Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-21
FRANCES AooesoN BURNETT.
After Writing One or Two More Novels
She WIN Devote Herself to the Drama.
Especial Correspondence.l

After Writing Ono or Two More Novels
She WIN Devote Herself to the Drama.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, May 1s.-Mrs Frances Hodg-
son Burnett has written to some of her
friends in this city that she is about to re-
sumo her literary, or, as she calls it, her
professional work. She has been inter-
rupted for about two years-an Interrupt
tion which has caused her far greater sor-
row than any pecuniary loss it entailed
could measure. Just after the greatest of
her successes was established Mrs. Bur
nett met the first of her misfortunes She
was seriously injured by being thrown
from carriage while driving in the sub
urbs of an English town. The injury en-
tailed prolonged period of absolute rest,
and just as she was recovering she had in
formation of another trial of far more
grievous nature than any personal injury.
She learned that her Oldest son, hand
some, genial and promising lad, was vic
tim of consumption, and for more than
year she gave herself up to the care of the
boy.
After his death Mrs. Burnett was SO
Frustrated that it seemed to her that she
never could take up her pen again. She
feared that she could not write without be-
ing constantly reminded of the boy. She
had no heart for composition. Her liter
ary impulse was benumbed by her grief
Of course time assauges the bitterest grief,
and Mrs. Burnett has still another boy,
the one who was the ideal from whom Lit
tie Lord Fauntleroy was drawn. And with
him for a companion she has at last mas
tered her great sorrow, although, of course,
the death of her Oldest has left suffering
which no literary success, no praises of the
world can ever assuage.
In letter to friend in this city Mrs.
Burnett communicates a piece of news
which will perhaps astonish and disap-
point those who have admired her books.
She has one or two contracts for novels,
and these she will endeavor to execute.
When these books are finished it is Mrs.
Burnett's idea that she will never write
another novel. She proposes to devote
herself entirely to the drama. She tells
her friends that she has worked with some
success in three different fields of literary
endeavor, and she feels that this is mis-
take; that she should have concentrated
her energies entirely upon one form of lit
erary expression, and that the dramatic
Her first field, she says, was in the direc-
ton of pure fiction, both short and long
stories. When she was girl and in her
early womanhood she thought that there,
and there alone, her powers lay. Yet Mrs
Burnett feels now that only one of her
stories is worthy of her power, and that is
'That Lass o. Lowrie's." She attributes
the success of that story not SO much to
any literary charm as to it's dramatic quail
ity, and she believes that if she had writ
ten it for the stage it would have been
more successful as play than it was as a
novel, Her later stories did not satisfy
her, and so she tried her art in another
field of literary endeavor. This was the
field of Juvenile fiction.
When she wrote Little Lord Faunt.
leroy" she was far more apprehensive about
its success with the public than she was
with any of her other works. It's brilliant
popularity surprised her, and she believed
that she had now discovered her true voca-
tion. Then the suggestion was made that
she dramatize it. She had had no expert
ence to speak of, excepting single effort of
collaboration with William Gillette, which
resulted in the play of "Esmeralda," but in
that brief experience she learned much of
the dramatist's method of work, and it was
sufficient to enable her to turn the story of
Little Lord Fauntleroy" into an acting
play inside of three weeks. We hear very
much said nowadays to the effect that
playwriting is simply the ability to bestow
excessive care in detail.
Mr.. Stuart Robson, Miss Fanny Daven-
port and Mrs. Kendall have recently de-
clared that the playwright is made, not
born, and that good play is simply the
result of persistent and painstaking druid
gerry. Yet Mrs. Burnett wrote "Little
Lord Fauntleroy' within twenty days,
Bulwer wrote "The Lady of Lyons" in less
than two weeks, and Alexander Dumas
wrote "Henry III and His Court" within
week.
The success of the dramatization of 'Lit-
tie Lord Fauntleroy" led Mrs. Burnett to
believe that the drama was her true voca-
tion, and she has several plays in view, or
the themes and characters of them. To the
writing of them she will devote the next
few years, and she says had she begun
with writing dramas she believes she
would now be recognized as dramatist of
greater ability than she is as novelist.
It is very likely that Mrs. Burnett's en-
Ehusiasm for the drama is due to her dis
covery that successful play is veritable
gold mine. 1t is either feast or famine,
and she believes that in her future place
sheSwil have a share of the feasts provided
for successful dramatists. While "Little
Lord Faumleroy' was running in this city
Mrs. Burnett's income was from 81 200 to
s, 500 week, and she herself said that it
was not until the production of this play
that she ever experienced the luxury and
delight of having money in large quantities,
of having enough and more than enough,
of being able to satisfy her wants without
figuring on the cost or examining the bank
book to see whether balance was left.
Her profits from the play amounted to
some, $6O, 900, and are still coming in. And
that is six times as much as she received
from the publication of all her novels. Her
friends will watch her new experiment