The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1900-04-07

and the whole literature Of the nerves
He is big and warm and sometimes
brutal, and the strength Of the soil
comes up to him with very little loss in
the transmission. His art strikes deep
down into the roots Of life and the
foundation of Things as They Are-not
as We tell each other they are at the tea
table. But he is realistic art, not ar
tistic realism. He is courageous, but
he is without bTavado.
He seee things freshly, as though they
had not been seen before, and describes
them with singular directness and vivid.
ness, not with morbid acuteness, with a
large, wholesome joy Of life. Nowhere
is this more evident than in his insistent
use of environment. recall the pas
sage in which he describes the street in
which McTeague lives. lie represents
that street as it is on Sunday, as it is on
working days, as it is in the early dawn
when the workmen are going out with
pickaxes on their shoulders, as it is at
ten o'clock when the women are out
marketing among the small shopkeepers,
as it is at night when the shop girls are
out with the soda fountain tenders and
the motor cars dash by full of theater-
goers, and the Salvationists sing before
the saloon on the corner. In four pages
he repro6oces in detail the life in by
street Of great city. the little tragedy
Of the small shopkeeper. There are many
ways Of handling environment-mosto Of
them bad. When young author has
very little to say and no story worth
telling, he resorts to environment. 1t
is frequently used to disguise weak
ness Of structure, as ladies who paint
put their cows knee-deep in
water to conceal the defective drawing
Of the legs. But such description as
one meets throughout Mr.. Norris book
is in itself convincing proof of power,
and literary skill. 1t is a
positive and active force, stimulating
The readers imagination, giving him an
actual command, a realizing sense Of
his world into which he is suddenly
1t gives to the book per-
'pective, atmosphere, effects OF time and
distance, creates the illusion of life.
This power Of mature and comprehen-
i've description is very unusual among
he younger American writer's. Most
4 them observe the world through a
and are more occupied
With their medium than the objects
hey watch. Aud temperament is a
lass which distorts most astonishingly.
But this young man sees with a clear
ye, and reproduces with touch, firmY
nd decisive, strong almost to brutal
ess.
MIR. Norris approaches things on their
hysical side; his characters are person.
lities Of flesh before they are anything J
lee, types before they are individuals.
Especially Is tuls True Oh us women.
lis Trina is Every small and prettily
,ade. Her face was round and rather
ale; her eyes long and narrow and blue,
Ike the half opened eyes Of a baby; her
ps and the lobes OF her tiny ears were
ale, little suggestive of anaemia. But
was to her hair that ones attention
as most attracted. Heaps and heaps
blue black coils and braids, a royal
rown of swarthy bands, a veritable
,ble tiara, heavy, abundant and odor-
Us. All the vitality that should have
wen color to her face seems to have
cen absorbed by that marvellous hair.
was the couture OF queen that {