St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-10
.AMERiCIN NnYELS

An English RspieD criticises with great
point American novels, drawing conclusions
unfavorable to their originality and inish.
Another point is that America does not af-
ford the ground work for laying the scenes
of attractive and thrilling Dovel-wrlting
These objections to some extent are well
taken, and the weak, penny-a-liners of the
W. d Howells' stripe Of novel writer's give
| force to such criticisms. The works OF such
writers are mere ephemeral trash, unworthy
to be classified as literature, and are calcu-
lated TO degrade rather than elevate the tone
of American literature.
Another point is that the native genius
capable of working up the elements of Amer
lean character, in romance are wanting, and
too much resort is had to the wierd legend
airy myths of the old world, peopled with old
world characters. Such prod uctions are
crude, farfetched and palpably incomplete as
opponents of any thing real and substantial
in point of interest aud value, as dennea-
tons of national thought and character.
Too much attention is given to these wishy.
washy, superficial novel writer's by Ameri-
can book-making publishers, and the result
to condemnatory foreign criticism.
Cooper well illustrates in his novels, the
capabilities of working up frontier and Indi-
an life and wars; and exhibits a genius for
portraying Revolutionary hi storc scenes and
incidents in series of thrilling fiction al
once attractive and instructive. Another
writer Of marked genius and power, Haw-
has of
ing in the form of fiction, true, historical
portraiture of the olden Puritan life, its su-
persttion, its normal aseetieism, its severe
morality, its conscientious, straight-laced
virtue, mingling arbitrariness with gentle
! ness, and the most exalted piety with the
narrowest sectarian methods. Hawthorne's
''Scarlet Letter." and other works, give a true
deliniation of historic narrow and limited
state and church government, and the sever
ity Of personal and social and religious life,
in pages that blaze with thrilling interest and
that arouse the profoundest sensational and
emotional feelings of the reader, to be foun
elsewhere in any of the productions of Amer
lean authors. Such works seize successful
ly, on historical periods, and illustrate
at once their genius, and the richness Of the
material which in able hands is capable of
being wrought into the highest grade of fc-
ton, in the deliniation of native character,
and the elements of rude, crude, stern and
rugged religious personality, all faithfully
descriptive OF the real sentiments, practices,
and the true state of society in the simpler,
far away days Of the earlier common weslths.
There is very marked and essential diff
ference between works Of fiction founded on
historic verify, unfolding the character,
sentiments and lives of the people, aud those
founded upon nothing, but the weak aud I'M
real creations of sickly imaglnations.
These differences exist between the works
of true genius here alluded to, aud the weak
er productions of effemimate story writer's.
novel, prepared by the hand of master,
may be the true iuterpretion of the charac-
teristies of people, or to country, aud is at
once instructive and of tue highest interest,
while the mere emotional novel writers, ex-
cite momentarily the feelings of the reader,
to be cast aside and forgotten as useless rub
bish.
We have some notable examples, in prose
aud poetry,of writers whose productions tend
TO build up something like national literature,
hul these are sadly oversiaughed by the proli-
fie spawn of so called literary productions,
thrown upon the public every year, TO be
slightly read, and deservedly forgotten before
the season ends.
In these book-making days, tits rare to
find, and when found they should be cher
ished, works of real genius, merit and endur
ing value.