The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-02
THE NOVELIST STEVENSON
HARMONIC HAIL PACKED TO HEAR
PROFESSOR PHELPS LECTURE.


stevenson's Place Among Contemporary
Writer'S Reasons for Believing That He
VIII be u Classic Charac teristios of His
Writings-Splendid in Style and Strong
in Depicting Character and Incidents.
The University Extension manage
ment will have to try again If it intends
to secure hall large enough to accom-
MEDIATE all who attend the lecture
course on Modern Novelists" now be-
ing given by Prof. William Lyon
Phelps. Harmonic hall was tried last
evening, but while 1t accommodated
more people than the United church
chapel it did not accommodate all who
turned out last evening to hear the
| lecture on Robert Louis Stevenson"
| Those who came trifie late, expect
| ing to get seats readily, got left, stand
| ing around the doors and in the aisles.
1t might be well for President Hitler
and his lieutenants to consider renting
| the armory or the Hyperion.
| The lecture last evening was one OF
the most interesting thus far In the
course. The Novelist Stevenson and
his writings were treated by Prof.
Phelps in the clear, forcible and enter
tanning manner, giving to every listen
er a deeper interest in the writings or
the novelist and much assistance for
reading them intelligently and profit
ably.
He said that Stevenson was an essay
est, poet and novelist. AS a poet he
did not rank Stevenson's productions so
highly as many of his admirers thought
they deserved to be considered. Stew
enson holds high rank as an essayist,
some of his essays being gems of liter
airy style and thought. Notwithstand-
| ing the merit of his essay writing, at
| tention was not attracted to them I'M
til after he had won distinction as a
novelist. What Stevenson did for con-
| temporary literature was to open the
windows and let the fresh air in. We
had been stified before by the writings
of other styles of literature.
The question is Outlines asked: Will
| Stevenson become classic? 1T is hard
| to say as to this, but it looks now as
| thought he would become classic.
| Facts pointing toward this view are
| that his books have had tremendous
| sale, even those which have been got
| ten up at considerable cost. This latter
| fact is more significant than the large
sale of cheaper editions. Again his
reputation has been of slow growth,
differing entirely from the sudden pop
ularity with which Rudyard Kipling
| was received.
His novels are the work Of a sick
man, and two novels We're left unfinish-
ed at the time of his death. His style
is what gave value to his writings.
This, according to his own confession,
| is formed from models. There Is a
striking similarity between his style
and that Of Defoe. Stevenson has, how
ever, more of the ideals about his writ
ing than Defoe. Stevenson said that
he owed much in the matter Of style
to George Meredith. If he does he has
skillfully concealed 1t, as Meredith has
an atrocious style What he probably
does owe to Meredith is the use of the
psychological study in his novels.
An adept in style, Stevenson delights
in playing all kinds Of tricks with
words for the effect they will have. He
is like in this respect to skillful vio-
linist, who performs all sorts of aero
batic feats upon the violin, while you
are wishing that he would play some
thing of his best. Although his novels
are written on the sick bed, there is
nothing weak about them He writes
not Of the sad side of this life or of the
| nd icrht cio
man to write, but instead he writes Of
the active, stirring side Of this life He
delights in the spirit Of adventure and
hardy doings.
A remarkable thing about Stevenson
is the fact that he deals so little with
love In many Of his novels 1t is sci.
dom that q great novel has been pro-
duced which did not deal with the
tender passion. 1t is dangerous ex.
pertinent to have a Garden of Elder
without an Eve.
Some of his later novels, however
deal with love. The explanation of the
failure to deal with it more is probably
due to his boyish nature. Boylike, he
abhorred girls. They were in his way
in his buccaneering stories Of thrilling
| adventures.
Stevenson combines thrilling incidents
and character depictation to a wonder
full degree. A fine example Of this |:
seen in Treasure Island" which is 6
book possessing greater unity ant
more artistic as a whole than anything
else he ever wrote.
Many criticise Stevenson's writings
because of their lack of moral teaching
but he was not a teacher of morals
Yet there is most wholesome ethica
effect produced by his writings more
so than in many books which have
been written with distinct moral OBJ
ject in view.
The last lecture in Prof Phelps
course will be on HAL Came"