The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-09-18
THE AMAToRx NOVEL.

a OF
tuie of this Glass,
The history of the English novel is one
of the most fascinating subjects that al
Lures the student of literature. Almost
before he has proceeded beyond the in
troductory steps he finds himself stu
dent of life rather than of letters, the
characters and events of fiction prove
less interesting than the conditions that
influenced their production, and the rea-
sons for which novels first gained popu-
larity are far more important than any
Attractions they now possess. So also,
the few that have retained sufficient vi
tality to outlive their own generation of
readers are to him less valuable than the
many that found favor only in their
special season. Like poetry, the novel
has no limitations imposed ON its sub
jects; it may treat of all things in the
heaven above, in the earth beneath and
in the water under the earth, and most
freely does it use its liberty. The past
and the present alike unfold their
treasures and heavy drafts are made on
the future. No subject that affects the
minds or hearts of men is untouched.
Among all the varying types one has
kept steadily in favor. Affected in turn
by the successive schools, it has retained
many of it's primal characteristics. 1t
depends for its interest on no exciting
incidents, it is marked by no fine draw
ing of character 1t aims simply to tell
the love stories of men and women, and
in consequence it pleases many men and
most women. 1t is divided into two
classes, the one dealing with licit the
other with Illicit love. The representa-
tives of these classes may be called the
amatory and the erotic novel, the latter
adjective having gained, contrary to its
derivation and true significance, sinister
meanings.
The consideration of erOtic novel be-
longs to the student of morals rather
than of letters; but the amatOry novel
forms one of the most interesting schools
of fiction We do not look here for great
or enduring writing. The masters have
had more than love story to tell.
Fielding and Scott and George Eliot
wrote of life and of love as part of life;
but they used their lovers incidentally,
not effectively.
OF the amatory novel there is no
higher type than the work of Dinah Mu-
lock Craik. John Halifax, Gentle
man." after so years of urdiminished
popularity, remains still the purest,
sweetest love story in the English Ian
guage. In all her work, both prose and
poetry, the author sings but one theme,
the exceeding loneliness of love. Abso-
lutsly devoid of humor, sweetly serious
in even her hghtest moods, attempting
no critical analysis of character, avoid
ing complicated plots and exciting
events, dealing with common people in
common circumstances, by the lOftiness
of her ideals, she has won for her work
unique position in literature, while
the moral and spiritual effect of her
books is incalculable. In one respect,
Mrs. Mulock Craik differs from most of
the novelists of this school, differs so
fundamentally as to make it almost pro-
fame to class her among them. With her
love is the one altogether beautiful
thing in the world, the great motive
underlying all noble action and true
living; with the large majority of anna
tory novelists love is an emotion, fasci-
mating, enhancing, Intoxicating, moving
sometimes to spasms of heroism, but
affording no permanent guiding power
to the life. Love as a motive abides in
the soul; love as an emotion passes
through the soul, leaving it sometimes,
alas seven times more barren than
before.
Yet the emotional aspect of love has a
curious attraction for the volatile,
thoughtless reading public. The stu
dent of human nature is at loss to ex-
plain the continual interest in this sub
ject. OF course all the world loves a
lover; but this trite saying fails to prove
why all the world, and particularly his
wife and daughters, desire to have their
minds engrossed and their souls dis
turbed by the imaginary deeds of fictitious
lovers. We are almost tempted to be-
lieve that the lives of most people are
dull and unsatisfactory, that they gladly
welcome any excitement, however I'M
substantial. Failing to realize their
ideals of love and happiness they com
fort themselves with the better fortunes
of imaginary persons. But here we find
it difficult to separate the cause and
effect. The woman who has gained her
theories of the world and the people
therein from novels alone and who has
squandered her emotions in the turbu-
lent trials of half a thousand fictitious
lovers is not fitted TO be content with
life as she finds it, When Charley
Brown, encouraged by his promotion to
twenty dollar a week position, tells
her that he loves her and asks her to
keep house for him in a fat, she goes on
the supposition that she and Charley are
feeling all the fine things that book
lovers feel. Perhaps they are, but
probably they are not; and the girl who
has woven around Charley web of ro-
nance is apt to be bitterly disappointed
when he energies from his wrappings a
very human husband.
In its simplest state, the amatory
novel is sufficiently facilitating and ner-