The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-06-08
The Novel With a Purnose.

o,a MI FRANK Norris the author Of The oe,opus" in
fseeht article in the Worlds Work has word 70 saw in
FAVOR OF the novel with purpose ~ '' ~
Every novel must do OF three thinvs;, mus, n,
(a) show something or Cd prove something
must do at least one. Nv '' wv AT
The ordinary novel merely tells something celebrates
co ue'otes itself primarily to things. In this class
eers.' SUN "s Inc lhree Musket-
The second and better class of novel shows something
exposes the workings of temperament devotes itsef ~
marty to the minds OF human beings In This class fails The
novel OF character, such as Romola'
me lhd and what we hold be the best class proves
onleihs' draws conclusions from whole congeries of
forces social tendencies race impulses devoes itself NOT 70
STUDY OF men but OF man In this class falls the novel
WIN inc purpose such as Les Miserablcs'
ne production OF such a novel is probably the most
auuouS task that the writer of fiction can undertake No
"ee else Is success more difficult nowhere else is failure
so easy Unskluly treated the story may dwinde down
degenerate INTO mere special pleading the novelist
become poemicist pamphccer forgetting that although
hFs consideration to his his means must be
Ving human beings statistics, and that his tools are
NOT hsures but pictures from life he it The novel
with purpose is one contends preaching novel But
II breaches by telling things and showing things Only
Inc author selects from the great storehouse of actual life
the things 70 he told and things 10 be shown which
shall hear upon his problem his purpose The preaching
The morazins is the result of direct appeal by the
writer, but is madcshould be madeo the reader by the
very incidents of the story
Rev Charles NJ, Sheldon in the Independent takes
similar position. He says:
The fiction which probably at the present dav is demand
ing largest attention IS the fiction which comes under the
head OF npiratonin ether words the novel OF purpose
Examples OF such fiction may as Hall Gaines Chris
tan The Eternal City Frank Norris The Octopus Miss
wilkins The Portion Of Labor, Gilbert Parker's The
Right OF Way Paul Lawrence Duubar's The Fanatics T.
Dcvlin Boss by francis Churchill Williams and accord
ing TO some The Crisis by Winston Churchill would fall
under this head rather than under the head of historical
novels. The of fiction for the purpose OF Inspiration
that Is to promote REFORMS to nce any kind of nobler
action show up the sins of humanity. as critic but
as philanthropistis the highest Office of fiction The
man who calls attention the faults OF humanity and offers
remedy Is either a or In ctbe
case he offers consolation, he proposes line of
duct he furnishes inspiration But the who depicts
sorrows wrongs, injustice, righteousness inequality the
neglect of childhood the brusng of womanhood then
no matter how feebly something in the way OF
remedy for these human this is lover
Of and his fiction however feeble may be IN point of
style literature ii so be honest attempt is the high
est form Of fiction"
The Literary Digest quotes these authors as show
ing that the phrase Art for arts sake is universally
accepted a standard and that assaed by competent