The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-10
LITERARY TRICKS.
The Art of Mystery in Fiction" and How
Prae.iced

view of things and talks about Shake
speare alone. and the most classical side
of Shakespeare at that. That there are
tricks of the stage he does not deny
but he never refers to them; his talk is
all of being true to nature. interpreting
noble emotions. and all that. He is d
tritie prosy in this, though elegan,
enough and learned enough, and his
book is very finely printed. But how
much more rea6a BILE it would have beer
had he devoted himself TO telling some
of the tricks of his trade.
Nothing so interests the public as to
see how the men behind the scenes gull
them, pulling one string to make them
laugh and another to make them cry
one to make them clap and another tC
make them hiss. The public has nc
idea of stopping the show because
it is made by pulling strings
Oh, no, the public likes to be gulled
but it also likes to know just how it is
gulled, though the knowledge makes
no difference. But knowing how is
amusing, just as it is amusing to be
gulled in the first place.
George Manville Fem, in the North
American, tells some of the tricks OF
his trade. that of novel writing. He
descants on the Art of Mystery in Fic-
ton" The crafty novelist, it seems,
knows that nothing is so attractive to
the reader as rich mystery. something
he can almost understand but not quite.
To be on the verge of knowing and not
to know is like sitting on the blade of
great knife: it is mighty uncomfort-
able. This the crafty storyteller
knows. and he almost tells why Ed
wilma tainted when George suddenly
turned up; but he does not quite. He
leads off on false scents. He goes into
perfectly extrapcousd discussions. Turing
on his dnwary reader to believe that in
these learned discussions will be the
revelation of the mystery. But it is not
there.
An entirely new tack must be taken:
the whole of the facts must be gone
over, and very different and quite
new theory must be worked out. SO he
goes on through the whole book, till at
the very end, from pure force of cir
cumstances, he tells the simple fact
that unravels all perfectly plainly. One
has read the book with breathless in
terest. 1t is far into the night. and
ones face is flushed and ones brain is
tired with the excitement; one throws
the book down with the exclamation:
What trash.' Yet that very same
man will read another volume exactly
of the same character next week. and
in those same late hours. having fin
ished the unweaving of tangled skein,
will eXclaim as before: What trash"
The realists have disclaimed the
tricks of the novelists trade. denounced
the trashy novels which interest, and
have relapsed into stolid stupidity,
since stolid stupidity. they know. is
real and lasting-for it has existed since
the world began, and will go on exist
ing till the world shall end. possibly
longer.
But why not tricks to interest in the
novel. just as one is glad of the tricks
which make play charming? The
Transformation scene behind the cur
tains. with its vague. mysterious lights.
the ghastly palenesS made by burning
sal and alcohol when the hero dies. the
convenient trap doors. the thunder n a
barrel-who would dispense with these
things from play And why dispense
with mystery and incident and burn
ing plot in a novel?
But novel has double mission-thc
play has the same. perhaps-while it
has its own tricks it reveals the tricks
of another trade, the trade of love
Love is an old game. but not yet fully
understood BY what subtle art does
beautiful coquette draw her flies into
her web? some say i is fattery. some
mystery, some the lure of beauty. Yet
nobody knows. unless it is the novelist.
And we rather doubt If he himself
knows though he describes ii all. shows
just how it IS done on the outside, even
if he does not get at the inside
But love Is a very pretty trade. with
such endless variations, such shades OF
meaning and sudden surprises. such
tremendous mysteries which sink sud
denly into such ridiculous facts. such
illusions OF passion and mighty stalk
ingS IN the dark Il is a great subject.
indeed. worthy of that vast institution
known as the novel The novel exists
more than ANYTHING else for the pur-
pose of revealing the tricks OF this
trade. though il often seems wonder
fully helpless
II we may I've pardoned little dis
cursion here. we would ike 70 point
ont a certain trick OF this profession
which seems 20 us our own discovery:
Manville Fem saws mystery IS the trick
OF the novelist: j. mystery not tie trick
Of the coquette? \ man adores WON
an who does not love MIN simply ~
caus&. ne does rsa. know what a thing
she = She mas hidden her~elf t.ehnsi
a maze 81 tulle and lace AMI ribbons
and blE,shes and frizzes. and loyv i q
man with Only mans EYES 20 di~tin-
gIl,hs lie can pot distinguish he sitn
81, forms = vague and beautiful ina ge.
and then he j. terribly vvtsrrss-l and
annoyed the things tnis vague Igs1ags
dos She. that i the gvsyggza 3 ts--
alnd the vague image whas sisc t~oabis.
:, ard she laughs 10 hersel: ana cuts
1p such antics.
Il Is really amusing for she ousssd7r
- see II he can saa- One = y-azs=<s-a