The daily critic., 1890-11-03
SHORT STORIES
TIE WRITER'S OF THEM AND THE
MAGAZINE EDITORS
WHEREIN We EXCEL THE FRENCH
They 0utsjcp Us in Having More
Play for The Imagination.
BlEETUL EFFECT OF CITY INFLUENCE.
Stme Pointed and Just Comments or the
Syndicate Bditor" and the News
Papers Hs Controls 49, Too
Much Of the 0ne-Msn
Power.
BlNFUL EFFECT OF CITY INFLUENCE.

hAA AhN euNINNN Va HAANAA 1aNi MAAbAAEa
that one can easily imagine consid-
erable hint Of staleness In whatever
might be now added to the discussion
but the drift Of the whole body of
fiction toward extreme, almost journal
istic condemnation, warrents the ven
ture of few more suggestions.
I have seen Il often asserted that,
next to the French, our American
writers produce the best short stories.
says Maurice Thompson in America.
II one difficulty were obviated,
should say that Americans quite excel
the French. Our Imagination Is firmer
and fresher we invent with more ease,
and we see life with healthier vision.
The main trouble with us seems to be
that we are timid 10 the presence Of
our most original moods
Examine our best monthly magazines,
and they are undoubtedly the best in
the world. If you would know Just
what our most gifted short-story
writers can do. In the Century"
"Scribner's," "Harper's," "Tne At
lantic, "Lippincotts" and the "Cos.
mopolitan," appear stories Of from
1900 to 1000 words, written after a
fashion substantially and essentially
American, certainly very fine. as rule.
In point of literary style, and possess.
ing qualities that 90 far toward making
them the pets and idols Of the critic.
Still these stories are not as good, I'm
point Of art, as the best French short
stories. Why Here Is the rub. II
cannot be shown that (although the
American story does lack Compactness),
the French story depends for its supeh
ofity wholly on dlrectness and coudeu.
satiOn. | dare say that every short
story writer in America has felt an ex
trinsic force denying him freedom OF
Imagination, while within the urge and
stress were toward full liberty of inven.
ton. What Is this extrinslc force 2
After much careful study, and no Ia.
considerable experience in sh)rtstory
whiting. | feel prepared TO offer an
answer to this question.
-.
The extrinsic force which makes
most against the production in America
Of highest quality short stories, is the
city influence, or, what l may call the
urban attraction. Editors are men,
when they are not women and are
subject to the forces Of their immediate
environment. What Is In the afr i'm.
mediately around them has. In their
understanding, a worldwide signld-
eanee. This Is unfortunate for litera-
ture, since It has come to pass that the
magazines control the trend Of literary
taste and the scope of dramatic inven-
tIon in fiction, and the magazines are
controlled, In a large degree, by men
who measure everything by the urban
standard Of taste Now the fact Is that
the extra urban influence Is the pre-
servative Of the true dramatic vision,
the eOnseTyator Of invention of lyric
purity, Of fortnight expression. Men
Of the urban centres have wondered
how the plOwbOy Burns, the peasant
Millet, the strolling actor Shakespeare,
The Californian Bret Harte, and many
another outsider have been able 10
touch and eleetrify the endless chord
Of universal human sympathy. can
tell how they did IT, They did 1t by
having held that cord In their very
hands, by having looked at Il with
their own eyes. They knew its sub
stance and what could affect H. More
over, If Burns. for instance, had lived
ia a day like ours, he would have
found out right suddenly that the msg-
sdne editor held the key 10 the sltua-
ton, and proposed 10 have a hand In
the final touehing-up and toaing down
Of his lyrics
-
] am sure that l shall tor a faYorits
sore spot 10 the hearts Of "a my fellow
short story writer's when / mention th
fatal facility with which the average
magazine editor can suggest changes In
short story as a condition precedent TO ac-
eeptanee. Asarule, the change is eternal
ruin 10 the creation; but YOU must
starve OF submit The editor knows
What he wanls-and If you'll observe
closely you'll see that # is dialect that
he Wants-and that he Is going 10 have.
The editor is not 10 blame; he sees
what is bis duty, but the result Is that
We Americans who write short stories
are the worst handicapped authors on
earth. There are but t8o fields open 70
us-dialeot New England or negr0)
and crOquet party sketch. Everything
else Is forbidden. III We dare venture
on dramatic yigOr or imaginative free
doom, as Shakespeare did, our Mss.
are Countersigned sensational and
returned 70 u.s.
II would hardly seem that any person
could eonfOund the highest dramatic
success with the lowest form Of Vul-
gaTity, and yet there Is not a truly
vigorous inventive Imagination nov
working IN American letters that does
not realize thar 1t Is not only possible,
but common, 10 those who hold the
throttle Of progress.
-.
some have felt that Il Is license that
We Want-the laWless liberty Of the
Partisan artist. ] DO not share this feel
Ing. French shortstory writer's have
paid the penalty Of license by foTteiing
the highest honOrs Of free art The
liberty 10 which the conscientious short
story ritter aspires In America Is the
liberty 0f invention within the limits OF
purity and truth. He Is reslve. and
Justly So under editorial restraints
which make that sensational in his
stories which IN Shakespeare dramas
and SCOTS novels has passed % immor-
tality IS high tragedy or as the model
~ comedy.
Eliminate the free handling of uuh0ly
passion from The French short story
and there set remains 8 Eeslduum of
poWerful fiction, picturesque. startiugly
dramatic, novel. original. tod With
close. 6ue economy Of phEzsiug aud