The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-13
LIT E R A T u r z.
The Development of Ameri-
can Fiction
A Batch Of Novels, Very Good, Good
and Bad.

seem TO understand that q character in q novel
must be developed in the course OF the story by
slow and steady growth just as every thing IN ma
ture unfods Itself by gradual transformations until
maturity Ia reached. There, for instance, Is Mr..
Thomas B. Aldrich's story, prudence Pal
rey"-the work OF man OF genius, full OF exquisite
touches betraying the soul of an artist-abounding
in bright thoughts and quaint fancies, and wrltten
In pure and nervous English-a book to please most
cultivated readers but neglectng the art-idea in
the development OF character. Mr.. Aldrich
creates his heroes and heroines by describing
them, forgetting that they thereby become the
puppets, and not. as they ought to be-
the vital forces OF fiction. Even his delicious
story OF marjorie Daw" was only quaint bit of
descripton-not bit OF quaint descriptton-and
the reader, as well as John Fleming, discovers in
the end that there Marjorie Daw For this
reason-the substitution OF description for develop
ment-we fear prudence Palrey" will fill no
high place In literature and that Mr.. Aldrlch, I'M
less he perceives the radical error into which he
has fallen, will fall far short OF that literary rank
which his powers ought to command.
/ Should find novelist betraying all of Mr..
Aldrich's faults ana exhibiting none OF his
strength the temptation to pass SUCH work by
with sheer at It's imperiections would be almost
irresistible. And yet 1t is works OF this kind
which are deserving OF the most serious study
IN the present condition OF American litera-
ture. We have one OF them before us now
"A novel by Marie Rowland, which rejoices In the
slnguarly disagreeable title OF Papa's own Girl.r
1t is q novel OF shreds and patches. Many things
That are interesting enough in their way are
brought together in the oldest fashion. The first
chapter is a transcript from old letter OF &c.
F."-Clara Forest the daughter OF Dr. Forest and
papas own girl-in which get a glimpse OF
ner dull brother Dan and OF two little imps, the
~F fa,nI
description OF chldrens party, and two chapters
follow OF visit IRON OF the doctors
patients SO far, though there is much dogmatzlng
matter in the book 1t seems 10 have some artistic
purpose; but suddenly the author ieels the neces-
sty OF getting forward chronOlogicaly and she
does 1t by the simply announcement ''two years
passed and nothing that very seriously
anects the DOCTORS family has happened"
Whether not the reader is satisfied with this
summary method he is sure OF one thlng-some-
thing very important is about to happen. This
great event Is that Dan has tattooed hts arm
whereupon the novelist tells us, In elegant Eng
Lsh, "Iy was abominably but clearly done in blue
and scarlet, the design being two hearts spittcd
with dart, between the names Dan Forest and
Susan Dykesn When this Is discovered by the
doctor and his vile Mrs. Forest Is much shocked
at the lndiscretion Of her favorite child, and by
some occult reasoning the doctor at once deter
mines that 'papa's own glrlv must go to college.
The determination to send Clara to Stonybrook
College is followed by description OF
the college itself in the opening paragraph
OF the succeeding chapter, the paragraph
closing with the announcement that the
young lady had already been student there two
years. 1t is unnecessary to recite any more oil this
story, for Marie Howand evidently is utterly with
out knowledge OF the art of novel writing. "Papa's
own GIRL is the crudest attempt at novel that
remember in years, and yet its faults are only
an exagseration OF the faults OF our best writer's
OF fiction.
A still further illustration or what we have said
\ in found In Mr.. Theodore Tilron's Tempest
4 Tossed" The very plot of Mr.. Tilton's story--a
Il plot that IS strikingy unique aud orignal--makcs
4 1t necessary that the novel should be full of de-
scrpuon rather than the development Of charac-
ter and padded with speeches and reflections and
/ morallzngs. Had tempest Tossed" been COM
pressed within the number OF pages
which comprise the scarlet Letter.
it would have taken place in literature next to
Hawthorne's terrible narrative. Yet while con-
densaton would have made IL, not the illustration
Of fault, but OF merit IL must be admitted that,
In spite OF much that is supernuous, IL is q very
gratifying success. The story Is one that can be
told in a few words or in many pages, and one, by
whatever method, well worth the telling The
COTOmanuel was q superb vessel, DullJ IN l647. 10
participate in the search for Sir John Franklin,
and .had been made as tough as hickory wedge
to plough the ice noe." The government, how.
ever pronounced her too large for Arctic naviga-
ton. and she was despatched her first vo, age
to Cape Town with cargo OF canned fruits and
preserved meats for the South Atlantic whaling
squadron. Among her passengers were DR..
Rodney Vail. his young wife and the ira
ditional coored servant. When within two
days of her destination she struck by light.
ming and, being on fire, abandoned by ali except
the Walls, their servant and the captains dog. At
the moment of the accident DR.. Vail believed
his wife was dead, but he refused to abandon her,
preterring to die with her. She revived however,
and during the night gave birth to daughter, the
IRE on the ship, which In o lew minutes swept
away the masts and rigging, being put out by O
drenching rain almost before the boats were away
from the vessel. Thus the hun only was left and
this hull noated the seas for years. at last
quietly coming to anchor on an unknown island
IN the tropics, not many leagues from Barbados s.
Here the family waited TO be found and here they
were found by United States vessel looking
for Confederate cruisers. There Is, besides, the
slight thread OF q love story running through the
tale. Philip Chantiy, the finder, being the son OF
Oliver Chantilly, ana Oliver, the friend OF Rodney
Vain. Barbara Vail, the child born at sea, and
Philip, though they had never each other, had
been lovers all their lives. The story throughout
Is very evenly told and It's improoaDilltes are
neatly smoothed away It is not great novel,
but it Is very interesting one. and with the aid OF
night EDITORS traditional blue pencil for excision
and condensation II might have been made very
nearly great.
After the freshness and delight, the gaddening
surprise Mr.. Tilton's book it IS hard to get back
again to the "True to Him Ever' style ofnoveI even
for the purposes. q comparison and reprool Why
win people who do not know the difference between
''acceptn and except" and whose is bad
enough to allow them to write such sentences as
..He mas gotten himself up regardless and at Is
preposterous for you TO talk so,r print novels at