The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-11-22
Art aud Mystery in Fiction.

Henry Irving, in his volume of lectures
on the drama, takes a learned view of
things and talks about Shakespeare 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 nf being true to nature,
interpreting noble emotions and all that.
He is a trile prosy in this, though elegant
enough and learned enough, and his book
Is very finely printed. But how much more
readable it would nave been had he de.
voted himself to telling some of the tricks
of his tradel
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 to make them hiss.
The public has no idea Of stopping the
show because it is made by pulling strings.
Oh, mol the public likes to be gulled, but it
also likes ~ know just how it is gulled,
though the knowledge makes Indifference.
But knowing how is amusing, just as it is
amusing to be guided in the first place.
George Mauville 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 Fiction" The
crafty novelist, it seems, knows that moth
mvstorv eor,ntLina bo ann oIn,ost ,nIor.
y+ord Int mot orito NO Lo an tho ,orro of
Lpovy;ro md unt to ,-nov, ;s rl,o e;t+in1 an
che b,.de of , ,,,eo+ Lnifo. If il ,igbtvun-
con, fortob1o T1bis tbo cr,ft - story toIlor
knows and he almost tnlIs whv Tdwina
fair+oJ v,hor canrao s,IIlnr1v +J,m,ad ~
Int be doos NOT on;fo To Ienjs Of ON foIsso
scents. He goes into perfectly eXtraneous
discussions, Turing on his unWarV reader to
believe tbat in fbosa Iearned ii.cnssionS
viii ro tho r,vcIotior Of tLo ,vstory p,+
IL isnot tbayo
An ~entirpIv now tocl m,,et IVA toLor. +ba
whole of tha focts p,,st bo ,,ona oyor aud
n yorv diNorar+ ord n,i+o uoy tLoo,,. 49,
he worknd ont So he zoos on fhfonyh the
Iybo1a LooL in ar +Lo Tor,- ond rron9 ntra
force Of circumstances he tal1s +bn einnl.
foot +L,+ u,r,v.ls all ,,,rfoot1, ,Iai,f,
Ono bas rood +La Looi, u-fitb Lraaat bGGass ~
+orost II +, f,r into +La riDh+ a,d a,n'.
COCO l. en.bod ,nd o,o,s Ir,in T. ,i,ad ,.i.L
tho evcitoment. ana tb,,,rs tbo booL do,,.,,
With tho ovci,r,tfor uXvh,t tr,ghru ",
+b,t vc,y e,r,a ,,,n r-iII raad ona,Lo, raI
rma ovsctlv of tho e,r,a chorootor nov,
wool and Il, +boso sor,a Lotto Lnrrs Lorin,,
finisbed Tho Invaovina Of tLo tanoIa11
gEein will a~cl.im ne befo,n ..VVhot
troehi,,
The reaIis+. h,vo disc1oinod rho tricks of
tho rovoIist,s tr.dn dnnnrncnd thn traohY
noveIs vrbicb iu+oroct aud bovo relorsod in-n
stoIid stuniditv sirce stoIid stuniditv thev
know is reoI and Insting for If has evi.taII
since the world beyan and win 90 on ex.
istino till the world sball endonossiblv
Ionger
Bnt why NOT tricks tn interest in the
novel inst nc one is Glad of the tricks which
tion ecapa 6ahind the cprtain. With H.,
vag1e mvsterio1s LIGHTS the chastity naIe.
ness made NV burning salt and alcohol
when the hero dies the convenient tran
doors the thunder in , horrpl-whn ,vonid
disranea vitb th..o tb;ruo from, =, rl.rs
And wbv disnansa with mvstery and Incl
don't and a burni,u nlot in - pnveIy
mt , novel h,s a doubI. niusior- .bo
,Ioy hoe Tho nm rorhous-uuLiIo q In
itsourn triols IL ,aynai. tba ,rial.s af a'
til roJo tha tr,Ia ~ Iara Taua No.
Id nan,n h,,t nat ,, ell ,aIntaai
~ II s,,hti In .r, doos haa,,ifnI "
nnette dr,w her dies into b.r wehg Son,a
Gov II i. aattn,r soma rny.tary eo,na ,ha
Lrr. of hoou,, Vat ,,ohnJv l,,ou,s ~
- 10 h. III I.I nv han Iht ~
bo Limealf Lroys thorob bo dosorihas i
III ahn,,.a i,., ta,. H. - ~ H. o
side avpn If he does pot oct at tho insi1a
D. Io'o +, - a., - ,rn1a III ~
ardIess voriation ssuch eh,das of ,naaninn
ond s,,ddan s,rnmYns s,oL ,non'ondmns
mysteries which sink snddarlv into s1cb
,idicnions facts ench iIh,eions Of n.ss;on
and nniah+v s+oILinns l., tha darti IL ig -
a,eot snLiect indaed u,orthv Of thot vost
inetitr4inn Lno,rn os +ho norol nv novaI
aIists ,aoro trona nvtbinn oIsa for +La nm
noso % roroaiina. tbo trinGs of this trpJa
RSC - oc4n 80 - IN r. III '
IF we nav ha nordonod n IittIe Siscnssion
",nS l. H. ta n"int ny aantnin
trioI', of HE nrofaHsion ipnbiaI oor,e toma
onro,yn disoonarv. NIon ;iin Toan snr
- =, ~ 4uiaH.
No. tha+rict of annoro,tas na
a woman who docs not Iowa hin, ain,nIv ba'
cause badoee not tnou, u,hot = thian ~