New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-18

The tendency OF thlS OTuPIiy anu SoptT us
cussion is to strengthen an impression already
widespread 10 the effect that it is quite imprac-
tlcablc to lay down any laws principles regard
ing fiction which stand any prospect of receiving
general assent Mr.. Thompson, in his effort to
settle the philosophy of fiction upon something Ike
fixed foundations, finds himself confronted at every
step by difficulties which are inherent in the sl3'-
iect and which are irremovable, simply because
they represent the varieties of human nature. The
more one cndcavors To get at fundamental prn-
ciplcs the more one is bafied by the imposslbll,y
Of establishing common standards: this lmpOssi-
bity in turn arising from the fact that the same
things appear differently 10 different men, 10
establish a philosophy a Technology is ncedeo'
Now there has always been the drawback TO
terminologies that they open TO diverse inter-
probation, and innumerabe vain controversies have
sprung out of such opposed definitions IN 'he
case of fiction this danger is intensified Tor 'here
is literally nothing in or about the subject wmch
is or ever is likely TO be. viewed In The same lsho
either by all men, or even by majority OF men
With the spread Of what is called education n
change called refinement passes upon fiction, nut
the change brings no access of harmony. Inc neso
proof of this lies in the fact that there never has
been so fierce and prolonged controversy as 10
the SCOPE nature, contents, rights, duties ana
privileges of fiction as at the present day. In
this controversy. moreover are involved the moso
far-reaching considerations. influences prelndlces
and tendencies. Thus the admirers OF fTench art
in fiction heartily commend the methods OF the
latter TO English and American writers and readers
and in so doing not only invite, but precipla'e'
collision between two national and racial systems
Of civilization which are in many respects too
much at variance for reconciliation to be possioe'
For-and here again the horizon included under
hat &c N
simply methods of writing stories; 1t is the ques-
tion of superiority between two great systems
of ethics of aesthetics and OF art-twO almost
Numerically opposed ways of regarding existence
and its RESPONSIBILITIES Nor is it possible 10 dlS-
entangle these broad questions from any cOhSiCera-
ton OF the philosophy Of fiction; Tor hc'Ioh -
necessarily and inevitably means OF edu'a'loh'
whether for good or evil, and as such Ito
enters deeply into the national lie "nci-
ever it has any existence. 1t Is, moreover.
and ALWAYS has been essentially part ana parcei Oh
all social life. The lowest savagcs oil whom we
have any knowledge possess FOLKLORE, which Is
the most primitive form of fiction; ana AT every
stage of development the corresponding growth
of the popular art of storytelling may be clearly
followed.
The invention of printing merely gave hrmer
hold and greater chances of preservation 10 All
literature Fiction antcdated the press by many
ages and must have been coeval with the first
emergence from sheer animalism. II has ever
since been closely entwined with human progress
and it has also III every generation represented
as faithfully as the spoken word the DOMINANT
intellectual tendencies OF the time. The attempts
made at present to define the art Of fiction pre-
cisey to lay down rules for its pracuce. 10 cstao
lish certain fundamental and guiding principes
for IT, are in the nature of the case analogous to
in
mould They arc prcdcstincd TO failure for OBJ
yious reasons chief among which is the world S
failure to agree upon any one Of the points mar
,nonv regarding which is indispensable to any con-
scnsus Since no two men the external worid
alike or reason about it in the same way. how can
il ever be possible to obtain agreement as 10 INC
manner in which the world, IL it's objective anu
subjective aspects shall he described ana en-
pressed? Mr.. Thompson himself has shown the
hopeessness of this expectation by citing inc IN
stance of philosophical work written by mmseli,
which, even though treated by specialists elclted
the most discordant and irreconclable criticisms
II such contradiction be possible in regard to an
abstract subject, how can it be escaped in con-
motion with more concrete ones? In fiction
moreover external agreement by no means neces-
sarilv signifies uniformity OF view. and b
NAV both admire Thackeray. for example, yet IN
ouiry will show that their admiration rests upon
entirely different grounds, and very possibly II
may appear that the dslikes what pleaseS
the other most.
What. then, is the use Of discussing the art or
the philosophy of fiction? The use of such dis
cussion lies in the broadening OF views and the
liberalizing Of opinion which result from 1t nor
does il follow that this liberalizing must involve
ethical deterioration o. the abandonment OF any
PRINCIPLES which have been found wholesome In
For indie Is
the belief that humanity is advancing, it follows
that the prevailing tendencies must he more and
more toward the goal of true art that is. toward
the beautiful and the true. And these tendencies
must, though not immediately correct in due
time such alterations as express pessimism in
philosophy and issue in pseudo-scientific mon
strosities masquerading under no matter what
name of naturasm and realism, or the like. The
school of lola has already shown the world how
far reaction from extinct romanticsm and classic-
ism can carry the story writer. The vanished school
died because it had ceased TO satisfy the eNlgent
and instructed modern imagination, and II ceased
Z. satisfy because it offered views of life and
action having no correspondence with reality.
The new school bases its claims to acceptance upon
the scientific precision and thoroughness WIN
which il represents actual life but its fatal fault
is that il has been led 10 eNaggcrate the import
ance and value of the base, sordid and obscene
phenomena of social existence, and has cndcd III
presenting pictures not less distorted, and Tar
more ethcally untrue, than those of the preceding
school We NAV SCOT at such novels Thad-
deus of Warsaw"-to take an extreme example
but on the ground of tendency who can hesitate
between il and La Terre"? The aim OF the
one is to exalt and magnify human virtues; the
effect of the other is TO throw into the strongest
relief the most iSnote Of human vices II, IN
deed this is the worst of all possible worlds,
then the point Of view taken by Hola is the true
one But, so long as life subsists, optimism Will
he the philosophy of the sane. healthy and pro-
gressive, and pcssimisrn, which is distinctly the
note Of disntegration and decay, will he confined
10 disappointed and oyless minority. Because
Il L. ,,hn l. f1lsnlA. onllnl Naf