The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-09
The NOVEL
IN HISTORY
Robinson Crusoe
First Of Its
Glass.
MRS. WEAVER, JR.,
AT THE Y. W. c. A.
George Washington as Depicted in
Colonial Novel Not the
True Character.

THE Historical Novel as a Form OF
Art" was the subject of an interesting
address given last evening in the Y
W. C. A. lecture room by Mrs. Philip
Weaver, Jr. The speaker presented the
subject in an admirable manner the
audience applauding her warmly at its
close.
Mrs. Weaver said that in considering
any form of art, it was often helpful
to turn first to the simple basic -prin-
works to which it belongs The first
hearing of sonata, for instance. is
likely to leave those who are not train
ed in music with a confused sense of
beauty. The brief comparison of a
work with others of its class may serve
to bring out the meaning and the or
derby development of its theme, and
then the ear loses none of it's sensuous
delight while the mind is able to fol-
low the laws the musician obeys. So
with the historical novel. II also is
one form of a great art, not the novel
alone, but imaginative literature, fig
ured history" which is the subject mat
fAll
tale, as we'll as fiction in the modern
sense of, that term. First and last the
historical novel must stand, as it is
based, on those principles which are
common to all such work. One of the
principles which makes for beauty and
permanence is that the writer really
sees in his Imagination some vision of
life which impels him to seek its embod-
ment in words. In proportion to the
depth and breadth of his vision his re-
port has enduring value. Failure, COM
plete or partial, may come from lack
of technique, but his work has at least
felt the breath of life.
serious work. taxing all the gifts of
the novelist. With the exception of
Scott, the greatest historical novels
have come from writer's who have
produced but one or two such works,
as for example, Charles Reade and the
"Cloister and the HEARTH" George
Eliot and "Romola::" Stevenson and
1.-The Master of Ballantrae.." The last
work was written over and over again,
taken to pieces, rearranged and polish
ed with infinite care. Literature and
skill were deemed Indispensable to such
work
Concerning the quantities of Ameri-
can historical novels which threaten to
overwhelm the reading public, Mrs.
Weaver was of the opinion it would
take a touching faith in human nature
not to believe from such a liberal out
put, that writer's and publishers, the
captains of this new industry, are stir
red rather by visions of an increased
bank account than by love of art.
Mrs. Weaver was in college with the
late Frank Norris. His earnest work
certainly spoke for itself, and she
thought it no disrespeet to speak of an
incident of his boyish days. One term
he failed to pass his examinations in
the history of the Middle Ages. There
was need for vigorous examining and
the result was that he passed on the re-
examination and a romance of mediae-
val France.
The perpetual theme of the novelist
and dramatist is the human will moved
to conflict with other wills by the force
of the passions. Heroism and love have
been and forever are the burden of all
great romance. because they are the
glory of the conflict and of the deepest
passions. To each generation its own
surroundings are too near, too full of
the trivial and accidental for any but
the clearest eyes to behold these reali-
ties. Grace and passion are allowed
in the knight. but no one ever suspects
it in the man at everyday work in shop
or office.
The periods chosen by the novelist
are those comcerning which there is
some popular knowledge. In recent
classified list, but seventeen are credit
ed to the pre- Christian world. The early
church has many more but it is not
until the late renaissance that the his
torical period is at all fully treated in
fiction. Here begin the times describ-
ed by Scott and Dumas, the fathers of
the historical novel.
The term historical as applied to fic-
ton is like the term German or Italian.
a limitation OF the field rather than a
Characterization of any portion of it
The well known classes of novel Of plot,
of character and OF manners, are com