MOORE, GEORGE (1853—). A British novel ist and dramatist. born in Ireland. Ile studied art under Luyten in London, and completed his education in France. His first efforts in litera ture were confined to the magazines, and under the title Notes and Sensations, he contributed from time to time to the London Itairk. His first publication was a volume of verse, Flowers of Parnassus (1877). the treatment of which at the hands of the critics is supposed to have been largely responsible for the fact that, with the exception of Pagan Poems (1881) , he has pub lished but little verse. For a long time in England his critical work was regarded as of more per manent value than his novels.
His later activities largely consisted of critical studies in aid of the Irish renaissance. He allied himself with Martin and Yeats in founding the Irish Literary Theatre at Dublin. In the preface of his comedy, The Bending of the Bough (1900), lie defines his interest in the movement for the revival of the Celtic tongue and literature, as not merely a desire to reform dramatic literature, but as arising solely from "alarm over the present course of English fiction." lie inveighed against
the trend of modern English literature, xvhieh he regarded as wholly given up to the mere por trayal of "manners, facts, and social customs," and advocated the return to the novel of "human passion and moral ideas." He deelared that France alone had followed the truth in literature, and lie threw in his lot with the French school. These views he consistently carries out in his novels, and some of them, especially A Modern Loner (1883), A Ifulnincr's Wifr (1884), and Esther Waters (1894), aroused vigorous protest as being unduly realistic. But Ids indisputable power of keen observation nail delieaey of appre ciation have won increased admiration. In Sister Teresa (1901), which is at once a sequel and a recasting of Evelyn !tines (1898), he shows these powers abundantly. together with sound knowl edge of art and music. Among his other works are: Confessions of (7 Young Man Spring Days I ISS8 ) ; Miss Pletcher ( 1889 ) ; / Ives s ions and Opinions (1890); Modern Painting (1893); ThP ,strike at A rlingford : A Play (1894); and The Celibates (1895).