The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-13

from the h. day on [Author Of =" \ Yellow
peeted to put the novel upon the market.
Mrs Wards earnings from this book, add
ed to those which she has received from
David Grieve" and Robert Elsmere, :"
Will make her a wealthy woman and can be
compared only with the earnings Of Dick
ems and George Eliot. Thackeray did not
receive SO much for all his novels as Mrs
Ward will gain from her three stories.
The interest N this novel has been so
great that the critics of the leading news
papers and writers for the magazines have
besought the publishers for advance copies,
and one very unusual paper has already
! been published ia review, which furnish
es study Of the novel written before that
book was in the hands of the public. This
writer declares that the public interest in
the story is justified, and that it will prob
ably take rank with the greatest novels
produced in the English language.
There has been a great deal of comment
over a recent development Of fiction illus
trated by such works as 1.-The Heavenly
Twins, =" A SuperAuous Woman" and "a
Yellow Aster.' These novels, each Of
them written by a married woman, have
had very great sale, but there ere in
| dications that already a reaction has begun
against the neurotie novel, such as these
are, and it is expected that this story of
''Marcella" by Mrs. Ward will do very
much to hasten this reaction.
In one OF the most ably edited newspa-
pers of this country there appeared recently
a very brilliant criticism Of such works as
''The Heavenly Twins and "a Superflu-
Gus Woman" The article stripped off the
mask behind which the motive of these
books was hidden and revealed it to be real
~ most distressing and almost hysterical
purpose on the part of certain able
though misguided women. The writer
asked If it were true now that women are
SO completely monopoliZing the field of TO-
mantle and neurotic fiction that as their
ability to write increases their motives
and lessons deteriorate. That this sur
mise is not correct is indicated by the
universal interest which the publication
OF this latest work of Mrs. Ward has
created, by the very great attention which
is being attracted to the latest serial of
Mrs Margaret Deland, which is now run
ming in The Atlantic Monthly, and by the
extraordinary talent for sustained work of
the highest order which Miss Mary VIII
kins is revealing in her latest serial, Penn
broke"
The fiction which these three women
are producing is of the highest quality of
art, splendid dramatic power, healthy in
every impulse, ard justifies the claims of
those who have been asserting that the
great novelists of this and the next gener-
alton are to be women who have wrested
the laurels from men. Some of the ablest
critics believe that there are men still Ca
pable of writing a story of pre-eminent
ability, but that men of such capacity have
been tempted into other fields of endeavor
where the promises of influence and
wealth seem TO be greater
We may hear something of a young
American author during the year. He
had written n short story of some 90, 0oe
words and had it rejected by is publishers.
1t came back to him the last time so thumb
worn and dingy that he was almost ashaIn-
ed TO send it out again, but he determined
to try once more and sent it TO the editor
Of st. Nicholas. In a few days he received
a note from Mrs Dodge saying that ST.
Nicholas would accept with very great de-
light the story and would begin the pub
location at an early day. These numerous
reflections and the final acceptance BY SO
fine critic as Mrs Dodge indicate, accord
Ing TO the precedents, that the story will
make hit. & ]. EDWARDS.