New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-15
THE NOVEL IN MODERN LIFE.

The place Of the novel in contemporary life
Is a question that has not received the attch-
ton II deserves. II Is easy 10 accept the asser-
ton, undoubtedly true a few years ago. that
fiction Is one Of the potent influences In modern
civilization and that mulitrides OF men ana
women uncOnsciously take their views OF lire
and destiny from It, But few people who study
the matter carefully and inellgcntly Will feel
themselves able now TO accept this assertion.
The other day. at gathering Of literary men,
a gentleman who had In his young manhood
been "A voraciouS reader Of the great standard
novels declared that when he reread these
novels now they utterly failed to please him.
much less TO influence his character as they once
had done The most powerful Of them seemed
To be little better than more or less Interesting
word puzzles, whose answer had little bearing
on the real life of to-day: and he went on to
explain this remarkable change In his point Of
view by saying that modern life had become
vastly more Interesting than any possible tran
script Of II that could be made by the novelist.
If this is true Of the old school Of romantic flc-
ton, which recognized no metes or bounds In
the portrayal Of human life, 1t Is much more
true Of the modern realistic school which ap-
pears to limit itself TO snapshots Of aspects OF
life that lie Immediately on the SURFACE.
That there Is a large measure Of truth I'm this
view ~ the matter will be- admitted by every
one who looks with clear eyes on the complex
drama II modern HE. No novelist, however
gifted with imaginative insight or knowledge
Of the world can to-day hope 10 draw true
and llfelike picture Of the forces and tendencies
at work In modern society. For many OF these
forces and tendencies are impalpable and in-
visible. even when they are most powerful. An
epic of human life. whether II takes the form
OF n poem or novel that shall touch the heart
by Its vivid truthfuncss can only be written
In an age In which men are moved irr"SstlDy
for good or evil by Sew master passions, ana
In which their conduct IL modified by none OF
the doubts and reservations that modern prog
ross has Injected into the arena OF thought
Human life IA II Is today. its dissatisfaction
with the old formulas It's eager quest for new
truths It's compexlty Of aim and motive, its
dim consciousness that IL il standing on the
threshold Of mysteries soon 10 be laid bare
which will rcvolniIonIzc its methods Of think
ing-very little Of this can be put into book.
And when book is written in which the al
tempt Is made the leader rises from its per'isal
with the feeling that. after ALL he has only been
following the movements OF skilfully construct
,.d manlkins. To understand real life. and feel
It's powerful impulses. one must take part In
H. and not read about II.
II is perhaps. too much 10 assert. rs some do,
that the novel Of to-day is only written for. and
appreciated by. the Young Person" But the
fact must bc admitted that The vocation Of the
modern novelist. Ike that ~ The modern preach
cr. has been profoundly Influenced and modified
by the complex forces and tendencies that are
creating IA new civilization ont Of The old. The
ir1c teacher ana mouldrr OF secular thought
today l. not the novelist with his collection Of
venerable stage properties. but che scientific In
vcsiigatur who with no desire for glory or re-
ward. spends his Ifc as priest In the temple
If frlih.