The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-04-05
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
CONTRADICTIONS FROM THE FIELD
or LITERATURE.

What VIII the Future Novel BELIEVING
Great Minds OF All Lands Applied to The
Ever-Pressing Problem OF the Literary
Worid-Authors aud Their Schools.
We copy from the New York Herald the
following:
Everybody seems TO be wondering what the
coming noyel-the novel of to-morow-will
be.
tits the problem Of the literary world of
to-day. II may be resolved into these three
questions
What will be the future novel?
What will it be like;
Who Will write it:
In literary circles it has been discussed over
and over again; but up 10 this time the opin-
ions Of our foremost authors have not been
gwen.
With these facts in view these questions have
been submitted 10 every author Of note in
America and abroad.
Their answers are gwen. and if they do not
settle the disputed point they at least make a
most valuable contribution 10 the literature of
the subject.
William Dean Howes has high hopes Of the
coming novelist. Il still believe in the real
istic school =" he said, III answer to the ques-
ton. Not so much will depend upon inge-
NOUS plots, but upOon the study and deyei-
Opment Of character As the time goes 10y the
romantic school will. IN my opinion find less
favor with the reading public The home OF
the realistic novel will be the United States,
and realism will be the style of fiction IN the
future. We have many move. phases OF lie
and character in this country to furnish mate
rial for the future novelist. The man who
lives in a country can write more truihiully
about it than q foreigner. Even III the United
States we have eminent fiction writers falth-
fully depicting the scenes and modes OF lie IN
the sections where they were raised
MANY years ago our novel writers We're con-
fined - Boston and New York Literary men
outside of these two cities were scarce. Now
the home of literary men is not confined 10
one or two cities but many Of them I'VE III
ID slant States IL Is q wholesome sign. and
shows mental activity everywhere Russia
has the greatest novel writers, and they be-
long 10 the natural school. England l9 Tar
behind bon fiction. because the romantic school
still hourishes and finds encouragement there.
There are some great realistic writers IA ing
land OF whom Thomas Hardy ,tand7 az the
head. When Victor Hugo died the deth-knell
Of romantic fiction WAS sounded. ln France.
Emile lola Daudet and others are dong
splendid work 10y their natural m"taods.
Even in Spain and tally the fiction writers are
ahead of England in naturalness. lhey have
caught the spirit of truth. and write n graph
icaily IL secmd To- be a logical deduction that
II the romantic school Is dying out and the
realistic coming into vogue. the latter VIII
certainly be the novel of the future. \ fiction
that j, natural and p9rtrays characters true TO
life will grow m favor
"Indcations.n said Mrs Southworth. seem
10 point that the novel e tomorrow viii he
marked by truth to life and nature. and by
moderation IN al respects. fNlggo ration
the cnarac fer'~llc. perhaps rho charm. of the
novel Of to-day viii bee considered AS bad
form in the novel as IL i7 IN the yallor Adj
venture VIII nDt run into lmpossibiite5. nor
emotion into passion. nor huWor INTO gro
tcsquenees. nor analysis into the hopeless
MAJ of metaphysics.
The novel of tomorrow must draw ts inter
est and point its moral from the small pains
and pleasures, vices and virtues, ~ common
life And then the novel may die and give
place for more narratives Of hard facts moro
travels. Biographies &c. or the novel may le-
turn Oh IFS first form Of romance for there Is
SD much reality I'm this world that we find u
Wouot0nOu- and turn % romance Tor q little
change and reire-hWent"
Miss Amelia Il. Edwards, Ph. D.. /. H. D..
J.. J.. d.. the famous English novelist and
Psychologist. has positive ideas about the
novel of tomorrow.
In nv Judgment" she said. before she left
this country. "n0ycl writing may soon die
out. The tendency is toward science and cold
facts Now. the attempt 90 weave fiction and
science together may result IN the dsradence
of the novel. If ! avn wrong 30 my proGuo,-
ucatiOns then there Will be q strong reaction.
either In favor of romance or realism. Nv
realism ] mean naturalnc--. Inc novel Di the
future must not attempt to Doe 20 scientific trca-
ti-e through the medium of fiction. We can
gct our religion without the aid Of "a novel.
aud science can he had pure and
unl1ultorafed ~ the original fun-
tain, of truth. We need never
~ on % long desert search for scientific farts.
Tor we daily have PIcran springs To- drink
from i'm the way of periodicals and scientific
publications. A great truth can stand out
ike a white mountain al night without the
aid of several hundred pages of fiction.
Poetry must bee OF pure and simple order &
hold its place. and fiction must follow the
same route. think We are at the beginning
of "a new era or the ending of the old. have
not devoted much time 10 novel writing of
late years OF course. expect % write fiction
again and am always intensely interested in
the subject OF novel writing.
"Our greatest novclists We're i'm my opinion.
ThackeIay and BaiZtc. They have stood the
test If time. and their fame and greatness in
crease with the flight OF years. In these days
We have many n0velists but they do not seem
10 Get abreast OF human naturalness, the por-
truture of character. as did l3alzac and Thack-
cray. They drew $50 true o. life and yet III
vest their characters with such romantic nat
uralncss that even now their books remain as
interesting mirrors rejecting bygOne manners
and customs Henry James just falls short Of
being great novelist lie is somewhat too
fraguentary. splendid IN spots and weak as Il
whole just as / imagine he l. going 20 be
great he fails. Anyway, he Is charming
writer. and has written some interesting nov
els and short stories. II a reaction occurs i'm
favor Of the romantic school ] cannot predict
how long il will last. We certainly need pure
fiction. and the novelist who produces il will
strike the KEYNOTE. perhaps. of the new er;l--
the novel of the future On the other hand.
realism may gain the ascendaucy and keep IL
for some time Each nation produces fiction
writers more or less marked by the conditions
of environment We cannot Just tell what
will bee the outcome. even when many of the
conditions are known
Edgar Satus wrote IN the novel Of the
future it is permissible 10 fancy that the
author viii Dee too wise not 20 be occasionally
stupid tie will leave conyentionalltv in the
skirts Of the surplce. Goethe demanded
more light he Wi need more air not the at
mosphere OF "A serasliO but some broad
plateau whore the lungs are invigOrated by
that mother of realism. nature herself. He
will study the crowd and its emanatons the
unit AS well. and then from his knowledge of
uot,iro and his know ledge az man he will Ice