The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-17

likely to rank among the master works
Here is a story wherein the elements
Of the real and the fantastic are so
adroitly mixed that. according as 1t
falls into the hands OF the young or Of
the middle aged, 1t will be perused with
breathless interest as q truthful record
Of adventure. or with the smile Of
qualification which rewards the happy
tour de force. Mr.. Hope has hit upon
the only viewpoint and the only mode
of narration suited to the disclosure
Of the abnormal and the marvellous
at this end of the century. Careful to
avoid an intimation Of skepticism on
his own part. he shows himself keenly
sensitive to the skeptical temper of his
time So, when Of bewildering compli-
cations and moving accidents, dis
astrous chances, and halrbreadth
escapes II is his lot to speak. he does
not grip you with a skinny finger and
hold you with glittering eye. but
draws his chair up to yours in a club
smoking room and tells his tale be-
tween the whiffs Of cigar. You may
laugh. he seems to say, but you shall
listen, and listen. indeed, you do. You
listen as no doubt in Bagdad the Sui
tan listened through the Thousand and
One Nights, not caring much whether
what he heard was verO or ben trovato,
but held from sleep by intensity ." in
terest, and devoured with curiosity as
to what would happen next. With re-
gard to "Phroso," the book before us.
we care not how sated and cynical a
man may have become. we defy him to
lay it down If he once takes 1t up; he
will finish it at sitting and count a
nights rest well lost. The author
plays with our curiosity as we play
with hooked trout; there Is something
bewildering in the multiplicity Of Incl
dent, something almost labryinthine in
the concatenation Of the plot. A dozen
times we think we see only plain sail
Ing In the story, and dozen times
some unforeseen and troublesome OBJ
stacle pops up. Yet we recognize later
unexpected; that the dnlooked-for OBJ
struction to the quick termination Of
the tale was not arbitrary or casual,
but the probable. If not the inevitable
outcome Of the situation and the ac-
tion. Viewed merely as an example
of intricate yet methodical construc-
tion, "PhrOso" deserves high commen-
dation, while as regards invention, it
contains materials enough to furnish
forth a dozen novels of the ordinary
type.
We have no intention of forestalling
the readers pleasure in the slightest
degree by outlining the adventures Of
Lord Wheatley and the Lady Euphro-
syne. Lord Wheatley himself shall tell
their story, for the book Is auto-bio-
graphical in form, a form which rem
ders it difficult for the hero of a tale
to do Justice to himself without incur
ring the imputation of being either
braggart or prig. The pitfalls Of an
autobiography are skilfu!ly avoided in
this instance; we scarcely know which
Of the lovers to like or envy more, for
both make US well understand why
since the days of Byron an English
gentleman and Greek lady have been
deemed an ideal combination. The ar
dent sympathy. which both elicit, sup
plies conclusive proof that the author,
while not protesting to be an adept in
the projection Of character, Is really
capable of sterling service In that much
eulogized field Of art. Not only Lord
Wheatley and 'PhrOso," the pet name
by which EuphrOsyne will be recalled
by those who love her, but the Turkish
Pasha who figures as their redoubtable
antagonist, are firmly drawn upon the
canvas. and stand out sharply in the
memory. With the one additional re-
mark that the adaptability of the story
to the stage, jumps as the French say,
at the eyes, we leave the readers of Mr.
Hopes new novel,, whose name will be
legion, to the delight in store for them.
Apropos Of the current invasion OF
America by two Of the foremost scrbes
Of Scotland, the Rochester Post-Ex"
press observes: That genius is merely
the capability for concentration and
hard work is acknowledged by all who
have achieved success In any walk of
life In no vocation Is this truer than
in the pursuit Of letters. 1t Is also true
that no work bears SO little the i'm
prints of toll as literary production.
The we'll written essay or story reads
so easily that the mind fails to COM
prehend that each word was selected
with the same precision and care that
a bridge designer displays in determin-
ing in advance the exact size of each
piece of iron and stone that enters into
its construction. Lacking the ele-
ments of harmony and perspective in
construction, force and precision in the
choice of words. literary effort is
Of no value, replete as 1t may be with
virile ideas. There Is a school Of ad-
vanced realists today who deny that
style Is an essential in literature. It Is
duction outside of q transcript of the
life which environs the writer Is not
literature. That Is to say, the farmer
must write the bucolic novel; the sailor.
the sea stories; the soldier the war
romances; and so on without end. The
possibilities are infinite. The qualities
Of framed writer are not to be con-
sidered. To one possessing a grain of
mother-wit such assertions are anus
ing. They do no harm, while they af-
ford their propagators q decided pleas
ure.
Another theory Of these latter-day
verltists Is that production to be of
literary value ought to be written but
once. Revision saps the vitality, the
truthfulness of an impression. This
utterly fallacious theory explains
many Of the crude productions that
are being printed today; for, strange
as 1t may seem, this school has many
followers whose books have had a GER
tain popularity. Realistic fiction is the
cry Of the hour, Realism indeed, the
very term Is not only hoax but a par
adoX. The flctionist can not be real
ist He may choose his types from ia
miliar characters, his scenes may be
drawn from personal familiarity, but
the action, the dialogue, the denoue-
ment are creations Of the Imagination.
Zola, himself. is a romancer. He Gre
ates, he does not report. 1t is a popu-
lar belief that a story with a somber
or revolving finale Is a piece Of real
ism. This is as false as the theory Of
realism In fiction. There is but one
realist-the newspaper reporter. His
work alone Is transcript Of life's
ironies and pleasures from day to day.
o.
In this age Of rather slip-shod work
1t is pleasure to know that we have
visiting this country two Scotch writ
ers who hold their art so high that the
slightest carelessness constitutes
crime. Barrie and Maclaren are ex-
amples Of what careful, conscientious
work Will accomplish. Barrie writes