Evening star., 1903-07-02
FICTION NB FR0TH
FLOOD orxoDz3r 4bvr1s WRIT
TEN WITHOUT H1da funposz
Books the Inspiration Instead of Life
The Wisdo9 of
Ruskin.-
From the Academy.

novels upon our shelves strikes US with
kind OF hopeless amaEement. With the best
intention in the world 1t is impossible to
deal with them ALL impossible even to men |
ton more than the titles of many Of them. |
This, in itself. does not necessarily imply |
that the production of novels is too great; |
but when we approach the question OF Sc
lection, the Implication that 1t IS too great |
becomes hard and unblinkable fact. The
number of novels which can stand the test
of a reasonable critical standard Is aston |
ishingiy small: even, II we accepted the
modern and, as we think, the untenable
theory that the main end Of fiction should
be to amuse 1t would remain astonishingly
small for true amusement Is not often to
be found in these rows of many-colored
volumes.
But the main end Of fiction should not be
to amuse any more than it should be con-
sciously to instruct. Fiction, indeed. Is an
instrument Of too wide a range 10 %
milton: 1t has all the world for Its pasture,
all the infinite follies and vices ana nooie-
nesses Of man for theme. Yet definite
theme, point OF view. individuality OF pre-
sentation are precisely the things which
we find lacking In so much recent fiction.
critic whose. faculty has, been cultivated oy
much practice can run,ssay, through Scofo
of novelsTard find that he can qiy1de tnem
into three or four sections with unrnistaka-
bic labels The crop at. this seasons nov
els is raised from the seed OF last seasons
certain formulas are popular. and innpmer-
able pens restate- those formulas with no
rnore"variation than simple reshufntng I'M
plies We open book after hook to find our:
selves confronted with the very ghosts OF
familiarity. .'-st''-s.- -N-f's
Second Hand Inspiration.
The conclusion to which we are forced is
plain-marS of our noveiists go tosbooks for
inspiration and ideas instead of going TO
life 1t is much easier tofgo to books, pur
that is not, the way to produce WORK witch
may here and there stir a reader to actual
| emotion. here and there touch some hidden
| or subconscious spring of the son. 1t IS.
| no doubt given to few writer's to unVell
| even the smallest mysteries Of the terrible
| and beautifuf spirit of man, but 1t Is, tne
| business of every writer TO strive aite, .He
| highest that is in him. He may not nave
| much to say, but he should at least en-
deayor to say it well, and he should not at
| tempt to say it at all unless from some I'M
pulsion of knowledge or temperament. .s
| This is a hard saying. but 1t represents
| the only way of art Take up half dozen
| of these novels at random and you Will nnd
| INSTRUMENTATION blatiht: misrepresenta-
ton of every class. of society, misrepresen-
| tation of the most ordinary AFFAIRS OF ex-
| istence 1t may not be conscious misrep-
resentatlon but thsds itbis; the mgst servam snd
men and women who trail titles across the
| pages There comes upon us at times
| a positive yearning for anything vital, any
thing truly and personally observed, were
It only a siding tramp or q garbage-sodden
gutter. Hi8f 81
Ruskin's Opinion.
It is we'll to recalls now and, then what
Ruskin. wrote Of bo6Skks Kings Treas,
uries." A book is written. he said. be-
| cause "the author has sapsething to say
which he perceives 70 be strue and useful
or helpfully beautiful. So far as he knows
| no onedaas yetasatdsits s9xfar as he knows
no one else can say it, SHE ID bound sts
say it, clearly and melodiQuslY II he may
, life he finds, this BE thesthSng, ,0r sgrOuI
of things. manifest to hinn-this, the Piecs
| Of true knowledge, or sight. which M:
share of sunshine and earth has permitted
him to SEIZE He would fain set 1t down 10
ever; engrave it on rock. If he could. say
ing. This is the best of ,mes for the .'rest
ate, and drank, and slept, loved ant
hated, like another: my life ,was as tn
vapOr, and is not: but this saw and knew
l this If anything of mine. is worth you
} memory" That, 1t may be said. is
counsel of perfection, but 1T has the righ
spirit. If It at all consorted with the spiri
{ Of the age we should have fewer and bette
: novels; which would mot mean that TIN
that it would haye. more to think about
The average novel, to put the matter brief
D ly, is cbncerned neither with real ideas no
r with real life; it is comment-jaunty, o
t sentimental or frivolous-upon what neve
i existed; it is a kind of ineffective phantasr
| blurred, fnchOate, remote. And the ten
;, | dency Is to level all to this average Gu
greatest. as we said the other day. ar
9 silent. The call is for leaders; of follower
t in every kind We have rank-and-file enough