The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-04-05

nly mean either dizziness or dirtiness, as GER
tain Of its adherents seem 10 think 1t means.
1he Future Novel, II by that Is meant tns
highest type of the novel of the future, WILL.
! think. be distinguished by what may DC
called imaginative realism. 1t will depict ma
ture in the light of imagination. Ii Will Dc
true. and therefore moral. Its author Will DC
an artist. He will have the sense OF beauty
and will not be ashamed of it,"
THE subject Of the novel, said Mr.. Charles
Dudley Warner. does not admit OF snort
treatment. and could not say in bret space
what think Of IT, may add. however that
It Is my opinion that the present dritt Is rather
10 thought than action. That the writers are
trying some # them in psychological way "
study interior rather than exterior ne.
think we shall get truth TO nature, but WIN
more ldealIty than some OF our noyellslS AZ
low do not think you represent lifeiruly II
you see il but crudely Some ideal interior IS
absolutely necessary"
Il believe" said II. II. Bogesen. that as
the world progresses toward an intellectual
maturity it will lose is delight in the roman
tic wonder story of the Stevenson and hag-
gard type | believe the tendency OF fiction
is toward a closer fidelity TO life and closer
adherence 10 the logic Of realty. Mere inge-
nuity in the devising of complicated plots
hold in slight esteem. Nothing Is valuable
except that which is true TO human nature.
and the more typically true il is the greater IS
It's value. The world began in It's childhood
with the wonder story, and the more extray-
agautly wonderful it was the better. linen IL
gradually advanced TO the point when It de-
manded possibility, and thence Though that
step is not quite completed TO probability;
There is vet another step 70 be taken. and
that is from probability 10 necessity. e., the
premises in the way of environment, char
acter. etc. being given. the progress OF the
story and its denOuement must tend
toward result irreyocably demanded by the
laws and logic of reality"
Noah Brooks thus wrote: take II ior
granted that you mean the American novel,
therefore il should be dstlnctlvely American.
treating Of life, manners and customs OF some
portion of our own country. OF course. as
our population i not homogeneous, no novel
could be distinctiyely American and not
provincial. whether the provnclallsm were
that Of New ork New England. the West or
what not II il Isl novel really and truly, II
will be- picture Of the life If the present or
the past. not of the future. it will be realistic
not vision. Unless the race changes very
quickly. Ii wlll be more or less of a love story.
ms tendencies viii be uplifting. People are
tired Of the erOtic the saacious and the nasty
iu literature. Finally. while the novel OF TO-
morrow or the day after Will dead with Ameri-
can life possibly with incidents IA our own
national history-it VIII be highly unaglna-
flye'
Dr. McCo-h declared "that the poet. the
dramat 81 the novelist dispose the elements OF
human nature IN all sorts Of new shapes ana
OBLIGATIONS in order 10 please. u arouse or
instruct rs Ii am not mistaken, poetry ana
fiction generally must be Leaf 10 deal more
aud more in eyerr succeeding age. with the
motives the sentiments and passions or man.
kind-nOt indeed IN 70 scientific OF metaphy-
steal manner. but i'm their actual concrete
forms. This is a field very much overlooked
by the aucienJs. and left over to the moderns
10 cultivate am convinced that poets VINO
would do IN these times " at the older poets
nd in thcii days must strike out path differ
ent from that in which the ancients walked
The novelist has u seems 80 me. already en-
tered on this path He has described human
u1ture or at least certain moods OF tits pas
si0us. follles. cOnslstencics andinconslstoncies
and SD his works have lad popularity IN
Old. -e latter DAYS far exceeding that IN the past
Poets are read very much m proportion
"a, they deal with mankind. The poetry Of
Shakespeare ranks higher, ! suspect IN tins
age than hat OF Milton. aud this mainly be-
c.tf-. tho former exhibits human nature ln al
most every variety OF attitude. believe tnat
as the world advances ln education and CIVIL
Zatiou and cntcrtans @ greater number and
variety Of thoughts on all subjects. and IS sus-
ccpfIble of an ever Increasing range 81
emotions. poetry must take mp the theme, the
workings of human nature, and make tins us
flyOrite subject u j. % mine oi which the
anreuts gathered only tho surface gold, but
which ], open 10 any one VINO mas courage
and strength % penetrate into It's depths and
thence 20 draw eXhaustle9- treasures As the
most inviting OF all topics 20 the poet would
point to the human soul. t. It's convictions, It's
doubts. o. IT. writings and struggles. in boy
hood and manhood. in idleness and IN hustle
T. its swaying motives, It's desperate nights
and lts crowulng cOnquests
AUGUSTA Evans Wilson said IF survival
q .l. l--h hos la N
tire strongest and highest types. 1t seems pro-
hahlc that fiction OF the future will ran along
grooves traced by the pens OF Scott, Miss
Austen Thackcray. Hawthorne and Hugo.
L Ie present trend toward prOyinclalism, dla-
lect studies AMI merely local cOlorng, which
recently dIyerged from the school OF morbid
interpretive analysis and psychologic vlyl-
section. j. already turning in the direction OF
tie novel with apurposc the novel agnOstlc,
the novel the0s0phlc, the novel archae0lOglc.
the novel h0miletic. the novel Otoplan: but
VIII genre work SO narrowly conditioned sat
isly the broadening demands OF the twentieth
refturv< Emerging from the mumbliug pes
simsm of the nineteenth century. and from
the dehing clutch of sensuousness. let Us
hope that the novel Of the future Will reflect
the frightening light of science and art, the
tender warmth of an all-embracing Christian
philanthropy the grace Wit and wisdom 81
refined and cultured society, and successfully
nIEIIttA ll illf iflIill- lttif u bANNfN'A WI ~
of noble, G0d-iearng men. and pure gentle
women. all wearing tie vivid yesture Of real
ism. animated with the immortal soul Of ideal
ism
The present day" he said. us cursed with
a vampire literature that Is a disgrace 20 the
nineteenth century. Respectable publishers
seem o. vie with one another a. 10 which one
shall get out the most sensational novel of
lewd order Modern novel writers are aping
the erOssne.s of some ancient writers and
during the past year there have been a num-
Der of publications put uyOn the market by
s1-ralled reputable dealers and authors
wh.cn are utterly unfit for circulation. Some
f these have been suppressed; many others
on Int to have been, and would have been ex-
cept for the lack of proper public sentiment.
This deluge of filth unless suppressed, will
lower and debase public morals and pave the
way for that which is worse; indeed. that
which is tolerated TO-DAY forecasts the de-
mands Of the future The tendency seems
To bee for lewd stories, and the competition
between publishers j. SO great that the AT
chivrs II foreign libraries are searched for
books Of a questionable character 70 reprint
in order 10 supply the demand. The output
for the present day is not hattering for the
future.
Strange Weakness.
rHafifav Record