The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-23

Publisher 8 Weekly.
THE RELATION OF ART TO TRUTH.
To what extent is the artist bound to
represent men and women as they are
aud TO what extent is he licensed "a
represent them az they are notf Ia
this question comprehensive answer
may be made. by help Of a recent re-
mark Of q certain critic. who, with
much originality and brilliancy though
not without paradox. has pleaded the
cause of what he faucies to be the com
pletest ideallsm. He summed up his
arguments in the following aggressive
epgram: Life copies art far more than
art copies life am perfectly willing
TO accept this statement far more serI-
ously than its writer probably meant x.
for it supplies Us indirectly with a very
rational and sensible canon. II IL is one
distinction OF great artist in fiction
that be has not copied his characters
from real men aud women. bug that
real men and women copy his charac-
ters, IL is evident that these characters
are so far real themselves that they alb
sOlutely correspond TO the capabilities
Of human nature: and as much realism
that Is TO say, as much scientific cor
respOndence 10 external fict-is re-
quired in order to show the develop.
ments Of which human nature is capa
bic. as to report developments that have
actually taken plsce. We. therefore.
at once arrive at the following general
rule Art, in dealing with human &c
ton aud character, must be either a
copy of life as 1t is. or has been or
else Of life as it is any day capable OF
becoming. This il to say, we main
tain. if we like. that art need
not be realistic in the ordinary eense
Of the word. but we can main.
tain this only on ths express on
the implied understanding that it must
be realistic iua sense which is yet wider.
more profound and more stringent. IL
must be true to the capabilities Of hu
man nature, even if ir need not be tru,
to its actuaisies. 1t must absolutely
copy, and be controlled by. something
outside itself, As predicated Of art
by which we mean here the art Of iic
.iOn-what is truth As pfedicated OF
art. what is.reality The whole issue
between realism and idealism depends
upon this point; but though the words
are of such constant use among Us. one
Of our contending critics seems 10 have
taken The trouble to consider and ana
I'VE what can be legitimately meant by
them. | hope the reader Will feel no
moral alarm. if ask him 20 consider the
lOOseT Of Il ccsccl0t stories. Many Of
these stores eie lu = LIgl degree bril-
liant. witty and humorous and they
are true to life IN this very substantial
sense. that there Is not only not an i'm
possible, but not an improbable. touch
IN them. Now 10 q great number OF
people, IN their more serious moods
these stories arc utterly abhOrrent and
abominabe and II It had fallen 20 theil
LOT TO late Them, they would certainly
nave related them I'm widely different
way. Le; US suppose ,sny one OF them
as We well may. 10 be not fiction al all
| but taken kom actual life; and let III
suppose every incident narrated by Boo
caccl0 10 be true. Aud now let us sup
pose the very same episode q
have come 10 tho FnOwledge Of
Bunyan. aud 10 have been also chron
iced by him. How would bis narrative
and that Of BOccaccio correspond AM
one would be able to see that each mar
rator was dealing. and dealing truth
fully. with the same series OF events
Between the skeletons of the two mar
rstives the correspondence would b.
absolute. bat beyond this there wOul,
be no correspondence at all. We shout,
have the same hour, spent in the sami
room by the same people, the same con
versatiOn. the same overt results
and yet OF the details n0te'
down by B0ccaccio, hardly on
would correspond TO any de
tail noted down by Bunyan. AM
how should the case be otherwise
Where B1ccaciO has seen nothing but
comedy, Bunyan would have seen
terrible moral tragedy and vie"in
the drama in relation to wholly differ
ent set OF interests. bis observation
would iix itself on a very different Sc
of details. Those observed with sue
keenne,s by the easy aud gay Blccacic
would have no more time TO motto
them than a lady in a burning tEeatr
has 10 notice the set and the fit Of In
other ladies' dresses. Again, let u
take the case Of some preachin
cObbler. whom We will suppose
be wholly uneducatsd, and
speak a pronounced cockney dialect
and yet by his earnestn9ss
have converted certain persons Of edI
cation. Let two descriptions be give
! of a sermon by this man, the first
one OF biz educated converts, Il
? second by a humOrist like Dlcken
The two accounts might both be entirel
true but each would be different fro
the other. for this reason. that j. wOu|
l true to something that the other ct
; tirely missed. The converts would
j. true to the mans earnestness aud Il
. solemnity OF his meaning the hume
lists would be true 20 the ab.urdllies
his expression aud manner. Or, agsi
let Us take some family "fcene'
@ sQuabble. How differently this wou
r he described by one Of the squabblel
r and by some involuntary speclat
4 with keen sense of the ludicrOt
p. The one would give us-and We mi
. assume, with perfect truth-a serio
. statement about grave matters OF ca
?. duct. about meanness. generosity trul
= honor and so forth. The other wou
l. mimic for Us tones OF voi'
% tricks OF manner and gesture. 4
.e hibltiug them in a &c ting OF absu
lie Incidents, OF which the preoccupl
,c actors ia the drama were thems.l'
d quite unconscious. IL Is needless
D. multiply illustrations Of this kin
"a II are enough to force upon Us
i. sll.lmporIaus truth; and that truth