Life, 1900-01-25 · page 6 of 20
Life — January 25, 1900 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 66 This page combines literary criticism with whimsical illustrations. The main article discusses "A New Paolo and Francesca"—a dramatic poem by Stephen Phillips adapting Dante's famous tragic lovers. The text critiques the work's poetic merit, noting that while the verse is "melodious and simple," it lacks dramatic force and relies on cheap melodrama rather than genuine tragedy. The two wine glass designs shown are decorative objects, likely contemporary advertisements or design features. The three cartoon illustrations on the right appear to be unrelated comic vignettes—possibly humorous scenes involving animals (lions, bears) with witty captions about territorial disputes and social dynamics. These serve as visual breaks in the page's literary content, typical of Life's mixed satirical format.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A New Paolo and Francesca. SE the death of Tennyson and Browning there has been no one to ~ write in glish a drama in verse that ec poetry. Io Freneb, Richepin and Rostand have produced notable dramatic poems, Probably the success of “Cyrano iragod Stephen Phillips to prepare for George Alexander his poetic version of “ Paolo and Fran- eesca” (Jobo Lan TI author achieved reputation by his previous poems, * Marpessa” and brist in Hades,” 80 that he came to this task as a poot, and not as a dramatist writing in verse, As poetry, there aro many beautiful, often The verse {s always melodious and simple. to rant forthe sake of making high-sounding blank verse, There is also very human pathos in it, so that the tragedy seems the result ¢f inevitable weakness and not of wickedness, All of this, of course, is but an echo of the imperishable pathos that Dante put into the fifth Canto of the Inferno, In a few lines which have lighted the fire of poets ever since. . . . Ty first two acts are {dyllic, and 80 free from action of any kind that it is diMeult to seo in them any dramatic success, Thoy might hold a superior audience by tho charm of poetry and elocution, Tho third act jars this poetic serenity with what must scom a cheap melodramatic device to discover Paolo's unwilling perfidy to his brother, However consistent with the age were charms Ere TWO DESIGNS FOR WINE GLASSES. The Lion: a Wy adit THAT LOOKS LIKE A'SOFT SPOT, GUESS TLL APPSOPRIATR IT. WO WP HA 9 “COME, NOW, GET A MOVE ON YER, | WANT THIS Pt. SOE The hoar: er Brevity Sty z jee ws L fir “Wg ln 1 WAS THERE FIRST, AND YOU DON'T GET IT, comicbooks.com