The Shasta courier., 1862-03-29
Mr.. jenkins Gives His Views Concerning
Novels.


"You perhaps remember " Pendennis,"
the chef.d'eurre of the massive and cynical
Thackeray? You do. Well, one of the many
morals of that sncering narrative is, that all
novelists, the..anthor included, are humbugs-
and that the trick of lingering the human pas,
sions, and enlistirg sympathy, if not innate,
was as easily acquired by one penman as
another. The idea, without being intrinsic
ally true, is not devoid of bountiful sugges-
tions. Life is full of fiction, and is itself a
sort of earnest dream, and to sketch scene
or character in a way that will interest, it is
only necessary to believe that you can do it,
and net about it in natural earnestness. In
the ever varying phenomena Of aesthetics, in
definitely applied to the myriads of book
readers, there is sure to be some particular
class that you can attract and interest. 1.-THE
Sanguinary Saw Buck, Tale of Terror, ;"
has its admirers as well as the impassioned
"Zanoni." The readers of each are funda-
mentally alike in their tastes and sympathies.
They are only architecturally different, one
living in the cellar and the other up stairs
Sometimes they change places, but that
proves nothing to interfere with my argu-
ment.
Suppose that was to write novel. / see
that you are startled. But think for a 10
ment. Don't you know that somewhere in
the world, if 1 did such thing, would find
class who would devour my work with the
utmost greediness. You doubt it? Well, l
am not going to try it; at any rate, shall
make no greater incursions into the realms
of fiction than will be necessary to render me
good reporter. That is far enough? | un-
derstand the sarcasm implied in that observa
ton, and dutifully and submissively pocket
it.
Fiction! What is it? The world is full of
it. Every fact is a fiction in some of its as
poets. The sombre or golden tinting of imag-
ination beclouds or bespangles every incident
in life. The ct itself is lost sight of, and
we only see the draping with which we in
vest it. The fact or act is apart from u.s.
That greater part, its coloring, is of ourselves.
We read of hero, and lose sight of him in
fancying that we are the person spoken of,
and that it is our very self who is performing
the valorous deeds whereof we read. We
gaze on q faultless Madonna, and selfish
still in our fancyings-think how pleasant it
would have been to have such an one for
sister, and then we think that our sister was
like the portrait, until the limning of Guido
disappears, and we have transformed the
picture of the saint before US into the Inca
ments Of the little girl, our sister and play
mate, who used to tell fbs ON US, and bully
there is no better word-us out of what we
knew to be our just rights. Dont't under
stand me? That is not wholly my fault
Somewhere l was reading an author who
stumbled on this idea before. Very likely !?
Just so. He put the ordinary incident of
Jones meeting Brown, under precisely the
same circumstances that the Joneses have
met the Browns since-any time you please.
Jones takes him by the hand and asks after
the health of himself and Mrs. B. Brown
SNAKES ulIl COTultitN Win hcutty Srip, anu
asks him about his general health and that
of Mrs. j. Now in this very simple and
ordinary episode, there can be found an in
definite number Of fictions. deducible from
the imaginations Of our two friends. In the
frst place, Jones represents three characters,
ridelicef, l. Jones, as he really is. 2. Jones,
as he thinks he is. 8. Jones, as Brown sees
him. Brown is similarly trebled. The
friendly salutations, too, are likewise multi
piled. Jones has enquired after the health
of Mrs Brown. We have, lst. The effect
that Jones hopes this politeness will have on
Brown. ID The effect it does have. Sd.
Mrs. Brown, as Jones sees her. 4th. Mrs.
Brown, as Brown sees her. So it seems
that though Jones has met his friend and has
had chat with him, they have in no partic-
ular established any connection between
themselves, and practically have not seen
each other at all. Now-that's so. 1t is
getting late.
The Capture Of NeWbern.