New-York tribune., 1902-02-23
Gbe Neto'2lork gribma1e.
ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1902.

Tho tremendous boom in American fiction
which is still booming and shows no sign of
diminishing force has had one especially in
teresting effect upon periodical literature IN
this country. The serial by Il native author
though it has not altogether ousted the serlai
by his English contemporary, has conslderaDly
curtaed the vogue of the latter III American
magazines "a good thing" the reader VIII
saw and it is certainly a matter for selt-con-
graduation that our own authors are so widely
and 50 deServedly recognized At the same
time we wonder if it is not unwise TO sacrlhce
critical Judgment to the boom. We have read
much good American fiction IN our magazines
Of late. and we have read some. the publica-
ton of which could only be explained On the
hypothesis that enthusiasm for native prod
ucts and confidence in the commercial value
thereof have warped the Judgment which
should look first to the Importance of legiu-
matcly interesting the reader. At the same
time. we have happened to observe the pub
GcatiOn in serial form across the Atlantic or
novels certain to be popular when published
vi book form over here and in the meanW hIle,
for some occult reason. neglected by American
editors Let us by all means support what
ever is done well by our literary countrymen
But. after all, merit is the main thing and II
a magazine must have a serial it would surely
be better for the maintenance of high stand
ard all round if the editor unable to secure
Il good American story, We're to choose a good
English one instead of printing trash that
only fatuous patriotism could commend.
The question as To whether romancer does
well or not to take his stories directly from
real life and tell them exactly as they happen
has once more been raised The escape of
TWO prisoners from the Pittsburg Jail with the
wife of the warden has been described rs
exactly the sort of thing that happens in
fiction. and it might be argued that if the
affair were put into novel it would need
very little establishment to make it interest
ing from Il literary point of view. Yet there
is every reason to believe that the tale would
bc a failure. The story is told of a man of
adventure who could hold his listeners spell
bound by the narration of his experiences.
He was smitten with desire" runs the
anccdotc to make the fortune of IA young
literary gentleman Of his acquaintance and
he offered to tell him his adventures in order
that they might be made into short stories. !
At the same time. miSlcd by the success he
had made aS n cOnycrSationalSt. he made it
Il point that the events should not be altered.
His friend consented gladly, not forcsccing the /.
difficulties he would encounter In the badness.
of the stories he would produce They were
indubtaMy bad" OF course they were. aud .
they could not well have been anything else /
Mr.. IIciuemann ana an anonymous sup
porter of his having laid it down as fact
that authors are all i'll competition against .
one another Mrs. Craigie John Oliver '
IIobbes sends to The Author Il vigorous .
protest The sales of author she OBJ /
serves. in way affected by the success /
Of hiS confrerc. M Anatolc France is not ,
consumed by envy. we may be certain. be |
cause Paul Bourget has larger public than /
the creator of Monsieur Bcrgcret nor do both |
gentlemen join in common hatred of Zola, |
who can beat them magnihcentIy any day in |
the matter of editions. All educated readers |!
read these three authors; the sentimental !
half-educated, who cannot understand the !
irony of Anatole France read Bourget only: |
Iola. Each one of these writers knows per |.
fcctly the particular group he is addressing |
and the idea of riyalship between them is |
ridiculous" The truth of the whole matter |
probably is that the competitive spirit exists, !
or does not exist in literature according to |
the character and gifts of the Individual |
There ought to be, and there generally is !
something liberalizing in the practice of au- /
thorship. But that small and vulgar minds |
can produce mere printed matter we well /
know; and there is doubt that to such a /
mind tn" sales of a rival are a matter of much !