Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-23
HAS THE AGE OF FICTION PASSED

HAS THE AGE OF FICTION PASSED
The novel of the day, vapid, purposeless,
eIhemeral, rouses the question, has the age
of fiction passed? The literary critic, ere
long, must meet this question squarely, and
give us his verdict. If it shall be, that the
age of romance and of fiction has passed
away, and that the modern novel is but a
feeble reflection of the beauty and the bright
ness Of that golden day when life and story
were one, then the sooner we let the novel
die, the better. 1t can not but enervate and
demoralzc, since its mission and its necessity
are gone.
Mrs. Woolson probably represents fairly
the modern effeminatc school of novel wri-
tiers. The publication of her novel "For the
Major" in book form was hailed with much
interest in the literary world, both English
and American. 1t was taken by literary
critics to be the latest voice in American
liteTture-a good general expression of our
methods and motives of novel writing. 1t
bears, what is considered the world over 10
be the distinctive literary stamp of the New
World, the imprint of the Harpers And
such is the book which represents modern
fiction, produced by one of the foremost ladies
of the foremost people! Its plot hinges upon
the Vaccinations of a villain and his betrayal
of trusting innocence The whole atmosphere
of the book is morally enervating. There
is no high and pure aud noble purpose run
ming through the story, as there ought to DO
through every story which delineales human
life, and wakens the slumberinS desires and
emotions Of the human heart. A woman,
especially, should never put pen to paper
except ih the interest of purity and goodness
and right. 1t is the great fault of modern
fiction, and the principal evidence Of its deg
radiation, that it has fallen chiefly into the
hands OF unprincipled women. A man can
not, even If he would, WELD pen of such
subtle syrcn influence to social degradation
as woman. There is something coarse and
repulsive about mans delineation of social
vice, but u woman can clothe it in such deli
cate and charming guise that The reader hard
ly suspects the snare until he has fallen into
it. Modern fiction is full of disguised vii
iany, which proves all the more dangerous
because of its disguise. II the mission Of
fiction is 10 inculcate truth and purity and
right, as we are told it is-to implant lessons
of virtue and Of right thinking in the mind
which would not seek them elsewhere then
indeed, the day of fiction has passed for,
with IL very few exceptions, the writings of
modern novelists are either without moral
motive at all or else devoted to the realistic
delneation Of human depravity and frailty.
The novels which are IN chief demand with
our young people today, and which form
the bulk of their reading, are the most in
sidious influences to immortality which could
be devised. A large share of the social
crime of the day, the divorces and scandals
with which the newspapers are full, come,
we believe, from the books which pass cur
rent under the title of the --latest fiction of
the day" Many libraries throughout the
country are wisely exercising jurisdiction
over this class OF popular literature, and are
excluding from their shelves such books as
are found to possess the faint of immortality.
1t would be well If there were as faithful
censors in our large publishing houses,
for it can not be denied that much
which receives the imprint of reputable
houses is utterly unfit to be brought before
the public. The publishers stoop to the in
dignity, because they know that there is
money in the venture.
In another respect the novel of the day is
degraded and degrading. 1t lacks purpose.
The New York Erening Post recently pub
lished some very valuable thoughts upon the
absence of this element in current fiction. "A
novelist" it said, must fire the heart and
Imagination of his readers. Fifty years
ago, when the world felt down trodden and
oppressed when the heel of the tyrant was
on the neck OF man when superstition, and
ignorance, and bigotry made the lot of the
lowly hard, and suffering and injustice COM
mon, the novelist had fine field for enlist
ing the sympathies of his readers. The feel
ing against abuses of oil kind was closely
allied to the democratic movement which
was sweeping over the world In Dickens 1t is
always the poor and ignorant no are wronged
by the wealthy and powerful having the con-
troll of the laws In their hands, and a strong
picture of this sort,of tyranny will always fire
the heart of the novel reader. In America
the great novel of this sort a generation apO