The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-28
AN OLD LITERARY CONTROVERSY.

AN OLD LITERARY CONTROVERSY.
An accidentally preserved copy of the
New York Weekly Post of Aug. l. 1923,
which has come under the notice of the
Journal recalls a once famous literary
mystery that has been long forgotten.
1t related to the authorship of the "Waver-
ley novels" With the worlds present
knowledge ON the subject it seems incred-
ible that for many years the authorship of
the novels was almost as great a mystery
as that of the Junius letters. and that a
spirited literary controversy prevailed
among the champions Of different reputed
authors, some arguing for and many
against Sir Walter Scott. The copy of the
paper referred to contains two long ar
ticles on the subject, reprinted from a
literary magazine of the day called The
Minerva. The date OF the paper shows that
at that time, nearly ten years after the
publication Of "Waverley," in 1914, and
when several other novels had been added
TO the list. the question of their author
ship was still in dispute. 1t was a curious
freak of Sir Walters to publish "Waverley"
anonymously. 1t has been suggested that he
feared he might not succeed as a novelist
and might even mar his high reputation as
a poet, but his son-in-law and biographer
Lockhart says that he considered the writ
ing of novels beneath the dignity of a
grave clerk Of the court. Whatever his
reason may have been he kept his secret
as long as possible and humored to the
utmost the mystery and the controversy
that was going on. He even wrote a re-
view Of his own novels for the London
Quarterly. which was also published anony-
mously, and was widely read ana COM
mented on without the author being known.
In this article he replied TO some criti-
cisms that had been made on his novels
and defended historical novels. Following
is an extract:
The composition itself is in every point
of view dignifed and improved, and the
author, having the light and frivolous asso-
ciateS with whom a careless observer would
be disposed TO ally him, takes his seat on
the bench Of the historians of his time and
country. In this proud assembly, and i'm
no mean place of 1t. we are disposed TO
rank the author of these works. At once
a master or the great events and minute
incidents Of history, and of the manners
OF the times he celebrates. as distinguished
from those which now prevail, the intimate
thus OF the living and of the dead. his
judgment enables him to separate those
traits which are characteristic from those
which are generic; and his imagination.
not less accurate and discriminating than
vigorous and vivid, presents to the mind
of the reader the manners of the times.
and introduces TO his familiar acquaint-
ance the individuals of the drama as they
thought and spoke and acted. The
volume which this author has studied is
the great book Of nature. He has gone
abroad into the world in quest of what
the world will certainly and abundantly
supply, but what a man Of great dis
elimination alone will find, and a man
Of the very highest genius will alone de-
pict after he has discovered it. The char
acters of Shakespeare are not more ex-
clusively human, not more perfectly men
and women as they live and move. than
those of this mysterious author.
The entire article was in this spirit of
friendly and approving mme 1t is
doubtful II there is another case in history
Of a great author writing a
review OF his own anonymous works. A
remarkable feature of the case was that
Sir Walter could preserve his secret so
perfectly during many years that he was
writing two or three novels a year and had
a house full of visitors all Of the time,
none of whom. or if any only two or three
OF his most intimate friends. knew that
he was the author OF the novels which the
whole English-speaking world was reading
and talking about while wondering who
'the great unknown" could be.
The two articles in the old paper above
referred to are written in a style that IS
evidently intended to be judicial and dis
passionate. and very strongly combat the
idea that the Waverley novels were writ
ten by Sir Walter Scott. The real author.
il is asserted. was mo other than DIR.
Greenfield" The articles do not state who
DR.. Greenfield was further than init
mating that he was a socially prescribed
person who had reasons for cOncealing his
identity. The writer of the articles says:
we have had opportunities of acquiring
information respecting this matter which
we believe few in this country will pre-
tend to-" He maintains that some per-
sons had attributed the novels to Walter
Scott for the purpose of shielding the real
author. and he quotes from the London
Magazine of August. 1920. a positive asser-
ton that Scott was not the author of the
novels, which he says neither Scott nor any
of his friends had denied. He continues:
In the same month of August, 1870, the
editor OF the Champion, a Sunday news
paper. then conducted by the Mr.. Scott
who lately fell in a duel at Paris. distinctly
stated that Sir Walter had denied being
the author OF the Waverley novels when the
question was put 10 him, and that the real,
mysterious author OF 'Waverley.' Rob
Roy and The A~ntiquary.' Tales OF Ny
i "a . unEA -
DR.. Greenfield.
The writer then proceeds to discuss
claims for the authorship Of the novels
that had been put forward In favor of
Colonel Scott of Quebec. and a Mrs. Grant.
but he shows there is nothing in these
claims. lie quotes from the Newcastle
Magazine Of the preceding November an
other alleged denial by Sir Walter that ne
was the author. and declares that he. the
uvrffar had nosfffx,a prooF 49, 81 -.