The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-21
4 Literary Endemic.

Literary Epidemic.
It is time to warn the public against a
literary eruption which is liable to break
out before long, and which has already
appeared in isolated cases. 1t may be
that no quarantine or accination will be
of any use against it, but there can be no
harm in gentle hint TO its nature and
influence. The success of David Harum'
and 'Eben Holden" means that we are to
he made sick unto death Of the rural
novel by reason Of the Numerous imita-
lions of these worthless who are to be
forced upon our attention.
a big success by an unknown, or little
known. author is almost as demoralizing
as the Winning Of five thousand dollar
prize in lottery. and We all know what
| that did to the family of McTeague. The
result is that every publisher in the land
who has not gotten hold of novel of the
| same type is on the keen lookout for one
! particularly this is so of the smaller
] publishing houses: and every author who
has not Vet made big success but wants
/ to make one starts about writing in a
| hurry, a more or less atrocious imitation
I of the book which has made It's success
particularly this is so of authors without
much brains. The result is an amount of
| had literature which is simply overpower-
ing. And that is what is going to happen
within the next year or two.
When du AIaurier wrote "Trilby" every
second rate bohemian who had or thought
he had some knowledge of the purlieus
of the Latin Quarter set about retail
ing his decadent wisdom to whatever
publisher would accept it. When Thomas
Nelson Page had written "Marse Chan
and Joel Chandler Harris had brought out
the first Uncle Remus' books, every
needy Southerner with any literary lean
inSs whatever resuscitated his or her de-
fmct knowledge Of the days before the
war and paraded the poor ghost in the
magazines. Riey's Hoosier lyrics brought
in their train quantity of doggerel
which was bad dialect and worse senti-
ment. The success OF When Knight
hood Was in Flower and ITO Have and
to Hold made it possible for numerous
and Colonial fiction accepted by-some
hopeful publisher or other. And so It has
gone. As the original novel passes from
the hands of the exclusive bookseller to
those Of the clerk in the department.
store thence to the bargain counter of
that same store, and thence to the fate Of
being given away with a pound Of soap,
so the fashion which it set passes from
the skilIful hand Of the master to the
typewriter Of the hack writer. and thence
downward, till il IS represented by a
book which ought to be given away with
pound Of soap. because the soap might
do it some good. This is likely to be the
case with the monstrosities which are |
supposed to be limitations of David |
Harum.' Two or three OF them have al |
ready come out. and after reading them |
one feels like taking a Turkish bath They |
of bad whisky. and the aroma Of the |
great unwashed. TO put 1t mildly. The |
atmosphere is that Of the cross roads
store at mail time and the local color Is |
dirt color. Whatever gentility is sup
posed to be in the work is redoIent Of hair
oil and patchouli. and the people sup
posed to be refined talk after the fash
ion Of works on polite conversation.
There ought 10 be- "a codicil put to tho
farious manuals on the requisite knowi-
edge for young authors which have been
written at one time or another, and that
is. never 90 write without having some
thing 10 say. And possibly. by the time
the epidemic Of Imitation David liar.
ulns is fairly under way. We may feel
like adding this codici TO the Litany:
From all novels not written In or
tL..ON EneILsh. good I.nri dcII...r 49,.