The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1899-12-01
REALITY IN FICTION.
LIVING ORIGINALS OF AUTHORS
CHARACTERS.
Some of Them Have Resented the
Liberties - Wei1-Known Characters
I'm Fiction Who Are Portrayed by


Reconsideration Score Enemies.
The characters In the writing Of most
eminent novelists are living realities.
We see them around us; we recognize
them in our relatives, our acquaint-
ances, and. If not blinded by vanity,
frequently in ourselves. Who has not
numbered among his friends some Indl-
vidual who is the living walking image
OF character made immortal by the
pen Of Dickens or a Thackeray2 And
rest assured that while you are recOg-
nizing In some one else a character that
agrees In every detail with one that
the world has learned to laugh at or to
love In the works of the great writers,
some one else is discovering the same
thing about you. The world is full of
the characters, eccentric, serious and
great, that literary genius has thrown
n halo around. 1t is easy to ascribe a
reason for this. Most Of the characters
In the books of Thackeray, Dickens,
Tennysou, Scott and the list Of great
authors were drawn from lay figures
selected by the writer's from among
the people with whom they were ac-
qualnted.
The most recent instance of this is
sherlock Holmes" The Scotch pro-
fessor upon whom Conan Doyle found
ed the great detective has been recOg-
nized, and has been written up again
and again, until he is as well known
as the detective
The original of the character of
Micawher, who eternally looked for
something to turn up, was Charles
Dickens own father, as is well known,
while the weak and easily victimized
Mrs. Nickleby was the mother of the
novelist. Boythorn, in "Bleak House."
caused a quarrel between Dickens and
Walter Savage Lander, for the latter
recognized in the character his own
peculiaritles, and resented the fact that
he had been so treated. Leigh Hunt
was angry with Dickens because the
famous character of Harold Skimpole,
In the same book, resembled his man.
nerisms so closely that there was no
possibility of the likeness not being
recognized. The original of Thack-
eray's Bulwig, in yellow Plush Pa
pers," was no other than Bulwer, and
there was a tremendous row over the
naming of a murderess in one of his
books, Catherine Hayes, which was
the name of a famous songstress. An
drew Archdehne was the original of
Thackeray's FOker. Archdehne never
forgave Thackeray the liberty taken
with him. The celebrated DR.. Cornish
was Thackeray's Portman, and young
Grubstreet, in the "Virginlans," was
Edmund Yates to a dot. Costlgan, in
"The Roundabout Papers," was com
posite figure built on the peculiarities
of several living people, as Thackeray
himself acknowledged.
Nathaniel Hawthorne was kept busy,
after the publication of 1.-THE House
of Seven Gables" assuring a large and
every multiplying army of Pyncheons
that his character of that name had
not been drawn from life. SO easily
were Charlotte Brontes characters in
SHIRLEY" recognized by their originals
that the latter called each other by
their fictitious names.
Byron wrote of his own peculiarities
of life and temperament in his verse.
Alfred de Musset did the same thing.
Nine. de Stael depicted herself in
"Corinne" and "Delphine," and Thack-
eray's portrait can easily be recognized
In "Pendennis." DIR. Holland is sup