The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-04-21
THE NOVEL.

entirely opposite have been the courses
II the two.
The drama began in the realm OF
shadows.
The mystery and miracle plays, with
their interludes and farces. were at
Srst only represented for instruction
At their highest development, they but
became allegories and fables. Their o
supreme use lay in the fact that they S
paye men .the ocular proof OF few
abstract traits Of human nature. II
In the Elizabethan age of literature
however, the lnterludes and farces.
blossomed into comedies and TRACE
dies, into the drama. proper. mus !
the mere struggles OF bloodiess
thoughts and feelings were followed by
the fierce conflicts of living, breathing
men and women.
Now, we can say, almost unhes-
itatingly, the novel has followed ex-
actly the reverse course.
Beginning with Richardson and
Fielding, at first, it painted only the
scenes Of actual life-the rough, wild,
good humored highwayman. inn fire.
quenters, and lawyers of the seven
teenth century.
Still retaining force, but losing
much in coarseness, and gaining much
in beauty, coloring and romantic ehiy-
airy, in the works of Walter Scott, 1t
finally reached the climax of its great
ness in Dickens, Tnackeray and George
Elliot. These three authors are our best
noyeIists, because they combine the
two extremes of good, necessary 10 their
profession. They have just, strong
knowledge of people as they appear 10
others: of people, in the ball room, in
the home-life and on the streets; and
also, of people in their spiritual con-
fiicts. triumphant or defeated.
Dickens had seen for himself. the
black misery and dark crimes OF murky
London; George Eliot had lived II
English country neighborhoods, and
; had sympathized with the simple JOYS
and sorrows of the people, hence hel
Scene from Clerical Life"
Thakeray constantly moved in thu
Z HIGHER circles of English society
- Therefore being Gentle. alike. by acct
dent of birth and gift of courtesy NJ
" was one, who without prejudice conl'
e. portray the Vanity Fair" of his time
= But the supreme power of these writer
y Is their characters are strongly indivld
: ualized types of the race.
- Thus. we find the English mover
- reached in the opening years OF this err
- the apex of its glory; since then 1T has de
= ter,orated. Theca OF which declln
is due to the popularity OF this form
- writing. Like the dramatist, move
is, should hold The mirror up to natul
on and portray the characters before hin
is Nothing extennating nor settif
augat down in malice at the san
time. he should he broad enough 10 s.
80 the kinship between these single cha
=. acters and the worlds great mass
80 characters. the human family, as sue
!. Now, in America. we have mai
sketchers Of people, but we have no o
3. artist, that is able to show the spirit
the time, (the entire time) its pressul
Ii is true. in the United States, aim'
each section has representative stol
"a .ellcr. Kentucky gives us Jan
Lane Allen; Virginia, Thos. Neis
Page; Louisiana, George W. Cable,
80 New England, William Dean Howell
But these writers are all too mario
~ their chawcteIs are local. not univ
SAL Silas Lapham is stron'
marked self-made man. distinctly
w the North. We do not even know
in the South.
The 1.-Two Gentlemen OF kentucS
he'd a colonel and his faithful slave. are
sun the author says OF them, but "1nari
owl and chlseled by destiny to serve as or
with meuts in the barbaric temple OF hun
isses bondage" They touchingly appea
Ella Southerners. but we think the =
isses Englanders would not like them.
SER And so, is this same narrowness
in of the other writers mentioned.
inns, But a few sentences back,
we're said the reason of the decline OF
they novel is. it has become too popu
Iteiy. Men steal its form and title and
the them to works utterly unlike 1t.
the as they would fitch gootl trade n
evils, and under it sell false mater
him (Only. happily. they would be
good for the latter theft.) And SO to-
per- if person has social theory
noble religious system. OF which he wisn'
seven inform the public. straightway he