the great musicians. They should, while studying Lamartine and Hugo, Dante and Petrarch, Lope de Vega, and Calderon, visit the great museums of art in Europe and in this country, and go often to the theatres to hear admirable operas. The study of literature should be scientific, that is to say, literary works should often be analyzed critically; but I repeat it, it should be, above all, aesthetic, so that we might PRESENT PROBLEMS IN ROMANCE LITERATURE 463 enjoy completely the art of the author, as well as the subject which he treats. There is no better way to understand the Romance litera- tures than to make a comparative study of them. There are not enough works like Villemain's Cours de LUtiratwre FrariQaise, where he compares so well the masterpieces of different literatures, especially those of the eighteenth century. I present to this Congress as one of the most important problems in the field of Romance literatures the study of those literatures in the United States and in other countries. I might have expanded considerably a subject which I consider extremely important and entirely pertinent to my theme, as it concerns the diffusion of the Romance literatures in foreign coxmtries by the help of the higher institutions of learning. Very eflBlciently, too, may this diffusion be carried out by courses of lectures given by men eminent as critics or as authors, such as the courses so happily inaugurated by Mr. James H. Hyde, of New York, for the French Circle of Harvard University and for the Federation of "I'Alliance Frangaise" in the United States. It would be very fortunate if similar courses were established in Italian and in Spanish. In many parts of our country there could be found audiences which might appreciate lectures delivered in these languages. In speaking of the Romance literatures let us remember that it is not only in Europe that they flourish. Although Spain has lost her colonial possessions in America, she has left her impress on millions of men in the New World, and there is an interesting Spanish litera- ture in Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America. In Brazil also is to be found a literature which had its origin in Europe, and writers not unworthy of the land of Camoens have written works of merit in the Portuguese language. Professor Elijah Clarence Hills, ^ of* Colorado College, has given the following list of some of the Spanish- American writers of the nineteenth century: Chile, — Miguel Luis de Amundtegui, Benjamfn Yicufla Mackenna, Jos6 Taribio Medina; Colombia, — Miguel Antonio Caro, Jorge Ysaacs; Rufino Jos6 Cuervo; Cuba, — Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, Jos4 Maria Heredia, Joaquin Lorenzo Luaces; Ecuador, — Juan Le6n Mera, Jos6 Joaqufn de Olmedo; Mexico, — Jos6 Joaquin Pesado, Manuel Carpio, Juan de Dios Peza, Manuel Acufia; Nicaragua, — Rub4n Dario, Jos4 Batres y Montofar; Peru, — Felipe Pardo y Aliaga; Argentine Republic, — Olegario Victor Andrade; Uraguay, — Zor- rilla de San Martfn; Venezuela, — Andres Bello. It would be very interesting to note what has been the influence of the literatures of the former mother countries on those of the eman« cipated colonies, and to ascertain whether the latter have exerted any influence on the works of the Spanish and Portuguese authors. ^ Colorado College Studies, June» 1904. 464 ROMANCE LITERATURE There is no doubt of the influence of the European writers during the periods of the Spanish and Portuguese dominations and for some time after the independence of the colonies, just as we can trace the influence of English literature oh the works of American writers. After colonies have become independent, there soon arises a literature more or less national and with interesting local color. How far have the European writers been influenced by it, and would it not be a way to renew to some extent the literatures of Spain and of Portugal? Some time ago there met at Madrid a congress of delegates from the Latin-American republics. Would it not be advisable to hold such congresses at stated times, either in Spain or in the different states of Spanish America, in order to expand the scope of Spanish lit- erature and make it more world-wide, plus mondiale, as the French say? There has been a large inmiigration of Italians into South America and into Louisiana. They have newspapers of their own, and they continue to make use of their language as a mother tongue for two or three generations. Have they produced any literary works written in Italian, or is it likely that they will ever produce any, and how would it be possible for Italian writers to encourage that production? Is there any Italian literature outside of Italy ? I could wish my learned colleague, Professor Pio Rajna, to answer this question. It is well known that in Canada there is an important native French literature which comprises history, poetry, and fiction. Some of the Canadian writers are known in France, and their works have been rewarded by the French Academy. The tenacity of the .French-Canadians in keeping as a mother tongue the language of their ancestors is indeed wonderful. Although Montcalm fell in 1759, and Canada has been British from the capitulation of Montreal in 1760, the descendants of the men of that time still love France and the French language, and have produced an extensive French litera- ture. Should the Canadians be influenced in their works by the French authors, or should they evolve a national literature? I read not long ago, an article in a Canadian magazine in which the author said that the Canadians should not look to France for their inspira- tion, but should make their literature suit their own local conditions. There is a great deal of truth in this statement. Let there be local color, and let local patriotism animate the writers in Canada, but let them always continue to study the great works in French litera- ture, especially contemporary works. Separated from the former mother country for a century and a half, the Canadian language has not, as a rule, the true characteristics of modem French, and will lose them more and more in the course of time, if the Canadian authors do not coqtinue to make a close study of modem French PRESENT PROBLEMS IN ROMANCE LITERATURE 465 literature. If they choose to evolve a literature of their own, written in a language which will differ considerably with time from modern French, it will be an interesting experiment. They are numerous enough not to have to fear their being absorbed by the British ele- ment of the population, and their literature will ever continue to be written in French, although their language will contain many dia- lectic differences from the French of Paris. The Greek of Asia Minor was not wholly the Greek of Athens, and the French of Belgium and of Switzerland is said to be not always the French of Paris. These remarks about the Canadian French literature are not meant as a criticism, for I have the highest admiration for the courage and perseverance which the French-Canadians have displayed in pre- serving the language of their venerated ancestors, and I admire also greatly many works of their literature. I merely wish to state an interesting problem concerning one of the Romance literatures. In Louisiana we have also a native French literature of merit. It dates from the year 1779, when Julien Poydras wrote a short epic poem on the conquest of Baton Rouge from the British by the heroic young governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez. We had in 1814 a tragedy in classic style, PotLcha-Houmma, by Le Blanc de Villeneufve; and later several interesting plays of the Romantic School, such as Les Martyrs de la Louisiane, by A. Lussan, and France et Espagne and Qui perd gagne, by L. Placide Canonge, In history we have the works of Gayarr6 and of Debouchel, and in poetry several works which may be compared favorably with some written by the best French writers. Our poets seem to have been inspired by the romantic history of Louisiana, by its stately river and its pictur- esque lakes and bayous, by its mild climate and luxuriant vegetation, and by the beauty and grace of the women. We have, therefore, more poems written in Louisiana than any other kind of literary works, and we honor greatly the names of our poets in the past, Adrien and Dominique Rouquette, Dr. Alfred Mercier, L. Placide Canonge, Alexandre Latil, Dr. Charles Testut, Mme. Emilie Evershed, Oscar Dugu6, and Dr. Charles Del^ry. We have had few novels, but these are interesting and have a pleasant local color, such as Mme. de la Houssaye's Pouponne et Balthazar, Dr. Alfred Mercier's L'Habitation St. Ybars, and George Dessommes's Tante Cydette, The problem in Louisiana is more difficult to solve than in Canada. The French-Canadians are numerous, while the Louisianians of French origin are in a minority in their state. They are loyal Ameri- cans, but, like their Canadian brethren, they are sincerely attached to the country and to the language of their ancestors, and they still have an important daily newspaper and a native French literature, not so large as before the Civil War, but very interesting. The pro- blem of maintaining the French literature of Louisiana was partly 466 ROMANCE LITERATURE solved when Dr. Alfred Mercier founded in 1876 the "Ath^n^e Louisianais," a literary society whose publications contain many important contributions, and which comprise several large volumes. As this admirable World's Fair is held to celebrate the centennial of the cession of Louisiana to the United States, you will allow me to call your attention to the exhibit of French Louisiana in the Department of Anthropology and History of the Exposition. There you may have an idea of the French literature of the oldest state formed out of the immense province acquired by the United States in 1803. It is a literature influenced principally by that of France, but which contains nevertheless some works influenced to a high degree by local surroundings. The French language in Louisiana will long continue to be spoken as a mother tongue by many thousands of persons, and local French literature will continue to be produced, because the writers are animated by the purest feelings of filial piety, and are entirely dis- interested. They know that their works written in French will be read by few persons outside of Louisiana, and they have no idea of pecuniary gain. The Creoles of Louisiana, that is to say, the white descendants of the French, although they know the EInglish language and are in no wise hostile to it, consider the French lan- guage as much their own as it is that of the native Frenchmen. It forms part of their inheritance as well as the traditions, the names, and the blood which their fathers have transmitted to them. They have produced works written in French just as naturally as they have spoken the language which they learned at their mothers' knees, and have never thought of being rewarded by the French Government for an act which is a simple expression of hereditary feelings. They are pleased, however, when their brethren in France send them tokens of remembrance in the form of affectionate letters from distinguished statesmen or authors, or when these eminent men come in person to express their fraternal feelings. The Creoles of Louisiana, although they are thoroughly loyal to the American Union, are highly pleased to see, when they go to France, that they are not considered as strangers in the native land of their ancestors. The "French Family," la FamiUe Frangaiae, as it has often been expressed so admirably by M. Louis Herbette, of the " Conseil d'Etat," should maintain close bonds of affection all over the world, and it should be thus with the Italian, the Spanish, and the Portuguese families. In this way the development of the Romance literatures in foreign countries might be greatly encouraged. Let no one think that love for the language, the literature, and the country of the ancestors will ever prevent the descendants in the United States from loving above all the land of their birth. Study the history of the French Creoles of Louisiana, and you will see that. PRESENT PROBLEMS IN ROMANCE LITERATURE 467 from the year 1803 to our days, no men, no women have ever been more patriotic Americans. Whatever was the native land of our forefathers, however much we wish to preserve our family traditions, we are all in this country sincerely attached to the American system of government, to our American political institutions, which are based on the Anglo-Saxon principles of individual liberty, upon which Washington and his collaborators founded our American Repub- lic. I hope that my colleagues at this Congress will pardon this apparent digression from my subject, but as I speak before a cos- mopolitan audience, I wish to be thoroughly xmderstood when I say that a native American may work with enthusiasm for the de- velopment and diffusion of the Romance literatures in the United States, and yet remain entirely loyal to the Constitution of the United States. One word more on this part of my theme, and I shall pass to another phase of iti One of the most important influences in America for the study of an interesting Romance literature and for its production is the Federation of "I'Alliance frangaise" in the United States, founded in 1902 by Mr. James H. Hyde. The Association has been very successful, and comprises societies in all parts of the Union and 25,000 members. Many college French circles are affliated with the Federation, and the continued success of this large organization will contribute to solve the important problem of how to encourage the study of the French language and literature in the United States. Is it not possible to establish Spanish and Italian societies, like the Federation of "I'Alliance frangaise," to bring together the different Spanish and Italian groups scattered over the United States, or may not the example of the Federation be followed in Mexico and in South America? Nothing certainly would be more beneficial to the development of the Romance literatures on the whole American continent. In studying the problems in modem French literature I cannot do any better than to base some of my remarks on the very important article published by M. Gustave Lanson, in August, 1900, in the Revue de Synthase Historique. Many of these problems would pre- sent themselves to any careful student of French literature, but M. Lanson has stated them with such clearness and with such a scientific method that I shall follow to some extent his pre- sentation of problems which I have often mentioned in my own teaching of French literature, but with far less scientific accuracy. M. Lanson is highly endowed with Vesprit universitaire. The historical method should be applied to literary criticism, that is to say, the biography of the author and the history and ana- lysis of his works should be studied simultaneously, and not as if the one was independent of the other. The works form part of the 468 ROMANCE LITERATURE life of the author and are explained as a development of that life, especially in the French authors of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The work of Rousseau, Voltaire, Mme. de Stael, Cha- teaubriand, George Sand, Victor Hugo, Alfred de Musset, and man3'' other writers, can be understood only by studying them at the same time as the events which inspired them, and also by study- ing the social and historical forces produced in the lifetime of the writers. One of the most important problems, therefore, in the field of Romance literatures is the study of social and historical forces in those literatures, and I wish to repeat here a few ideas which I expressed in 1898 in my address delivered as President of the Modem Language Association of America:^ ** It is true that all mankind is animated by the same psychical forces inherent in humanity, and that a great work of art, ivhether produced by a Homer, a Virgil, a Dante, a Shakespeare, a Calderon, a Moli^re, a Goethe, is permeated with the same broad hunian feeling, but each man is bound to reproduce in his work the effect of the civilization to which he belongs. That civilization is largely an inheritance which the individual enjoys by the mere fact of being bom in a certain atmosphere; but as civilization means development, new historical and social forces are constantly being brought to bear upon the individual and modifying his ideas. There are, therefore, three great causes which mould the mind of the individual: (1) the fact of being a man, which gives him ideas and sentiments common to all men; (2) his birthplace, which impresses upon him the civiliz- ation of his country; (3) the historical and social forces produced in his own lifetime. . .. " M. Bruneti^re says that the principal influence in literature is that of works upon works. That influence is certainly very important, but it is not the principal one. So many forces have contributed to the civilization of every country and to the development of every literature that it is very difficult to say which one of these forces has been the most active and the most fmitful. If a great writer has produced a change in the civilization of his time, that change is never so complete as it might appear, inasmuch as the writer must reflect some ideas common to his race, to his country, and to all men. Again, admitting that the personal influence of one man had pro- duced a change almost complete on his epoch and on the literature of his time, that influence of an individual becomes a social force and reacts on other individuals, who may, in their turn, impress the stamp of their genius on civilization and on literature. Historical and social forces are, therefore, continually brought into contact with forces apparently entirely personal and literary, and there is a per- petual reaction of the one class of forces on the other." ^ Proceedings of the Modem Language Association of America for 1896. PRESENT PROBLEMS IN ROMANCE LITERATURE 469 The three great sciences auxiliary to literary history are biblio- graphy, lexicography, and the preparation of texts. M. Lanson says that bibliography has lately made great progress, but that there is still lacking a general bibliography of French literature. The same remark may be made about the other Romance literatures. 