Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-02-10
TWO STYLES or FICTION.
Comparison Of the Greatest Englfsh and
Greatest American Novelists- /

I Comparison OF the Greatest English and
S Greatest American NOvelists.
Especial Correspondence
! New YORK, Feb. Robert Louis Ste
| venson is IN receipt of many 1tters from
( those who admire his writings, and who de-
! sire to write fiction themselves, asking
him if he will not give some advice for be-
| ginners or tell the story of his own early
experiences, so that this account might be
| of value to others who have literary ambi-
| ton. Mr.. Stevenson could not expect at a
great expenditure of time to reply to all
these letters so that he has determined to
answer all Of them 90 one time and in one
article, With will give an account of how
be came to write his first book and Incl
dentally some story of his early struggles
in literature
1t will be a fascinating sketch, because
those who have known what Mr.. Steven
sons early struggles were have sometimes
wondered that he had the perseverance to
continue in the face of so many discourage
ments and such frequent rejection of his
manuscripts. Many persons suppose that
Mr.. Stevenson made hit with his first
book, believing that first book to have been
.'Dr. Jeykll and Mr.. Hyde" But that is
because Stevenson had been heard of by
only comparatively limited number up to
the time of the publication of that allegory,
for in his opinion "Jekyll and Hyde" is
nothing but an allegory suggesting the
double nature which is inherent in man
kind.
There had been years of incessant, ex,
hausting toll and discipline before Mr..
Stevenson was able to put the fancies OF his
brain into such shape as would command
public approval. The story of "Jekyll and
HYDE" for instance, was very long III devel-
Opment, although it was written almost as
swiftly as was DIR. Johnson's ''Rasselas,"
which johnson wrote in a few days; that he
might raise the money to pay the expenses
of his mothers funeral.
The idea which subsequently developed
into the story of ''Jekyll and Hyde" was in
Stevenson's mind for a long time. He tried
to formulate it many times, but without
such results as were satisfactory to him.
He had almost given up the hope of being
able to produce story which should sug-
gest the idea Of dual nature of men, when
one night, finding himself at an old fash
toned inn somewhere in England, Il storm
raging without and he having DO other
companion than the fire in The CRATE, there
flashed in his mind as by inspiration what
writing that story. In moment he began
it, and writing with what for him was un
usual speed he completed it, not expecting
that it would prove any more popular than
some of the other sketches which he had
previously written. 1t surprised him and
of late years has somewhat annoyed him
to know that his fame was built upon that
story.
Publishers say that today Stevenson is
by long odds the most popular writer of fic
ton, at least of fiction which is read by
English speaking people. His latest short
story, 1.-The Ebb Tide" had very great
success when published serially, and the
advance demand for copies in book form in
dictates that the edition may possibly be as
large as that of any of his other novels, ex-
cepting possibly Treasure Island" or ''Je-
kyll and Hyde"
Those who have been reading with inter
est Mr.. Howells' papers on his literary pas
sions, which are really series of sketches
describing the manner in which he was at