The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-11-11
Ruskin's Definition of Fiction.
Nineteenth Century,

lNlU6teeuln OSubuiy.l
have assumed throughout these papers that
everybody knew what fiction meant, as Mr..
Mill assumed in his Political Economy that
everybody knew what political economy
meant The assumption was convenient to
Mr.. Mill and persisted in; but for my own part
am not in the habit of talking even so long
as have done in this instance, without max
ing sure that the reader knows what am talk
ing about; ard it is high time that we should
be agreed upon the primary notion OF what tic-
tion is. A feigned, fictitious, artificial super
natural uttogether-out-of-one's-h thing.
All this it mast be. to begin with; the best
type of it being the most practically fctile-a
Greek vase. A thing which has two sides to
be seen, two handles to be carried by. bottom
to stand on, and top to be poured out of, this
every right fiction is, whatever elseit may be.
Planned ris orously, rounded smoothly, bal
anced symmetrically, handled handily, Tipped
softly for pouring out oil and wine. Painted
daintily at last with images of eternal things
"Forever shalt thou love and she bs fair.'
Quite different thing from ''cast"-this
work of clay in the hands of the potter, as 1t
seemed good to the potter to make it. Very
interesting, cast from life may perhaps be;
more interesting, to some people, perhaps, q
CAST from 0odtQs IuOSb uOQcIu nONOlo oiO AAhO
specimens from Lyme Regis impressions OF
skeletone in mud. "Planned rigorousy"-I
press the conditions again one by one-lt must
be, as ever Memphian labyrinth or Norman
fortress. IntIicacy full of delicate surprise;
covered way in secrecy OF accurate purpose,
not a stone useless, not word nor an incident
thrown away. Rounded smoothly"-the
wheel of fortune revolving with 1t in unfelt
swiftness; like the world, its story ris-
ing like the dawn, closing ike the sun
-. Il fnh
Balanced symmetrically its two
sides clearly separate, its war Of good and evil
rightly divided. Its figures moving IN majes-
tic law of light and shade. Handled handi-
ly'-so that being careful and gentle, you can
take easy grasp of it and all that it contains;
thing given into your hand thenceforth 10 have
and to hold. Comprehensive, not a mass that
both arms cannot get round; tenable, not
confused pebble heap OF which you can Lift
only one pebble at time. "Lipped softly
full of kindness and comfort; the Keats line
indeed the perpetual message OF is-"for ever
shalt thou love and she be fair"
All beautiful fiction is OF the Madonna
whether the virgin of Athens or OF Judah
leze majestic to the Madonna and to womau-
hood. For indeed the great fiction OF every
human life is the shaping of It's love, with due
prudence, due imagination, due persistence
and perfection from the beginning OF us story
to the end; for every human soul, It's Palladi-
um. And it follows that all right imaginative
work is beautiful, which is practical and
brief law concerning it. All frightful things
are either foolish or sick, visits OF frenzy or
pollutions of plague
Taking thus the Greek vase at its best time
for the symbol of fair fiction; of foul you may,
find in the great entrance room OF the Louvre
filled with the luxurious orieverie of the 10th
century types perfect and innumerable; Satyrs
carved in serpentine, Gorgeous plated III gold,
Furies with eyes of ruby, Scyllas with scales OF
pearl; infinitely worthless toll, infinitely wit
less wickedness; pleasure satiated into idiocy:
passion provoked into madness, no object oil
thought or sight, or fancy, but horror, mutlla-
ton, distortion, corruption, agony oil war, inso-
lence OF disgrace and misery of death. Ii is true
that the ease with which a serpent or some
thing that will be understood for one, can DO
chased or wrought in metal; and the small
workmanly skill required to image satyrs
hoof and horns, as compared TO that needed for
a human foot or forehead, have greatly influ-
enced the choice of subject by incompetent
smiths: and in like manner the prevalence OF
such vicious or ugly story in mass of modern
literature is not so much sign of the lascivi-
BUSINESS of the age as of its stupidity, though
each react on the other, and the vapor of the
sulphurous pool becomes at last so ditfused in
the atmosphere of our cities that whom 1t can
not corrupt it will at least stuitify