Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-01-01
TWO PROMISING LIVES ENDED,
George Douglas Brown and Frank
Norris Called,

George Douglas Brown and Frank
Norris Called
England and our country have with.
in tne past few weeks hoou called to
mourn tho loss of two gifted writer's
whose sun had not yet reached its
noon: George Douglas Brown, the
author Of The House of the Green
shutters, and Frank Norris, the author
lot The Octopus, Brown who wrote
under the name of DouElas. was n
journalist and reader for publishers.
He cared hut little for the new books,
and among the old authors, had an OK.
haustive knowledge of none bur
Shakespeare, He would break his
halttual silence to talk for hours ON
this favoMte theme, one of his inn
Iprovisations ON Hamlet. given without
a written note with few friends rs
listeners, was pronounced by them a
most profound and original exposition
/ OF ShaNespcaro's masterpiece, It was
atterW0rd written out and Il Is hoped
will soon appear in book form.
Though not a concettod man. Brown
had such answering faith In his mover
that he would accept no criticisms
| from the friends 10 whom he read the
MS, II was published IN America,
and was slow in gaining homo recog. d
| milton, Tao first Scotch criticisms
| pronounced the book "disagreuably
| poworWl' and true to the verge of
being moritless" Mr., Brown sought
| il This hon. s.. ,vN.,,t a., .,,...,.....
of the DrumtochW shield to ofrer an
ntidote to the sentimental railyard
| literature of Barrie and Maclarou. llo
| lined to show up the grim, malignant
| Sootchmm in his native ugluess, and
all who have read the House of the
! Green shutters, can attest how we'll
he succeeded This most tragic
of tragedies combines an appalling re,
alism with Titanic strength. Ere
long the great London periodicals be.
gan TO praise the book. and Il soon be.
| came the craze Of literary circles, In
the midst of these laudations and be.
fore 1t had brought him any pecunlary
reward sudden death overlook it's
author
Frank Norris was born in Chicago.
He lived there until the age of fifteen
when he went TO California whore HIS
remaining seventeen years were
passed, He was I'm creed n
renlist though tho bent OF
his genius was for romanticIsm.
A thesis he had written as a post grad.
uate exercise at Harvard, was four
years later developed into novel call.
ed McTeaguc, his FIRST notable work.
This Mr. HoWoIl's styles personal
epic"
Norris took Zola for his master, and
with Holns famous trilogy In mind. he
planned trilogy Of his own whose
reading motive and symbol should be
wheat the great agricultural product
of his adopted state His dealings
with gold, that other California prod.
uct, were also a remInisconce of Zola's
harBent And yet Norris was a strlk,
ingly original writer TO whom the crit.
les say Zolas influence aid more harm
than good
The Octopus, the first part OF tao
Norris triIogy, describes the grip of
the railroads on the California farmers.
Mr.. Howolls says It shows a IomerIc
larGenoss IN the play Of rs moving
passions, It is a remarkable novel of
the intense realistic school. but those
who have read the MS OF The PIT, the
second part OF the triory which trans.
ports the wheat 20 Chicago, pronounce
! 1t n more artistic work ono of this
, authors most powerful descriptions Is
, devoted to & gantlc attompt TO cor.
I ner the wheat markets of the world.
The third part Of the trllogy which
would have carried the wheat TO Eu-
= rope for distribution, was never writ.
:, ten.
Mr.. Norris returned to California
!, from New York where he had been
10 revise the proof sheets of The Pit,
. intending to embark with his wife on a
|, sailing vessel for voyage around the
!, world. The state Of her health pre-.
- vented, and they settled down on a
ranch for the winter. In the midst OF
, robust health, high hope and promise
- Frank .yorris was cut down by mex
= orable death lie was o strong, orig
-, iual essayist rs well as a novelist, and
his untimely departure is n serious
loss 10 American literature
= The Tramp's Triumph.