New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-06
HOWELLS ON FICTION
THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL NOT
LIKELY TO BE WRITTEN
AMERICAN WORK THE MOST FINISHED AMI
THE TRUEsr-oPPosrTIoN TO THE


THE rRUEsr-oPPosrrIoN TO THE
VIEWS OF NoRDAU
Among the arrivals at the Westminster Hotel
yesterday were Mr. and Mrs. William Dean HOW
ellis who have taken rooms In the apartment-house
connected with the hotel, and will probably remain
there for the winter.
Mr. Howells was seen by a Tribune reporter
yesterday and asked to say something about the
present condition Of modern American hction' ne
protested that the subject was too large one 10
be handled In brief time but was willing to touch
on few points Of II.
THE best features OF our fiction are Its finish
and its excellent portrayal OF life" said the novel;
list Next to the French ours Is the most artistic
fiction. and the truest. While no great tnree-
decker novel has been written on American SOIL
do think that much OF our work is extremely iaith-
ful to a number Of the phases OF our lie. NO
novel great proportion OF the types
which this country affords. for the range Is 100
varied. The great American novel! will not be
written I think. 1t Is more feasible for the
novelist to treat the whole National life OF Amer
lea than that OF Italy. We resemble the Italians
closest in our extreme decentralization.
AS a matter OF iact no novel yet written deals
at large with English life. or French or spanish OF
Russian Writers can do justice to fragments. out
not to the whole. 1t is oil superstition to think
they can When an artist carves out statue
he crystalizes his ideal Of beauty in one form: ne
doesn't try to make stone images OF a whole peo-
Pile"
do you think that fiction writer's are show
ing signs Of the degeneration Nordau talks or
mo: on the contrary, l think that we are I'M
proving. We combining reality to life with
beauty of style have strongly opposed the IDEAS
OF Max Nordau do not believe that the man Is
sincere.
1T is In the line Of realism that the future OF
our fiction lies ] believe and II Is here that we are
showing genuine promise have always heid
that that was the work at which the writer should
now. Nathaniel Hawthorne was, TO be sure. one
OF the greatest masters OF romance. but he mas
left successor. and do not expect TO see one
appear"
Mr. Howells declined to draw any comparisons
between the work of American writer's and that
Of the Scotch school, whose popularity has grown
so rapidly In this country He expressed himself
as plea sed with the shorter sketches OF Barrie but
said that he was unacquainted with Barrics novels
with those OF Stevenson. - ,
In speaking OF poetry he said: The American
epic is not destined 10 appear, ! think. NO epics
are being written nowadays. We have not the
Kind Of civilization requisite to produce them But
the outlook for American poetry Is on the who!e
promising"
What do you consider especially good among
recent American poems?
"Why, ! think that coored man. Dunbar. has
done some extraordinary work.. was the reply
And James Whcomb Rey's latest poem, "A
Child World IL lovely thing: Then there Is KIP
ling A. he Is an imperial Englishman We can
is unusually good. He is a Young man yet, and 4
he keeps at the pace he has set. he VIII do all
that could be expected Of him. In fact, he Is do
Ing that now"