The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-24
WOMEN OF THE FICTIONISTS
Writers, Both Early and Modern, Have
Not Represented the Sex Correctly.
Supplied with Qualities They Do Not Possess
They are Declared to be Types. Though
Their Like Is Not Found in Real Life.

Science Siftings.
The most repulsive character in all liter
ature-that of Sin In Paradise Lost"-is
represented as q woman. Milton was preju-
diced against the sex, and never did Ii
justice from any point of view. To what
extent later writer's have been influenced
by his example in this respect We cannot
surely know. but it is certain. at least.
that they have too often echoed his
tone of general disparagement. It is
only now and then that woman gets
what we call a fair show In works
purportlng to tell the whole truth about
her. The heroines of the novels and dra-
mae are, as a rule. only of fragmentary
correctness; they stand for conceptions of
feminine nature which can be verified only
IN spots. so to speak. The fact is to be con-
sidered, of course. that woman in tho alb
stract is an acknowledged bewllder-
ment, but 1t does seem. neverthe-
less, as if those who make q
study of her might present her more
accurately In the form of individual types.
She has been written about in q greater
measure han any other one object in the
universe. and still it is practically impossi-
~ " III 9 III OOOho oho Oh VIC othsOu 10
she is In actual life. We get mere glimpses
where We should have complete pictures,
owing to the manner in which the reality
Is blurred with mistaken fancy and idle
conjecture.
1t is said that the Greek sculptor was
compelled to select from seven models the
radiant charms TO compose his Venus ris-
ing from the sea; and the heroInes of litera-
ture are necessarily constructed after the
same piecemeal fashion. That is to say.
the average heroine is q combination of
qualities drawn from different sources, and
the selections are seldom or never made
with consistent and proper dIscrimina-
ton. Thus we are shown an
order or women in whom art copies
nature only to confuse the understanding.
and to make facts have the effect of false
hood by reason OF their forced relation to
each other. They are true in a sense. but it
Is a sense that misleads when we come to
makes application of the knowledge so OBJ
tanned. We readily discover that the wom-
en- OF our daily acquaintance do not har-
monte with these literary characters. Not
all of our skill and all of our patience can
tit them into a common groove and causo
them TO have uniform manifestation. The
points of difference are fundamental. and
we are accordingly bound TO see that the
idea Is q misrepresentation. or that the
actual Is fettered by conditions which pre-
vent it from living mp to the theory of its
existence. n in either event our informa-
ton IS UNSATISFACTORY.
ALL HERoINEs ARE BEAUTIFUL.
For the most part writers are agreed as
TO the mstter of making their heroines beau
tiful. They consider il a breach of,logIc.
as well as of taste. apparently. to depict n
woman who is lacking in attractiveness of
face. form and manners. Homely and awk-
ward women are excluded from their calcu-
lstionA The right of beauty 90 rule and