The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-05
LITERARY GOSSIP.

LITERARY GOSSIP.
Ordinarily u popular author of Gc,
tion sells the serial rights of his work
to a magazine and then publishes 1t In
| book form afterwards; b,N Frank X.
Stockton has fatty declined to follow
this custom with his new novel, "The
Adventures of Captain Horn" He
says: II have been asked so often
why this story was not first published
in serial form. that l VIII here say that
not only would the story have been very
| long for magazine use: but but that
did not consider It's nature adapted to
monthly publication. ! believed that.
" people were Interested In this story,
they would wan. % 50 on and read 1t.
ard not stop In the middle OF AN ad-
! venture and walt a month to see what
could happen next. For this reason.
| therefore. | deemed 1t wise to publish
the story ct once in book fo,n,.
| MIR. Stockton's remarks suggest to
the lIlhiladelihia li!ullet.n the query
whether the serl2l style of publication
Is the hest. after all. and 1t remarks:
"From an authors point o.! view, II Is
scarcely open to discussion; he Ia not
only assured OF an immediate market
for his work. but. il he retains the
| copyright. may reap additional profit
by publishing 1t In book form after
ward; but how about the artistic effect,
ON which Mr. Stockton appears to lay
! stress? Is it heightened VI lowered by
leaving the heroine cllnginE 10 q preci-
rice for whole month. until the next
| ins,alment brings the hero to har res
cue? We think the effect of this treat
ment is to turn the dramatic into the
melodramatic and make that sensa-
ticnal which should be emotional. Only
the sensational passages linger In the
readers mind, ard by the next install
ment of the story is received the details
| on which the beauty Of the whole may
depend are forgotten and only the I'M
lovely outline remains. 1t may be
Questioned too. whether the serial
story has not lost its commercial value
| to great extent. OF course, there are
exceptions. Stories like Du Maur,ers
'Trilby'-and we think MIR. Stocktons
Captain Horn would come in the
same category-take such strong pos
session of the readers mind that they
are retained from month TO month and
effort Is made, il necessary, to secure
their successive ins'talments: but there
are only one or two such stories in q
year. and as for the others. there Is a
pretty general tendency among readers
to let them go and await their appear
ance in complete form; being content,
meanwhile, TO read some of the in
Vulnerable volumes that are continually
issuing from the press. There are
many indications that the day of the
continued story Is waning rapidly"
Some one with leisure to follow deli
cate quarry should devote himself to
the genealogy of slang or to illustra-
tions of what is nothing else than
slang in the classics. For instance,
I'VE shall smile" Is in julius Caesar,
~ have been here before" is in Ros-
setti's Sudden Light" and I'VE give
ourselves away Is in Mr.. Aldrichs
sonnet on sleep.
There is in the October Bookman an
agreeable epigram of journalistic APP
plication. ''The Sun and the Evening
Post" it says, are probably the most
individual journals that are anywhere
published. People read them even
when they disapprove of their utter
ances, and read them all the more care.
fully when they disapprove. 1t is
curious that while their general stand
points are Numerically opposed to
one another. the general effect which
they make upon the mind Of the reader
Is pretty much the same-a fact which
gives point ito an epigram ascribed to
a well-known jurist, and which we
here set down with apologies to the
respective editors, who can themselves
hardly fail to be amused by It, The
aforesaid jurist having heard one of
his friends denouncing the general de-
moralization of New York. broke in
with, We'll, what can you expect of a
city with two such leading newspapers
the Sun in the morning making vice
attractive, and the Post in the even
ing making virtue odious!"
Speaking Of epigrams, two by Nine.
BarrOtin, recently published, are clever:
"The invention Of the piano derives
it's chief importance from the fact that
1t it has so immensely enhanced the
value OF silence"
"In travelling, an Englishman wants
to see everything. Frenchman to at
tempt everything, and a German to
swallow everything"
A. i. Frost has been engaged for q
long time upon a series of one hundred
and twelve Illustrations for the or
iginal Uncle Remus, by Joel Chandler
Harris, which has been revised by the
dress as one of the leading illustrated
standard books of the year. 1t is said
that the pictures, which include a gal
Jerry OF negro types as well as quaint
and delightful studies of Brer Rabbit
and his friends, represent the most
striking and original work which has
been done In this field. This fascfnat-
ing book Is to be published shortly by
ID. Appleton & Co.
I'm Defiance OF the King" Is the title
cf an American historical romance by
a rev writer. who is said to show great
rrcmsse-'Chauncey G. HOtchkiss. In
this romance there Is unfOlded a stir
ring tale OF patriotic adventure rang
ing from Lexington, the burning OF
Norwalk, the British occupation of
Long Island, and thrilling experiences
on Long Island Sound, to Benedict
Arnolds descent on New London, aad
the massacre at Fort Grisnvold. lit La a
book to appeal to Americans as a vivid
picture of Revolutionary scenes. while
the love story which is interviewer win
be found singularly charming idyl.
In Defiance Of the King" is to be pub
llshed Immediately by d. Appleton &
Co.
AUTHORS AND PUBLIsHERS
Henry Tyrrell, editor Of Frank Leslie's
Popular Monthly, has written a play In
which Edgar Allen Poe Is the hero.
Fresh pond, q beautiful sheet OF water in
a park about a mile from the home of the
late James Russell Lowell, is to be re-
christened Lowell pond.
Nine. Taine. with the assistance of her
daughter IL putting the finishing touches
to the memoirs and correspondence of her
husband. the brilliant historian OF Eng
lish literature.
An American who saw 1bsen Mt n court
ball In Norway, recently, says that the
authors small figure fairly blazed with