The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-01-24
Tho True Function OF Fiction.

r~lctlon. whether in prose or verse, sine at
tempted delneatiOn OF human character ana
Duilhn acts under the particular conditions
"hlch furnish the ground work or motive
power Of the theme. All human nature =
much the same in every age. but the pdftictl-
lar actions Of men and women ae Larger! H.
nupLc ii Toy the conditions IN winch iheY are
placed. j. might be possible . take the same
-et ~ ier-Onages ana nt them int any scene,
proNiicj the customs and settings of ne -ef-
rOunulngs were changed 10 suit. The chirt
interest IN the behavior of any characters IN
nctlon u not As 10 WI IL their abstract acts
were. but rs 10 hat they were uud, peculiar
circumstances The artOf the writer then = Ia
representing. not the actions 81 me and wo-
men, but their actions uLder the limitations
90 race, age. social condition. uatIpnaity y. re-
Lyon. country. period OF tn wJr d. history,
ani all moral. political and phy. zeal ciTcum-
stances. We do not care tO know how a lot
NJ men and women behaved under he in
huence OF love. bate. jealousy. revenge.
a~Narlce. pity or repentance. What We do
want % know il. how such men and women
tei aNtd in q particular time. as m"mnsrs Of
particular races a d m the midst OF par
ticulaT surroundings. The persona es may
be raj or imaginary: their surroundings
may have been paIniei from the actual OBJ
jpct- 10y an etr-N illness. or from the imagina-
ion by .3H artist whose studies ~ the perlnd
m y qualify him To- speak with authority. lC
~ IL nirluy t0 tHr@e conditions Nn,cu gives
"a picfu G DO. chief value. We want % know
DOW peup.e lived ANA behaved an Babylon. i'm
Jerusalem. ia Greece, in Rome. on 10 the
time OF the crusades, or IN the days ~
tine FIRST French Empire. or in the
IeiOl Of the American Colonies or ~ the
South before and daring the civil war. The
entire interest In these matters centres IN the
conditions and surroundings amid which I q"
characters act. The interest i'm Homer's
liiad and odyssey has survived I 900 years.
because they tell the iiie OF zoe Greeks and of
other associated nations 10 thc earliest historic
period. II the Hebrew scriptures possessed
no 81 i'm 10 d yine sanriiY. they would have
maintained their literary and historic im-
mortality for "a reason nkethdt which obtains
with Homer. But coming down later. Naltr
scott described conditions Of Nfe 900 the Hi-D-
lands OF Scotland which no longer exist The
Highlander was as picturesque and PECULIAR
. figure as l- ne American Indian. lie lives
to-day only m the pages of scott The era Of
the Highlanders Is an important one IN The
history Of the word. and we must resort 10
scott 10 ind those Interesting ptOp'e ln their
actual lie. In Is much the same with the
episode of Robin Hood and ms merry men.
! astly more important is the era Of the
O. rusades. our American indians no lOnger
form the enormous factor I'm the social and
ana pnlltlcN me Oh lhis continent lhel once
did. They will soon exist only in the PAGES
OF history and OF romance. Then the student
OF their social conditions must betake him-
self 30 Cooper and tue rest. The swift steamer
has driven from The sea the entire brood OF
corsairs and pirates. They made picturesque
and romantic passages of life and history.
Wemust 20 10 tie books for them. Take the
social life Of our own South IN the days OF
negro slavery. There were conditions highly
romantic AID pictur sque. They have passed
away. The literature which furnishes a true
reproduction Of scenes and persDuages.
Sss00l Is nothing: pretsnsi0ns are nothing.
The character 0f The materials and tine skill!
with which they are handled must settle the
claim. But no mere delineatiOn OF character:
indeIendent OF controlling conditions and
SUR undiug circumstances, can have any
sort Of permanpuce In public esteem.-NcW
Orleans Picayune.