The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1895-08-31
SCHOOLS OF THE NOVEL.

had been exiled into france.
Here he diligently did all those
things which he ought not to have
done, and left undone all OF those
things which he ought to have done.
When, therefore, he returned to bis
native land, he brought with him the
gaiety. brilliancy and dissoluteness OF
the French court. From the gloom OF
Puritainism. emerged the glaring age
of the Restoration. Men whose natural
desire for pleasure and enjoyment had
so long been kept in check, now
plunged into the opposite extremes.
All restraint was gotten rid OF, and at
twenty they began sowing their wild
oats. and did not stop sowing them
until the pale Reaper Death, cut them
off in the prime of life or in old age.
The drama of this period reflects the
| life of the time. 1t is degraded, coarse
and even stupid.
At last writers turned from this de-
partment of literature and bethought
them of another form in which they
/ might portray human life and human
character. Daniel Defoe wrote fiicti-
tious narrative of man shipwrecked
on lonely island. He told the hard
ships, the experiences, and hopes, and
fears If his hero. The story he called
..Robinson Crusoe" 1t marks the be-
ginning of a new era in letters, the era
of the Novel.
i The differences between the novel
and the drama are many. 1. The
drama represents man in action.
Othello marries Desdemona, defends
himself before the Venetian senate
goes, as commander of troops to
Cypres, listens to lagos ISLANDERS,
smothers Desdemona, then kills
himself. Each scene is acted be-
fore us. 2. The drama admits OF no
descriptions by the author. He cannot
comment on his characters save by
means of some pcsmage OF the story.
, Iago may say Desdemona is passing
; fair or beautiful, but Shakespeare can
not say it. 8. If there is moral t.
the drama, the reader must find it out
for himself. 4. The drama is OBJ
F.. iective, and deals with events. Above
all else, it is condensed. 1t il
the hardest and the highest style o.
g writing.
a The province of the novel is thai
of the drama broadened and made
. easy. In it life, charaetew personages
! religion and what not, may be DIES
q crlbed, and alas! at any length.
q 1t also affords good chance to-
. Egotism to parade itself. Needles
to say. it is by all odds the most pop
u ular mode of writing. Indeed. Robin
son Crusoe has had SO many success
ors that now to call a book novel.
It almost as indefinite as to call it book
n There are novels and novels, and i
2 order to get any idea Whist kind
books they are, we divide them int
% classes or schools. The novel is prop
e erlv divided into six schools: Tn
e Colossal. the Melodramatic, the RI
a mantle, the Realistic, the ldealisti
il and the Mystic.
" The Colossal school OF art attract
% attention by the marvellous. Its CHI
a. aim is to excite wonder. 1t ignore
probability and the facts of actual lif'
TO it belongs such stories as Jack an
"a the Bean Stalk. Aladdin and II
i. Wonderful Lamp. Gulliyer's Travel
etc.
:! The Melodramatic school of art
ie mixed affair. 1t does not lay !
o. scenes in wonderland, yet it is fanta
,e tic and untrue. 1t is exaggerative
) incident, exaggerative in language an
STACEY in description. In it woms
as is au angel, OF fiend, man is 9
fl, heroe or william. The colors are la
~ on the canvas with decision. Eve
thing is black or white. There are no j
termediate shades. The heroe invari
bly, has godlike brow .and intense pa
sionate brown eyes. lie spends most
~ his time practicing elocution. : e, wal
/, ling up and down his richly furnish
nc apartment, making gestures and
~ citing long descriptions of his feeling
he The heroine is beautiful; her chi
re accomplishment being able to TAI
on the right occasion. She spcn
Oh most of her time posing at the windo'
ay looking out on the moonlit night. n
ge pale classic face just touched by t
es silvery rays of the crescent moo
Probably. it is owing to this circuI
nv stance Of being SO constantly touch
ers by the rays of Luna. that she is, IN
mild sort of way, a lunatic.
The events of the story are all
ca impossible. Rider Haggard is an
IN. ample of this school.
1ill The Romantic school OF art is pi
uresque and full of coloring. 1t pr
a. trays love and chivalry in the extren
~ 1t abounds in moving accidents
re flood and field, of hair breadth escaF
in the imminent deadly breach"
1t does not analyze character,
life cause it deals with the surfaces
on events rather than the causes Life
18th painted as series of pictures. ,
plot is intricate, dramatic and Ill
her with surprises.
;,h The Romantic school is best rep
ra- sented by Sir Walter Scott. Most
,sh his stories are situated in the Age
Chiyalry. There are in them. vivid q
criptions of Crusades, tournemer
lie, besieged castles and gorgeously dress
We Knights and ladies. He is obiecti
as and keeps himself out OF his move
her Bulwer Lytton, also has been Class
with this school. but we consider D
nu- melodramatic.
ar. The Realistic school of art is a
ms action against the Romantic. The
h,s alists do not look to the past for