The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-08
Heroes and IIeroines In FICTION.

What is meant by the words hero and hero
inc: ii we turn 10 the dictionaries we find
that q hero is no impossible being no imagin-
AIRY mon,tr0slty of courage, valOr, and accom-
plishmcnts: but only "A man Of flesh and
blood who is IN some degree extraordinary.
To be sure. mythology buildcd another sort of
hero and heroine. and folklore is full of the
Jack-thc-G iant-kiner kind; still DO is not
fair presentation Of the present case TO insist
that contemporary romance ls 10 De measured
by the same rule that governs the consdCra-
ton of ancient or medieval hctlCn. Ihe
hero of the Nincteauth century must needs ie
representative of current Christian CiYllizl-
ton. this should bee Tie basis Of criticism
when We come to discuss the novel of current
manners. Capcatue of ITS worst nlst IN tine
final reckoning bee referred 90 the same stand
ard as that with which We measure the high-
est order of romance. The question. in q
word, Is: Is 10 q creation? Precisely SD IN the
case of the hero and the heroine. Are they
creations Ii they are creations they are cX-
tTaordiuary, and by that sign We know that
they I'll the measure. The hero. in the gem
eral sense is merely the badge of value He
may bc evil. ike Tito; manly, like lyanhoe;
crazy, like Hamlet; or desolatc, ike EnOch
Arden but he must Toe a creation. In him we
recognize the fruit of original genius. If DE
IS of our own time We do not find him q ia-ni-
liar parsonage living, mayhaps, next door %
us. yet we acknowledge him without hesita-
e.
some current, universal desire of man. This
IS the hero Of romance. But is it possible TO
say just what the Iealist understands o hero 10
De-. In the course of the discussion the OPP
pOnents Of romance have appeared unwilling
% admit that romance con adapt ltsell. nay,
must adapt itself. % the civilization II adj
dresses as well as to that which 1t pOrtrays.
The hero must be of his own time, bat the
novelist must be of the time he addresses--an
individual OF his own audience. Our rcaists
are abnOrmally sensitive TO the fact that the
world has changed since SCOTS day; but they
seem quite unaware that romance, IN the alb
stuct, has not changed. 10 suit the new
order OF things they hasten 10 cast away sub
stance instead of remoiding it. The new hero
must not be extraordinary. Why! simply
because scott 5 and Shakespeare heroes We're
extraordinary. We have come into % new day.
they excam, therefore We must have q new
order Of herOes-tO Wit No heroes 40 all, but
just the baker on the corner or the shop
woman next door, The point Is tOpreycnt the
baker and the shop-woman from dong any,
thing interesting, especially any IhinS NOBLE OF
tnu'lng.
The heroes and hcroines of the real!sts are
built on the plan of a machine That dis9p-
points everybody but the Inventor "a machine
which does nothing that is expected of IT,
nothing that is OF any interest o. Nalue. lrae-
ely is unknown 10 these people. Romeo may
cie, but his taking of Its attended by the
ol1r of medicine and the Distinguishing de
Tails of "a physicians report. juliet rarely
dies. She is TOO much Of a philosopher m small
matters u be very greatly moved by lovers
nistortUne. she usually goes out 70 teach the
Indians The view taken by al the masters
a. fiction, from Shakespeare down to Dumas
and Hawthorne. has boon that the hero must
be an unusual. an extraordinary person; but
not an impossible person. Wonder stores
must be grouped % themselves outside the
limit Of novel writing When We think OF a
mncteenth-century nero or heroine We have
pretty definite idea before Us. II Is not
1eel-clad knight and a lady OF the olden time
mat We call up in our imagination, the en-
Nfonment fofbids What We do see, how
t'H. is heroic. but in different sense. Inc
Anelit aud tie lady Of old romance embody
We IDEAL q medieval civilization the man
1ia The woman SET up by genus are always
opponents. never more photographs. To-Day
g'ii.lation has is forms OK hcrOism and u has
!gic ealhcr0isn. It's aspiration towurda certain
,deAl state. No fiction Of our own time wlH be
!1siing Il IL has not hero Orheroine. or both,
mat can be excepted as standing for some essen
Nai element Of this aspiration. To Keep faith
VAN the highest motives 81 current lie ls real
sia IN the best sense and romantlclsln IN the
OILY worthy sense Herosin lies in the line
ogly, and duty grandly done is the keynote |
y, every truly great work Of fiction. Maurice
thompson, IN America.