The record-union., 1899-08-21
A Young Novelist Arrives.

Eds. Record Union'': 1t pains me to
see an Eastern publishing house firing
a young man from the East into the
Golden West to write ''to order" a
batch of novels on California life and
manners. We refer to the coming into
our midst of Mr.. Frank Norris, who
has jumped into the ring to dish up
yarns at SO much per yard of printed
space, which is poor way to get a
true view Of life as she is, or to get an
inspired point of view of anything. In
a late edition of San Francisco daily
this amateur Dickens says he has nc
respect for that old thing called style
in literature-which is as bad a break
as if he had come dressed in ante
bellum clothes. 1t is far from my pur-
pose to misrepresent the young man
from the East so I give him a square
chance TO say a word for himself be
fore I kick the trap from under him
and let him dangle before the public
Here are his words:
while your college man is polishing
his sentences, battle, murder and sud
den death are being done in the next
block and he cares not to record them
I don't believe in style. No writer has
a right to impose his style upon his
reader. Write of things as you see
EN-, is my motto; pare down, and give
the readers the story and not a mass
of fluff and froth.' When l want to
write about anything go to headquar-
ters and study it up. It is knowledge
of things that gives you the real touch.
7 like the vivid thing, and that's what
the reader likes and is willing to pay
for"
If Brother Norris yearns to record
battle, murder and sudden DEATH he
should have been sent to Manila as
war correspondent for some newspaper
if he will be satisfied with murder and
sudden death alone he might make a
good police reporter, and he might
start in with the dog watch at the
new City Hall in San Francisco. 1t
would be a pity for him to go back
East disappointed of these fond hopes.
But, holdi there is still hope in the
field of fiction, for any one who will
examine Dickens will find an appall-
ing list of casualties and grewsome
takings off. In the single novel of
s'Bleak House" there are nine deaths
Cor left for dead in the drop scene)-
and that is good pathological record.
even for a man with the ambition of a
Norris. Here is the list: Tulkinghorn
is assassinated, one starves, one dies
of phthisis, one by chagrin, one by
spontaneous combustion, one by sor-
row, one by remorse, one by insanity,
one by paralysis, babe by fever, and
a lively young French woman left TO
be hanged But there is a common i'm
preston that Dickens wove these all
into a yarn filled with many rare notes
of style Does Norris mean to copy
the Coroners records, and call that
art?
If Norris will come over to Milpitas
I shall be glad to introduce him to the
cross eyed son of the city scavenger,
who dusts off Homer's ''Iliad" every
morning; and the young man will show
him a book by Mathews, entitled Lit
erary Style" There it will be shown (by
facts that are overwhelming that there
is simply nothing in literature without
style. not a bit more than there is
shape to a coat before it has been cut
and fitted from the bolt at the tailor's.
What would the Claus Spreckels'
building look like if it had been put up
regardless of style and architectural
grace? Well, style is just as much in
the arrangement of thousands of words
as it is in the arrangement of thou
sands of stones.
In literature, Brother Norris, style
is even more important than the
thought, for style is the artistic part,
the only thing in which the writer can
show originality. The number of pas
sions upon which the changes can be
rung is very small. What is there not
in the style of Shakespeare, of Homer,
of Virgil. of Lincoln, of Webster, of De
Quincy, of Stevenson?
If the Eastern novelist (who has as
yet written only fragments, his charac-
ters having none of the depth and
strength of men and women), will point
out a single great writer whose great
est charm has not been his style, I will
pledge him the freedom of Milpitas; and
If he can show a single writer who has
ever succeeded by following his rule, a
literary club over here at Milpitas will
fall down and worship him and initiate
him, even as he worships snd initiates
Kipling. Respectfully,
BILL BANKS.
Milpitas, August 18th.