New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-25
THE FATHER OF REALISM
SOME THOUGHTS ON MR. HOMELESS VIEWS
OF BALXAC.

FRs-BAIzaC's KNOWLEDGE OF MIN AND
WOMEN.
TO the Edttor Of TIE Tribune.
SIR: In the February number OF HaIpe'S
Monthly Mr.. Howrlls discusses the realism Oh h"A0
and bo1ghtel state of the critics in achaiacti'
way solicit the of your columns once more ~ ca
press few thoughts these views OF a "rl'ci "
works admire their skill and grace oil style '"N
am unable to recognize in him the exponent oi "'
truth or the dscOvcrer OF better theory OF he'on'
The novelist who critic is always al eei'"'"
disadvantage. and especially II he preteh"S 10 VI" p
session Of more light than has been vouchsated 10 HIS
contemporaries In such case his own DOCKS 1ehu W
his con son inasmuch as they represent inc peS'
that lie can do, they define the limits OF DIS eai"cS
clearly and refute his Pretensons by not merely snS
casting but necessitatlpg, fatal comparisons. MI
Howes. however though novelist has under'"keut 10
idcc the masters Of fiction and to judge them severely
Under his caustc pen the old faNortes shrIhh "n"
shrivel into insignhcance. Sir Walter Scott plcAes
Thackeray, are dismissed with ignomny Poor ha"-
thorne is fouted. And Bazac, after being accused oil
"maaria and poor knowledge OF human
nature that the actions characters in his masterpiece
cannot be saved from contempt is "iorEiven because
he at n time when fiction was just beginning ~
verify the externals OF life, TO portray falthilly 'h
outside Of men and things" Now. being student OF
Bazac and having also read tho works OF Mr. HowelS
find IL not unnatural the latter should fa 10 APP
preciae the father of realism For though Mr. HoweS
certainly owes much to B,lzachis own noVeS suo" con
cusvey his inability to grasp the highest art sat or'u
In the Coincide Humane" Bazac has had many iih'
tator from Charles de Bernard TO Zoa bat ne mas hoN'
been approached. and those who have tried 10 ioo"
his methods most slavishly have only demonstrated
more plainly the difference between genius anu t"eh'
1t is curious Mr. HOwels seems to put Hoa peioe
Bazac One would almost as soon have cXpeo'ed W se'
Bouccaut put before Shakespeare But indeed Is To
be feared that the Of Avon included In the con-
demnation which rcegaes Scott and Dickens and Thach
cray 20 tho limbo OF obsolete authors. for the maal
rostlessness OF ale Pere GOrOtis really indisungus
able from the passion which informs Lear ana MaoOe'
To understand Mr.. Howels thoroughly TO see why il
Is that he appreciate Bazac or Dickens OF inc
rost ia TO 20 to his own novels aud to com
pare them those of the great Ffenchman III speah
ing Of some Bazacs chief characteristics prefer 10
employ Judgment of writer belonging to the sen Vol
of Mr. Howells namely Mr.. Henry James. do not Oe-
leve that Mr. James comprehends Bazac. but that nc
has seen further into him than seems possible 10 MI
Howes his essays testify Mr.. James, like many other
critics. thinks Pore Gorio' Balzacs masterpiece
In this tale he observes "hero Is most OF MS CHAR
aeteristc felicity and least OF his characteristic Ihiec
ity"; and he goes on, Le Pere G0rot nous 80 hucn
that 1t easily ranks the few greatest novels we
possess Nowhere else il there such picture OF ais
tracted paterna love- Of the battle bet" cen the voice
OF nature and the constant threat Of society that You
shall by the roadside If you drOpout OF the
ranks" This very different criticism from MT HOW
ells's But here is Keynote Mr. James says of Balzac
He always deals with strong feeling in preference 10
snperfcial one" That is a characteristic OF him. and
is one of the secrets OF his strength Also lie always
draws hs characters with such fulness and force that
they ing into life their first introduction ana re-
tain their vitality to the last
Mr. ames says: 1t is not only that his figures are
so definite but that they arc plausible real so
characteristic recognizable" That Is quite true ana
having noted traits of Bazac let me examine the
MIXTURE of Mr. HOwcs little. Observe mat While the
French master always deals with strong feeling in
al .fan limos nj pl.plX
onnosite holds good OF Mr. Howells. He prefers the
surercia feeling almost invariably He affects to think
strenuousuess in life unnatural He deHghts IN dell
cafe shades OF character, in subtle elusive motives IN
feeble impulses, psychoosic seml-tones And 1t fol
lows that while his delightful his dexeFity Away
amusing his neutral tns reposeu, there is an atmos
nbere of arincality about his creations which renders
a deep and living interest in them impossible. When
Balzac was at the height OF his fame all Europe thrilled
to mis- magic touch SO powerful was TIC impression
created by his works chat 1t was common thing IN
many European cities for socla circles to distribute
among themselves the names and characters OF sOme
novel of his act the far as possible When
Dickens was issuing his earlier stories in
monthly parts those HvrGisOHs TO be
seen alike In the hands of the hOstler and
costermonger and the Judge the bench.
Even 10 this day the best creations Of Dickens and
Thackeray are familiar in mouths as household
words" And what is the cause OF this profound and
peryasivo INTEREST," IL is the creative force. the fidelity
To
imagine whole continent hanging hreathess upon the
progress of one of Mr. Howess agreeable tales think
not and the reason take TO be that Instead Of being
he supposes models Of and higher kind Of felton,
his stories are really true fiction at ALL bat morbid
growth from an essentially false theory.
This theory excludes from representation whatever is
intense and it labels unnatural passion of any kind
Yet In nature extremes meet, and there room and
recognition every manifestation OF energy from the
the thunder the cooling of the dove; from the
dapason OF Niagara to the shT pipe OF the cricket
Nor is human nature less comprehensive and tolerant
and so fertile is the action OF that his Imagna
ton tolls painting after and vainy ondeavOrs SEIZE
IN of fiction. the Protean form. Truth"
says the prOverb, is stranger than cton which only
means that reality exceeds all attempts TO
conceive it. In ;ho perennial diana OF life
nothing is impossible, everything happens, and
no thinkabe combination is unnatural Great
genius has always dealt with powerful passions has
sought sound the depths and scale the heights OF hn
man capacity. thus Shakespeare is the most striking il
straon OF this tendency. All great writer's have felt
the same influence They knew ntuiiivey the folly and
futy OF efforts put bounds to human passion
lated 1t has been reserved for the school to
which Howells belongs to proclaim crude and al
laeous doctrine.
The function Of emotion is coextensivo with life. No
age, circumstances can eliminate 1t. There are
many deem tragedies enacted to day In every OF
society as What is called civilization has not
touched the human heart little OF writer's
said their hearts that there shah be eInotion
but Dame Darlington was not more powerless with her
broom against the Atlantic rollers than these with their
little ake-believe art canon against Humanity.
These men at Bazac, but Balzac had profound
knowledge OF his fellow and women and because he
painted them faithfully and without fattery his
atons possess value and vitality second only to those
of Shakespeare though unfortunately this excellence
wholly missed by Mr. HOwells.
1t probably unavoidable that with his narrow and
las hold perverse theory OF felton, he should look
down with sort Of lofty upon the writers who
hold the highest places the esteem and affections OF the
people. 1t not easy TO why he should believe
that the success he himself achieved is OF character