Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-09
Prof. Boyesen's Views Of Fic-
ton Undergo a Change.
AN AUTHORS GREAT INCOME.
Turuonlea's complim9nI-SOmo New Letters
Of Mrs. caflylo-Mrs Burneifs Advice
10 BOYS John Burroughs viii
Write About Walt whitman.

For The Sunday Gazette: ~,
New York. April 5.--Professor HAL
mar Hinrtb Boyesan told me the other
day that be was hard at work on volume
OF essays on scandinavian literature sew
erai of these viii be- published M peri
Odicals before their collection IN q DOCK.
/ suppose that Professor BOyesen mas
done more than any one else III TINS
country 20 make Scandinavian authors
known to American readers. a Scauui-
nayian himself he Is naturally enthnsi-
aStir over the literature OF ms own
land: but his tastes are catholic and he
gduirps the best work OF all the modern
schools provided IL Us realistic. l was
surprised 10 discover from our cOnversa-
ton what an ardent realist he was
When j was a young man. be snld.
81 was a pronounced rOmunticist. My
FIRST aud. curiously enough, my most pop
ular story. 'Gunnnr is wholly romantic.
There are many passages IN 1t that 4
should be Incapable of writing now. Al,
yes. romauticism b. delightful in It's way,
but as | have grown older literature has
become more and more serious 20 me.
We do not want prettiness In literature,
but reality. When did ] change from a
rOmluticist 10 ryuistt Wei. the
change began very soon after / published
before that time % know Turgenie1, Che
great Russian realist-he, by the way,
WIS the most interesting literary man
that / have ever met. He was good
enough 10 take interest In my work
aud | got into the habit OF sending
him everything that l wrote. His letter
10 me after reading Gunnar was chdrac-
terstic, There was not one word Of
praise IN it-hc very rarely pruised-but
he singled out one bit OF description and
told me that iu il 1 had evidently given
the result of actual observation. that Us.
that ! had reproduced a renl thing This
set me- 10 thinking and the result was
that my ideas upon the literary art be-
dtne transformed. ] saw that literature
had serious purpose; that IL must re-
produce life. aud 20 reproduce life has
been my aim In all of my later work.
Whit do / regard as the most difficult
achievement in novel writingi | should
say uuhentauugiy, natural characterize
ton. always judge q writer by his abil-
lty 10 portray real men and women. MIR.
ltuwells has done this with distinguished
success DO ! think that people In life
should be transferred bodily into novels
BY no means. Yet / believe of course
that human nature should be- studied at
FIRST hnt d; In my own case | never CON
sciously reproduce the people that | have
known. but | always build up my chnrac-
ters from the material that my observa-
ton of people has given me In my
latest novel, for instance, Social Strug-
glers, built up one of the leading fe-
male characters from n young girl whom
l had met only twice, but whose person
ality Impressed me- II struck me at The
time that she would make an admirable
character Tor u story, and the impress
sion chat She gave me formed the nu-
cleus of the study / afterwards made
from the notes | had jotted down at the
time This character mas been comment
ed upon considerably 10y my friends,
who have told me that IL seemed TO
them particularly vivid
When asked Prof. Boyesen what he
thought of literature as profession IN
this country, he replied IL would not
advise any one 90 try TO make It the
mems of gaining his livelihood. \ few
authors who have made distinguished
regulations and have received enormous
sums for their work can do this, but
even with them the constant strain OF
writing must be great. As for myself,
i combine writing with teaching, and /
find the combination delightful. For
one year OF my life | WIS exclusively. a
mnn of letters aud earned my living by
my pen; but this year was very hard
one aud | shouldn't care TO repeat IL. !
used 10 70 TO my desk NJ nine O'Clock
and write all day long, from nine o'clock
until six with short Interruption for
luncheon OF course, such an eXertion
could not De kept M for many years.
One author Of my acquaintance who de
votes himself wholly 10 writing has told
mo that he is unable 10 work more than
three hours day; II he goes beyond this
limit he Is sure TO feel the strain. More
over the pursuit of letters In this country
in IA ideal way is very difficult, for what
4 N ltH A..
appreciated, The public and the critics
In spite Of all our preaching, like romance
ard clamOr for IL. The work of the crit
les seems TO me TO Ice very deplorable,
many OF these are unframed youths who
have very little fitness for their serious
duty. From my own experience / can
say that there are fow critics who realize
What an author is driving nL now and
lhen, however | have felt repaid for all
my labor 10y two or three admirable
truclSms which showed me that the
writers had caught MY point There are
n any people who take q more or lpss
cCntemptuous view of fiction and this
view ~ my opinion rs due TO the frivO-
lous work of the romRntCists. Fiction
lhat reproduces life that teaches the
real lessons of life Is OF great importance.
II Il does not lead 20 better action on tbe
pfrt OF rs readers, il M least prevents
dangerous on Vicions action"
Mrs Louise Markschenel. the literary
editor OF the Toledo Journal. has made
discovery which promises TO lead no a
new aud Important addition to CARLYLE
literature II seems that sister of
Sariyie's Mrs. Janet Carlyle Hanuing
mas Tor many years been living la Can.
ada, about forty miles from Hamilton
Ont Mrs. Markschehel heard this Sis
yer had Ia her possession number OF
CaHyle's unpublished letters. Size made
me acquaintance of Mrs, Hanning. who
permitted her to see tie letters and Car.
iYle's will, which has never been mn
hshed, aud she discovered that tbesa
gave an entirely different Impression AZ
Sanlle as a man from that Produced Nv
Mr. troudes "Reminiscences. Tbe Nil,
Is document of i've foolscap pages ma
aoounds Ia small legacies aceolni,apieG
with expressions Of affection far thasa
remembered. Mrs Markscheifel has IN
mined Mrs. Hannings permIss;on ~,
publish both the letters and Tie viii my
they will probably be given 10 the ,,orii
before many months She has nlso ~
cured copy Of picture of Carlylos,
STUDY m his home In Chelsea which Viii
be reproduced. Mrs Hannine. aecnrila ~
20 her description, is Quaint retic,nt
olU lady Of eighty, with marked Scotnh
accent and o profound reverence ~. u,
NnIlnnTrH stNh hon Ha