The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-02-03
Julian HawthOrne's Ideas.

was recently interviewed by a Chicago
Ddtty NcOS reporter. The conversation
turned upon the estimation placed by
Europeans on American works of fiction,
and the question was asked:
DO you think the American novel is
growing in popularity abroad, and what
arc its distinctive features thought to be
by forcigncrs?"
1.-The American novel is certainly
growing in popularity abroad especial
ly in England, as will be seen by the
frequent English reprints of our better
novels. The reason for this is that there
arc at present SO few tolcrablc novclists
in England. The English novel has
been written to death, and, as even
novcl-rcadcrs must have occasional nov
city, they turn TO our books with relief
The distinctive features of our work
probably appear to them to be new sit
uations, social conditions, and types of
character and certain minute accuracy
of treatment from the literary point of
view. Average English novcl-writing
is very slip-shod and careless" Q
"What is your opinion Of the school
of mental viviscction'?"
81 am not myself in sympathy with
that school Mental viviscction' is easy
writing, but hard writing. think it
is due to lack of mental energy and
of imagination in those who practice it,
1t amounts to importing Your note
books into your story, instead of show
ing only the results and embodiment of
a previous analysis, and is done by
Shakespeare and the best writer's"
"Do you consider this departure of
literature II part of the progress of the
time or Il morbid outcome of DAYS too
prosperous for romancc?'
Il think it has nothing to do with the
progress of the time. 1t only indicates
that our novclists make less use of their
imagination than any other class of our
community. Perhaps the recognition
they receive is too faint to stimulate
them. The difficulty is certainly not on
the side of any deficiency of stirring
times. Timid,v and lack of sclf-conli-
dence have more to do with it. Our
writers consider their audience too much; +;
no audience that they can reach is
worth consdcrings rs Il literary tr-
bunal. 'Inspiration is deprecated, rs if
it must be either untrustworthy or i'll
bred. A masculine poet or novelist is
much needed, and it might be well, at
this stage of our literary history, TO make
it II penal otlcnsc for any woman to
write n story"
"Do modern novclistS make their men
and women do nothing but sit still and
talk because there is nothing else for
them to do?'
81 shall rather say because it is easier
to write clever dialogue than to portray
characteristic action"
"What are your methods of working?
Do you depend principally upon Your
observations or on your imagination?'
"Obscrvation is always of ssistancc
in imaginative work if it can . sutli-
cicntly cmancipattd from individual in
stances. On the other hand, nothing
spoils q fictitious character so surely rs
to make it conform too closely to any
real model. The requirements of the
story must be allowed to mold and
adapt it or the story will be ruined"
'Do you have regular hours for work
or do you wait for an inspiraton?"
81 never wait for an inspiration, and
am not aware of having every been yis-
tied by any. generally take walk in
the morning and write in tho afternoon
and evening. But keep no strict rule
in such matters"
'Doyou know what the terrible Sc
crct of The Marble Faun' was, or what
the mystery that surrounded Miriam?"
'lf knew | would tell with pleasure
My father never explained it. because it
did not come within the design of tho
story that the secret should be ANYTHING
but IL typical sccrct-a human being
polluted by involuntary association with
the sin of others. The Ccnci tragedy is
an instance CT such an occurrence, and
is therefore made prominent in the
story. but whether or not Miriam was
the victim of milar castrophc was
her private business, and of no import
to the moral of the tale"