Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-31
THE COMING NOVEL.
Distinguished Litterateurs Forecastins
the Literary Future.


The Philadelphia Times of Sunday con-
tains answers to the questi ons What will
he the future novel2 What will it bel
Who will write itl from Howells, Stod-
dard, King, Cable, and others, including
the two Virginians whose names are at
tached to the articles below
am not prophet in literary matters,
but / think "The Novel of the Future"
will be- quite up TO the novel of the
past, and better than the standard
novel Of the immediate present. If
l could indulge IN speculation L
would say the great novel of the future
would be like that of the past-combining
realism with the best imaginative quail
ties. / do not think, though. that mere
realism or imagination without any
thing that approaches the truth of
life will ever be of the greatest
worth. II is by combining the two,
following close to nature, and at
the same time uplifting it to an at
mospbere of refined imagination that the
highest literary standard can be attained.
don Quixote,n which il justly consid-
cred the first of all novels, is the best
illustration possible of what mean. The
reason that the great mass Of our novels
are not of the first quality is that they
are founded upon the one or the other
of these factors. to the entire exclu-
sion of the other. l believe that
the average novels in the past can
not compare in excellence with those OF
the present. OF course / do not include
the standard noyelists like Sir Walter
Scott, George Eliot. and William nj. Thack-
cray. These writers stand out in the world
of fiction like great mountain peaks
capped with snow. The novel of the fu-
ture may be written by wonderful writers.
who combine all the great qualities OF i'm
agination and realism. IL the future
writers adhere to romanticism exclusively,
then the novel of the future will not. in my
judgment, be as great as the novel Of
the present or the past. We undoubt-
eddy have some great noyelists now,
and who knows what q generation or
two may bring FORTH There is no special
reason why America should not furnish the
great novel-wrlters of the future. In
originality our novel-writers here are equal
to those in Europe. In the South many
original writers are coming to the front.
But just exactly what the novel of the fu-
ture will be l cannot even muster up te-
THOMAS NELSON PAGE.
IT WILL NOT BE OF TIE JAMES OF HowEILs
SCHOOL.
may perhaps be mistaken. but do not
| think the novel of the future will be of the
Henry James or Howells school. l cannot
tell you who will writeit he may be born,
but do not think he has been heard from
yet. II may be a woman. and l am rather
inclined TO the belief that il will be when
/ think Of George Eliot and Charlotte
Bronte. two OF the greatest noyelists whom
| this century has produced. The novelist
of the future must be q keen analyst of hu-
man nature; he must put himself into his
work aud endow his heroes and heroines
with life. and heart and character. Above
all, be must forget himself. | think the
great trouble with most writers is their
! self consciousness. This spoils the SIM
plicity and force of their writing. The
novel of the future, wherever it comes
from, will have plot. A plotless novel is
nothing more than brilliant verbiage. You
cannot point human life without plot,
for the reason that there is plot in every
ones life. doubt very much whether
Cooper will be read always. Thaekeray
and Dickens will be read forever. / love
Dickens better, but l admire Thackeray
more. | only hope shall be here to see
the novel of the future.
MARION HAHLASD.