Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-07-17
The Society Novel.

! During the last few years the line,
ga new society novel. by - coupled
with eulogistic adjectiVes of various
| degrees of intensity, has appeared with
rem arkable frequency in the advertise
mentS of book publishers, until, at last,
the conclusion is forced upon one that
this style of fiction almost monopolizes
the talents of our story-writerS. Per-
! haps, however, ''story- writers" does
not accurately describe those who load
the shelves of circulating libraries with
this sort of reading matter. For, as
general rule, the books which the
American school Of noYelists produces
cannot be classed as stories. They
are rather photographs of different
phases of social life. OF plot there is
! little or none. The writer does not
exert himself in the least to create an
element of suspense as to the probable
fate of his hero or heroine. He ignores
incidents as much as possible. His
characters seldom do anything that
has any bearing on the development of
the sketch. The catastrophe, such as
it is, excites only lanquid interest,
unless the author, impelled by q
desire to appear original" discards
the good old method of bringing his
young men and maidens safely out of
their troubles, and, instead. gives us a
conclusion that is odd, disappointing,
irritating.
The plea that is urged in defense of
the society novel and the social study
is that the age is one of introspection,
that the critical spirit is abroad and
that the analysis of character is the
true reflection of that spirit, that men
are more concerned with motives than
with deeds, and that the world has
outgrown the novel of incident, adven-
ture, action. And what change has
been brought about! Instead of listen
ing with how much pleasureD to the
songs and jokes that, with pipes and
Observation-Disclosures make the night
merry in the Cave of Harmony, we sip
our champagne and talk philosophy or
stocks at Delmonico's. Dora's tribula-
tions are old-fashioned; we are interest
ed now in Miss Rosebud's Irritation ut
Newport. Who cares whether or not
Bois-Guilbert's advances are rejected
by Rebecca? Our hero of to-day is
not brute. Listen to him as he urges
his suit. Is he not refined, rs BELTS
the temper of the times? And is not
Jacob Harvard, playing tennis OF lead
ing german, q much more agreeable
bOOk-companion than Pendennis, max
ing love to Fanny Bolton at Vauxhall?
Alas, that we should have fallen upon
evil days when cleverness, refinement,
over-elaboration and cynicism take the
place of the strong, simple, direct,
dramatic qualities that will keep the
novels of Scott, Thackeray and Dickens
alive scores of years after the social
studies Of the present day are buried
in oblivion.
The alIurements that this field of
fiction offer to the clever writer of
metaphysical OF descriptive turn of
mind are many and well nigh irresisti-
bic. But if the society noYeIists in
crease in numbers IN the next ten years
as they have in the last decade, they
may echo the cry of the shrewd but
illiteratc Hebrew who, commenting
the other day of the depression in the
dry goods trade. summarized the situa-
ton with the words: 1.-The produc-
tionists produce too much, the con-
sumptionists don't take it, and financial
matters is in bad way" Too much
of this style of fiction will inevitably
bring about a reaction in favor Of
something more nearly akin to the
novels of the old school. Yet there
will always exist demand for the
well-written society novel that shall be
q faithful reflex of life in circles from
which the great bulk of the people are
excluded. For the country girl who
longs every Summer to 90 to Newport
to see for her self the polo matches,
the lawn parties, the drags and what
not-the things, in word, that engage
the attention of society" as she
understands ia novel describing
these affairs of moment has TO serve
as substitute. And the prevalence of
this curiosity to know how those who
are sin society," look, talk, dress and
behave is recognized by our younger
writers, the more accurate they are in
detail the more yaluble they are sup
posed to be.
But what is their real worth? How
are they to stand the test of time?
VIII they be found side by side with
Pepys' Diary two hundred years hence,
and will they be referred to as of the
highest value Of their pictures of men
and manners as they existed just after
the Civil War? We can see the
historian, antiquary or critic of the
future as he stumbles upon dozen or
so OF these American society novels
and pores eagerly over the mildewed.
Tile Hour
John NTarshaIFs Nose.