The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1904-03-31
Tho Average Reader.

Tho Average Reader.
, 40 opieion hes lately been expressed
BY . critic op the attitude oi "the sverss'
resder" towards briliisnt writing. III
ttipks thst the average reader believe'
The writer is mskiog iop OF hin. l. Gel
tsiniy msy be we'll worth while TO cot
slider this st.tsment. IL II truef The
answer 10 the Hss instance must be thai
it oil depeods upon who 10 meant BY ths
sversas reader. and upon what 10 meant
BY brilliant writing. take It thst BY The
v,sue but useial phrase, ''svsrsee reader
we should mem one Who enjoys literature
though II 10 cot passion. We mesD
,bs, be does not allow II 10 absorb bis
thought that. on ID. whole, be knows
good literature from bad. either by nature
or by culture, bat thst being only 20
sverses reader be will be only ~ average
fadge. will only have average tstte, and
therefore tbst his dividing lipe will place
among good or real Iiteistnre some books
which sosbt properly to be located on the
other side Of the liue, while some books
which from . literary point Of view sre
good, or even fret rate be will some
times consider very poor. The average
reader does not appreciate George Mere
dilb aud never osred for jane Austen.
Bot be Is not to be despised, for bis taste
Is healthy, bis Intelligence sound. Brown
Jog msy not sppesl to him. nor, IL The
truth be told, even Shakespeare. Indeed
II We were oil literary coz moi seurs. no
body would be got 10 do the rough. com
mon work Of The world. II none OF us
we're ct for any thing but to be publishers
readers, "by the hand Of nature marked,
quoted and signed" IS publishers' read
ers. for my part Go not see how the
world could go op, The average man ip
every re pect 10 the worlds salvation.
Without bin civiliz ,tion would founder
II our svsrsge man we're 10 be great
poet or % inisllibls reviewer, what would
become OF us' Where should We get
our hewers Of v cd sud drawers OF water
I vote, therefore. for the average reader,
the average heaitby intelligence 10 oil
things After him. pe,bsps before him
l vote for The genuine big genius, End ]
vote for bin because be is the svsrsse
man With oil the average mans qualities
enlarged, Is elorifisd wholesome faculty
OF true common eense.
Istrongly suspect that the literary bril-
lisncy which We average readers do no,
want, and which when offered makes o.
think We are being make iun Of. 10 the
brillisnoy presented to 90 unappreoiative
world by writer's Of . certain class. the
Mortimer Koses OF literature. Mortimer
Knsg (see Nicolss Nictieb,) vas, accord
iog TO bis tister, Mrs Msutslini's fore
woman,
can extraordinary accomplished man
reads hem m-reAds-every novel that
comes ont. mean every novel thst has
any isehion 10 IL, Of course. The fact 10
thst be did Hnd 60 much in the books be
reed. applicable 10 bis own misiortunes.
and did fod himself 10 every respect 90
much like the heroes, every respect
90 much like the heroes, that be tool
TO scornins everything snd becsme
genius. and sm sure tbs. be is. 81 thit
very present moment, writing another
book.
Another book repested Kate.
Yes. replied Miss Kasg. Another book
10 three volumes. post cotsvo.
But 10 any csse the question whether
average readers do or do not want bril-
lisncy cso, one thinks. easily be settled
BY defining wbst literary brillisnoy really
10. Might l venture to dtdoe. or say
rather, venture 10 nsme literary brillisDcy
10 msking truth chine. but truth there
must be. and the shine must not be thai
Of electroplste. must not indeed be sny
Ihins pot on the outside. but such q pre-
OF truth % causes 10 90 10 r.
veal itself that We see II fully, brightly,
oriliisntly, snd are delighted With the
vision. it msy be truth Of fact, truth Of
truth OF insight. truth thst
pierces into ths real inertness OF things.
ruth Of srtistio proportion. oi artistic
truth Of wit. hntb Of humor,
ruth Of sny kind. truth tbst only the
,ye OF genius cen see and alone make
,thers see. Bfillisncy, / repeat. 10 max
ng such truth shine before ne for our 10
'iruction sod delight Bot II Mortimer
Kqsg tskes . something which IL not
ruth, OF only the veriest com a. onplsce
ruth. bat generally not even that, for -
Mortimer must get out Of the common
place somehow, and ~ be cannot rise
Ibove II, be etcspes The commonplace By
slIioe below it-vhen the ssid Mortimer
skes 90 sbsurdiiy. snd SEEKS by false sen
im cot. fslss style snd by false treatment
u every Kind I, mske II brilliant, md
.,ll fails, I do not think be has sny
light to sueer st q, sversss readers. ssy
os thst We do no! hnos good Iiterstofe
; sbeu We see 1t. and thst ve DO not want
,riilisIcy, Briilisncy is iast vbst ve
10 want. obly se do DOT want bis. j
hould like hsd ! space. TO give speci
mems OF the style average fesders do like, :
o snsiy zs The style Of these specimens TO
bov thst they spsver every teet. ere truly
,rillisut snd that svsrsee readers would
rot think they were being made fan oil 2
I they we're tfsred to-day writing Of The
sme kiDd. Bot spsce does not sliov s
. ore tbsn buef iodics,ion Of snch pss Z
ages % l mean. We like sncb descrip (
ions % tbs. 10 Bob Roy OF The drowning Z