The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-08-21
On Reading Fiction.

stacles with which most literary pr
ducers do not concern themselve
Rush into print in any form, philos
phic, scientific, polemic, poetic, vii
or without aim and intention, ar
your whole dear public sets itse
about, cropping among your words Il
your PURPOSE. 1t reads betwee
lines for your ideas when your line
do not clearly express ideas; goes col
tentedy into prosy passages becaus
they relate to the subject in hand, an
risks a broken neck IN rising to in
realms of poesy upon the lanes
Pegasus. But the story-writer com
mands no such attention. Immediate
ly the dear public comes to fiction, i
drops from an appreciative attitude
toward the writer's work, and in judg
ment on the merits of the tale only
prejudice and personal taste. The
novelist does not appeal to fair
minded jury. Nearly everyone en-
deavors, to a greater or less extent,
either to bring the story into his own
atmosphere and experience, or regards
it as bit of gossip or web of dream
life spun to amuse an idle hour. The
most griev0us wrong done the poor
author however, is this tendency to
judge of the truth Of fictitious charac-
terization only as it agrees with life as
seen or imagined by the reader. The
novel written from a high-church
standpoint finds no low-church adj
mirers. The cynic SCOTS in public at
Browns last romance, because it is an
idylllc love story, and the public goes
its way firmly convinced that Browns
forte is blacksmlthlng.
We are too superficial in our criti-
cisms. We are not just. We do not
20 deep enough into the novel-wrlter'
motives. Nearly all the stories printed
to-day have in them an attempt at
something beyond the mere telling of
tale with trappings of scenery and
puppets to bear out the illusion. But
we do not examine this scenery to
know If it is real, nor stick pins into
these puppets to learn if they are
merely stuffed dolls to play upon our
fancy. In this we do ourselves an in
justice, both losing the fine flavor of a
good novel and failing to penetrate
the tinsel and stage effects of a poor
one, in much the same way as be-
fuddled drinker swallows We. CliquOt |
and champagne cider with tho same
approval. Then, too, in order to
catch page or two of conversation"
or faction" that is valued only as it
carries forward the plot, we are prone
to run hastily over descriptive writing
that paints vivid bit of lanscape with
cameo fidelity and beauty. Or chap
ter filed with life and color is voted
dreary and slow because only Indirect
ly it aids in tangling the threads of
the romance. 1t is the amount of
thrill in the concluding chapters
and the agreement in doctrine and
sentiment OF the writer with the read
er's personal beliefs and tastes that
settle the novel as good. bad, or in
different.
Is this fair playP Such reading
shuts out from the readers enjoyment {
the prime pleasure sought, which ,
should be glimpses at life and man .
ners away from his own experience, 7
The appreciation of the correct delin- :
cation of character as he knows and :
sees it about him, qualification In !,
broadening his horizon by studying b
now and strange combinations in hui "
nan action, and the gaining of ,,
of scenery and local habits :
unattainable. But that these
ire not the motives with a large num-
Der of novel-readers think any close ia
observer will admit and the effect of =, :.
his non-apprcciation is not alone on &
he reader. Indirectly, though never -
heless strongly; it affects the class of ~
teton produced. Your writer may +;
70 sensitive body, and if his stories r.
re not well thought of, he turns to 81
Their fields. And even If his hide is ~
allous to the public apathy his pub r.
sher's pocket Is an infallible barome- ~
er of the demands of the time in lit 70
rary pabnlunl. If Browns sweet A
tyllic love-story, though it be an A
over true tale. and told with taste w
nd feeling, be set upon by cynics, AZ
rown will probably call himself q az
'ol, and thereafter compile blue 6,
Doks. Should Brown be wilful his ~
rinter will soon whip him into line. r.
There are good novels being written br
these days. Here, in this poor, sb
iserable, hampered, despicable Act in
II, as CARLYLE calls it are good, M
'nest, genuine stories being printed or
stories that will carry the impress Pr
our time into the future, and show ra
the coming man the man OF to-day, TIC
Fielding and Smollett bring to us Gu
ctures of their registering days. Are as
} right in depressing tendency on GU
Q part OF our story-tellers to charac- or
rize truly the way we live now and TO
, places in which we live. For the DO
'diocrity in present fiction which our lin
otle critics dwell upon so freely, we, blu
men, we, readers, are as much to ella
me as our writer's. We havescared
ay the finer spirits by lack of ap-
eciation in their work, by hunger \
: old forms and mannerisms, and a W
reless indifference to any merit save VII uI
qualification of our little personal of 49,
eferences. VI
There is deep-seated prejudice he,
ainst a novel ending otherwise than IN
what may be broadly called "the for
umph of virtue We meet this e1e
cry day in the class of people who S3 5s
3 buyers and readers of fiction. 81 aI
icy are not satisfied if the story does ;,,,,
t end well, no matter how the 81
no in