MLR, 96. , 200I MLR, 96. , 200I The Maeterlinckbibliographyis extremely well organized and timely, bringing the standardreferenceworksof MauriceLecat (I939) and Roger Brucher(1972)up to date. It traces the various strata of criticism from copious beginnings to the resurgenceof interestin recent years and offersa flexibilityin its arrangementthat the specialistand generalreaderwill surelywelcome. UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW W. L. HODSON 'Le Voile'et 'LeMirage'. By GEORGES RODENBACH.Ed. by RICHARD BALES. (Textes litteraires, 0o6) Exeter;Universityof ExeterPress. I999. xxv + 88 pp. [ I2.99. The Rodenbach specialistand the general readerwill be delightedwith this reprint of two theatrical works not otherwise easily obtainable. Bruges, as might well be expected, is the mythic-cum-symbolicfonsetorigo of both: Le Voile, a play in verse, and Le Mirage,a realization in prose of the novel, Bruges-la-Morte. Le Voileis remarkableforits supple,unselfconsciousalexandrinesthatprovidea firmand clear correlativein words and rhythmto the subtle, unspoken,and ultimatelyincommunicable love between the beguine, SceurGudule, and the hero,Jean. This exercisein the great Symbolist paradox of making the inexpressible apparent and shared by the reader/spectator was much appreciatedby Mallarme, and also, for its intimate inwardness, by Albert Samain, who expressed his great enthusiasm in a letter to Rodenbach: 'C'est la premiere fois que j'entends chanter a la rampe une aussi admirable cantilene de poesie interieure' (p. xv). It was performed in I894 and given a generallypositive reception in the press.A stylisticobjection at the time by Ren6 Doumic to 'sesmievrerieset sesgaucheries'(p. xvi) is no longer an obstacleto what is now appreciatedas the essentialperiod flavourof the piece. A minorworkit may be, yet none the less evocative and well worth re-encountering, especially as the editor has had the excellent idea of including in an appendix the short story version, Amouren nuances (1888), that preceded it. The parallel prose and verse treatmentsscore equallyin tellingways. LeMirage, particularlyfor readersfamiliarwith Bruges-la-Morte, providesa similar illuminating experience. Rodenbach proves to be as effective in the medium of dramaas he is in narrativeprose. His originalityin Bruges-la-Morte is to combine the Symbolistatmospherewith an almost gothic story-line,something reinforcedin the play versionby naming and bringingback the dead wife as a ghost-likepresence. A calculatedsparenessis the fundamentaltechnique in both forms,workingpointedly each time eitherto a poetic, evocative end or to a starklydramaticone. Rodenbach successfully balances the theatrical demands of many voices against the single narratorof the novel, introducingas a characterin his own righta friendas a device to externalizewhat are in the novel the narrator'sinner thoughtsbut usinghim also as a rivalto give a better dramaticmotivation. The editorprovides a briefbut very informativeintroduction, clarifyingRodenbach's career and whetting the appetite for these two bonnes bouches. To his speculation, 'Should we study Rodenbach's plays?'(allowingforthe factthatit is Maeterlinckwho remainsfirmlyin mind as the prime example of Symbolisttheatre)the answeris a clear 'yes'. The Maeterlinckbibliographyis extremely well organized and timely, bringing the standardreferenceworksof MauriceLecat (I939) and Roger Brucher(1972)up to date. It traces the various strata of criticism from copious beginnings to the resurgenceof interestin recent years and offersa flexibilityin its arrangementthat the specialistand generalreaderwill surelywelcome. UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW W. L. HODSON 'Le Voile'et 'LeMirage'. By GEORGES RODENBACH.Ed. by RICHARD BALES. (Textes litteraires, 0o6) Exeter;Universityof ExeterPress. I999. xxv + 88 pp. [ I2.99. The Rodenbach specialistand the general readerwill be delightedwith this reprint of two theatrical works not otherwise easily obtainable. Bruges, as might well be expected, is the mythic-cum-symbolicfonsetorigo of both: Le Voile, a play in verse, and Le Mirage,a realization in prose of the novel, Bruges-la-Morte. Le Voileis remarkableforits supple,unselfconsciousalexandrinesthatprovidea firmand clear correlativein words and rhythmto the subtle, unspoken,and ultimatelyincommunicable love between the beguine, SceurGudule, and the hero,Jean. This exercisein the great Symbolist paradox of making the inexpressible apparent and shared by the reader/spectator was much appreciatedby Mallarme, and also, for its intimate inwardness, by Albert Samain, who expressed his great enthusiasm in a letter to Rodenbach: 'C'est la premiere fois que j'entends chanter a la rampe une aussi admirable cantilene de poesie interieure' (p. xv). It was performed in I894 and given a generallypositive reception in the press.A stylisticobjection at the time by Ren6 Doumic to 'sesmievrerieset sesgaucheries'(p. xvi) is no longer...