The morning call., 1891-09-06
THE SHORT STORY.
Indications That Pleasure in Large Fiction Is
Dying Out

An interesting phase of fiction, at present,
is the material prosperity of the short story,
which seems to have followed its artistic ex-
cellence among US with uncommon obedi-
ence to a law that ought always TO prevail.
Until OF late the publisher las been able to
say to the author dazzled and perhaps deceived
by his magazine success with short stories, and
fondly intending to make book of them:
Yes. But collections Of short stories don't
sell. The public wont have them. / don't
know why, but it won't"
This was never quite true Of the short
stories Of MI. Bret HATE, or of Miss Sarah
o. Jewett, or Of MIR. Aldrich; but 1t was
too true of the short stories of most other
writers. For some reason, or for none, the
very people who liked an authors short
stories in the magazine could not bear
them, or would not buy them, when he put
several OF them together in volume. They
then became obnoxious, or atleast undesira-
BILE; somewhat as human beings, agreeable
enough as long as they are singly dOmicied in
ones block. become positive detriment to
the neighborhOod when gathered together
In clearinghouse. a novel not half so
good by the same author would formerly
outsell his collection of short stories five
times over. PERHAPS 1t would still Outsell
the stories; we rather think il would; but
not in that proportion. The hour of the
abort story in book form has struck, ap-
parently; for with all our love and ven
Grafton for publishers we have never re-
garded them as martyrs to literature, and We
do not believe they would now be issuing so
many volumes of short stories If these
volumes did not pay. Publishers, with all
their virtues, are as distinctly made a little
lower than the angels as any class OF NOR
tails we know. They are, in fact, a tenta-
tive and timid kind, never quite happy ex-
cept in full view of the main chance; and
just at this moment this chance seems to
wear the diversified physioguomy of the
collected short stories We do not know
how it has happened; we should not at all
undertake to say, but it is probably
attributable to numbrr of causes. II may
be the prodigious popularity of Mr. Kipling
which has broken down all prejudices against
the form Of his success. The vogue that Mau-
PEASANTS tales in the original or in versions
have enjoyed may have had something to do
with 1t. Possibly the critical recognition of
the American supremacy in this sort has
helped. But however 1t has come about 1t
Is certain that the result has come, and the
publishers are fearlessly adventuring vol
umes OF short stories on every hand; and
not only short stories by authors of estab-
lished Tepute, but by new writers, who
would certainly not have found this way to
the public some time ago.
The change by no means indicates that
the pleasure in large fiction is dying out.
This remains of as ample gorge as ever.
But it does mean that quite reasoness re-
luctance has given way; and that young
writer can now hope to come under the fire
OF criticism much sooner than before. This
may not be altogether blessing: it has its
penalties inherent in defective nature of
criticism, or the critics; but undoubtedly IL
gives the young author definition and fixity
in the readers knowledge. IL enables him
to continue short-story writer II he. likes;
or it prepares the public not to be surprised
at him II he turns out noyelist.-W. ID.
Howells, in the Editors Study. in Harper's
Magazine for September.