The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-28
MORALITY In NOVELS.
ARE WI ON THE BRINK OF A REvo-
LUTON IN LITERARY ETHIcs9
II So Is It To Be Deplored or Encour-
agcdP-opinions of Whittier. Warner.
Fawcett, Sidney Luska, Ella Wheeler
Wilcox, Mrs. Atherton and others

TuE APPEAL in its issue oil February -
printed a review Of Mrs. Gertrude Franklin
Atherton's now famous novel, Hernia
Suydam." This review drew from Mrs.
Atherton q letter, In which she banked the
literary editor Of TIM APPEAL for the justice
and d~iscernment OF motive displayed in the
treatment Of tho book. Both TINS APPEALS
review and Mrs. Athertons letter have at
tacted wide attention and been the cause of
much discussion OF what constitutes immor-
ality in fiction. Mrs. Atherton maintained
in her letter TO The APPEAL that her novel
had no immoral tendency, that she simply
held the mirror up 10 nature, 10 prove that
marriage was not a failure. The New York
Herald, attracted by the general discussion,
has taken up the question Of morality in
novels and has obtained expressions from a
number Of the most prominent American
noyelists OF the day. Following Is the
Hsralds article embodying the letters of the
noyelists:
In his brilliant and eplgrammatic manner
Hyppolite Tame has said Of The English pub
lie that its advice 10 n~oyelists is somewhat
as follows; "Be moral. All your novels
must be such as may be read by young girls.
w "a IAA1AAAAA AlAAA' NNha w NkNAAa W
have literature corrupt practical life, We
believe in family life, and we would not have
literature paint the passions which attack
family life. We are Puritans, and w have
preserved something OF the severity Of our
fathers against enjoyment and passion.
A~mongshese love is worst. Beware against
resembling In this respect the most illustri-
ous Of our neighbors.' But before Tame,
one OF the greatest OF English noyelists,
IbuNEnraV htNNEalf hU1 rnanuVsval unl IL
plOrcd the limitations which the public
forced upon the novelist 'iSince the author
OF Tom Jones was buried no writer OF hc-
ton among us has been permitted 10 depict
10 his utmost power a man. We must drapc
him and give him n certain conventional
simper. Society will not tolerate the natu-
raj In our arth
The same cry has been repeated again and
again since Ihackeny's time, and now has
'Ouida" In England, Boycsen. Julian Haw.
thorne, Lathrop and even Henry james in
America, have made public protest in this,
that or the other periodical against the ty-
unny Of the Young Girl-that bewitching
idol which publishers, editors and writers
bow down 10 with more Of fear than OF love,
and whose supposed needs or preferences
dictate just how far the novelists shall 90 In
depicting life. These protests from leading
spirits showed that a mighty change was in
the air. And, In fact within the past year
We have had az avalanche Of books of all
degrees Of literary merit whose frank treat.
ment Of the passions and Of the mental
struggles through which thoughtful men are
passing would have been unutterably shock
Ing 20 our grandmothers-thc dear old ladies
who thought Jane Eyre" and adam Bede''
were immoral, and who looked upon The
Autocmtof the Breakfast Table as wickcdly
nideL.