The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-05-25
UISTOEICAL FICTION.

Ino historical mover mas DetDine Il re-
coenized branch Of literature; IL meets
a want: it is not likely to disappear.
The historical novel is, 1t must be con-
fessed. a hybrid. being at once history
aud fiction. dealing both with real
events and with imaginary personages
aud occurrences. II historical fiction
has any place at all, it is as 'dilutiug
the wine of literature with the water
of instructive facts. 1t is therefore
from the point of view not of fiction.
but Of history. that we are TO examine
the subject, TO determine whether he
ton may properly be made the medi-
um for historical instruction, and. II
so. Of what nature and within what
Limitations. For what purpose do we
study history at alli DO not ask
whether the study OF history
is beneficial: that we may take
for granted. nor what benefits we may
derive from il. Assuming that
the study Of history IS beneficial, and
leaving on one side for the present the
consideration Just what good we may
derive from il, let us turn our attention
10 the question. What historical facts
or classes OF facts are important TO
know ? The outline of events-dates.
dynastiC changes. decisive battles, wars
of conquest. rise aud fall Of empires
must be learned as history; fiction can
have nothing 10 do with the systematic
studv of these But when We have
learned these. shat. after all. do we
possess? Only a skeleton, 10 be clothed
with the flesh and blood Of history.
These facts have nOWOre value in them
selves than the names and positions of
the stars u one who has no knowledge
Of the constitution and movements OF
the heavenly bodies, or the minute de
scription of every variety OF beetle
OF lichen, apart from the laws OF growth
and classification. Except for the gra-
tifcation Of intellectual curiosity. en-
Aiding us TO understand the illusions in
Literature TO historical names and
events. the value of historical study
consists entirely IN two thugs; first. II
reachcs the relations Of cause and effect,
"a they are exemplihed in the working
gl historical forces. the interplay OF hu-
man PASSIONS and interests. secondly, 1t
introduces US TO the life OF past gen
GRAFTON. so that lis thoughts, lis emo
tons. its habits, its concerns, may III a
measure become as real TO Us as that OF
the age i'm which we live. and the peo'
ple whom we meet every day. These we
NAV well cali the philosophical and the
picturesque aspects OF history; and ! DO
not know of ans other benefit conferred
by historical study. No historical fact
ia of any value except 80 FAR
as il helps US 10 understand
human nature or the working OF his
,orlc forces. Now the first Of these, the
study of historical causes and effects,
| lies ont OF the range of historical ilction
ls completely as is the case with the
systematic study of events. Both OF
these events and their Interpretation
may come incidentally into historical
fiction. but only incidentally. The
methods are totally different. These
subjects. especially the relations OF
cause aud effect. must be treated with
| a CERTAIN decree OF abstraction. and al
most wholly by analysis: bat fiction. 80
far as il is skilfuil, avoids distractions,
escheWs analysis. It's method Is syn
tbetic and concrete, aud whatever use
we can make Of It in historical lustruc-
ton must be by concrete and synthetic
representations. II Is plain that TINS con
crete method OF fiction is exactly adapt
ed 10 the second of the two objects specl-
fed. the picturesque aspect of history
the dcllnea.iOn Of life and society. But
What | want especially to point
ont is that this is precisely what formal
instruction in history, or formal his
toricaI treatises. can not do at all, OF
IAN do only very imperfectly. Moth
inc is 50 dreary and devoid of life az
chapters upon life and manners; they
nav have some scientific value, IKE
the dried specimens ~ a herDarlum
bnt no reader or student can derive
from them any real, vital notion OF now
The PEOPLE Of bygOne epoch lived
how they felt and what they thought
The literary men. statesmen, ana phil
losooheIs. whose works have survived
from earlier times, and make up th'
lb,dv of literature. all live in word c
their own: they have handed down 10 u
record OF their generation which wa
concerned merely with the higher an'
more subtle aspects Of It's lie. III I'M
they have done rightly. IL Isl IN
privilege and the function OF Literature
to withdraw the mind of the reader
from the sOrdid and commonDlac
affairs of daily life. ard lift 1t upon
higher plane. We would not haye haC
E.chylus, Thucydides. LUcretius. Her
ace. Dante. Chaucer, Shakespeare an
Milton follow a different path from ths
which they chose. Any realistic pic
/ tnre of their times which they coul
nave given us would have been at In
sacrifice Of what the world values III
: comparably more highly. bat TN
= nresent age. with its hOmanitaria
svmpathies. demands some thing j
J addition 70 rhis. 1t does No
rmaervalue .Eschylus, Dante an
Milton: but, just rs by Tn
side Of Tennyson aud Browning tnei
: il room for Dickens. Thackeray an
1 George Elliot. 50 We crave, as supple
| mentary 10 the lofty ideaiism oil I'll
) great creative minoS OF LITERATURE
+ something which shall bring before l
; the men aud women for wDom tbes
5 great works were composed. lt Is 10
; lack OF this that these past ages have
o little reality for Us. The characters
history appear to Us always in the
stage attitudes: the king perpetuail
wears crown. and sits upon thon
: the orator is perpetually clad IN tos
. and haranguing the senate; the gener
!. is presented to our imagination only
drawing up his army IN triple line
u battle and bringing up his reserve
We could almost count upon our hinge
l. the WORKS, prior to the eighteenth Gel
fury, which present vivid contemp
:. raneous picture Of their age on any col
II lsider ,ble scale. The greatest lover
histo real novels Will admit that the
wouli be no place for them IN llteratu
e liz by .gone generations had left benii
Them such pictures OF their Own socls