The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-11-22
The WORDING NIasses in Fiction.

might point out certain OF our authors who
have fo und excellent literary material among
the wor King classes. but that 10 would disable
the thee Wy he had been at some pains TO build
up. Mr.. Qsiller-COuch is suffering from "a
widespre, vi ignorance Of the facts" if he as
serts that there are no American writer, who
turn their attention to life among tho
lOwly," as the old fashioned phrase runs.
Henry james. 1t Is true. deals almost exclu-
sively with the nobility and gentry: but he
can scarcely be regarded as a typical Amert-
can novelist. His inclinations are cosmopoli-
tan rather tn On patriotic. and he is never less
happy than Ill writing of his native land.
Arthur Sherbl1rne Hardy. Bishop and Craw-
ford also choose their characters mostly from
upper social strata, while Bunner has ven
tured into both fields. and done equally well
in each. Aldrlch. as a prose writer. shows a
natural atnnlty with those fine and subtle
human phases calculated 10 appeal to a poetic
mind, his lightly sportiye humor and delicate
fancy illuminating the chosen theme. We
DO not look tor rude strength from him. any
more than we would expect q Jeweler 10 be-
able 10 do tho work of an ~iron-puddler.
towels himself has written somewhat of the
" orklnS classes, and 1t Is evident that he is be-
CO. ming less and less in sympathy with the
'pf osperous plutocrat.' rs time goes on.
Auo ~ the writer's who have devoted them
selya to the delineation OF humble
lives Miss Murfree takes a prominent
7 lace. Her mOuntaineers. with their con
e I 49, fANA fHNAAA III AlLAVA1 hIu ]
theiT cru ie virtues and wees. are genuine Ma
tlopat pro ducts. Johnson and Harris. tor the
most I art. ind their material among the ne
groes. who may be considered the pessAntry
the .Sorn n, and the poor whites who.
thoi,gh in IN. sense they NAV belong 10 the
class are scarcely reckoned as "our
best society Nor Is II TO our best society
hat Bret Hart / Introduces us as a rule. We
associate. rather ,wlth miners. gamblers, cat
! e-herders. waits IF humanity. rough dia-
nonds, children OF / ature' and 90 forth. lie
prefers the roughly N Iureslue side OF life as
}ar. Roaring Camr. Poverty Flat and
one Star Mountain. joss, n klrkland pictures
ertain aspects Of Westea n farm life; and
iamlin Garland. with nor, > trenchsnt pen.
escribes the tilers of the pm TIC sou IN their
erce struggle with stepmothel earth aud eX-
ton deals mostly with " esternl ie as II was =
nlrty or forty wears ago, when the. men deINed 4
the women span, like Adam IN l I've IN /
he old dlstich: when the cornshuch ng trolc a
nd the religious revival represenfe. social
version and intellectual stimulus. mary
and Sarah Jewett take the small arm.
10 village street. the county almshOusa, ms
chosen ground; making rustic stEA les
faithful IN their way as Thomas Hard, 3 =
essex scenes. Mrs. Phelps Ward has "A ~
ded weakness for fisher folk and othee
workers; and although she is IL
med 70 grow u little hysterical over their
oes. her sympathy and comprehension are
Try evident.
1t is a curious and not easily explainable
CT that our fiction writer's have neglected
most entirely the working classes of the
~. Alice Wellington Rollins's Uncle Toms
sstament' is a book with a purpose" and
mot exactly be classed "a a novel pure aud NJ.
nple. There is an outcast New York as we'll N,
an Outcast London. but no George Gissing !
3 come forward as yet 70 depict our Of
'ether World" In the oid-time senti- vii
entail novels the noble artisan and the beau ual
al wOrking-gIrl were characters frequently ges
.rOduced; but they were evolved solely tol
IN the writer's faccld imagination. The .as
tlsan was placed in all sorts of startling ~
which enabled him 10 fold his arms str,
lIesticaily and assert the dignity Of 10
The beautiful young sewing girl. She
more refined, elegant and cult
ed than her proud employers-and
by intuition. ~tOo-found leisure. in the r
eryals of weeping over the ball dresses Of tior
petted child of luxury. TO captlyate q duke sori
at the least. a millionaire. We don't care bur
that kind OF stun in these dsys. HOwells r
nks that no class in America would like oth'
life of a workman shown in literature as
-eally Is, and his condition painted as hope NJ
5 as the condition Of ninety-nine wOrkmen -
OF every hundred isl But this Is too
eeplng. We have among US a class of
doris, small to be sure. but steadily increas-
p, who are intelligently interested in the
rkaday side OF human existence. and be-
o that our tctionlsts might proftably con-
n themselves with it. 10 is not a /ola who
be needed for this task: but rather n
ter who. while he Is not afraid to face ac-
lIties. Will have eyes TO see that proper
/ Of good which exists in all places 4
the earth, and can appreciate !
value OF humor no less than \
tragedy. If some fiction writer n
genius had gathered the material XII
tanned ID Jacob Riis' remarkable book. d.
0w tho Other Half Lives no might have M
to a wonderful novel out of IL. Where ~
Id we find q more hopeless tragedy than B
story OF the Woodworking young couple u
took poison together, because they were
ed =" Iiredi-how much that little
i implies. Sooner or later there will arise
,ur country some fiction writer able %
re splendidly such material as this. As -
stand at present Howells Is our only "i
equal TO the task. If he should care M,
It. He has the adequate SYM r..
Y and insight and genius aud his two ~
IS, "A Hazard OF New Fortunes" and or
% Quality Of Mercy now IN course OF
.lcatiOn, show that his deepest interest &c
'Oused by tho strenuous life IF action. IL
or than the cobwebby problems OF the
Orleans Times-Demo- sf
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