The Washington herald., 1908-01-12
FLOOD OF FICTION
Not by Any Means an Tn
mitigated Evil.
THE WORLD LOVES a STORY


The Most Effective Books Those
that Appear TO the Heart Rather
Than 80 the InteiIect-MuItipIici
of Books IL a Blessing.
A protest is heard. now and then,
against the increasing food Of fiction,
saws Albert S. Henry I'm the Book News
Monthly Some book-weary critics are
prone to tell us that not one-tenth of
the novels published ia these degenerate
days are worth reading. and, even if
they were, their number is too great for
the most Unsuitable reader TO peruse.
Ephemeral is the miIdest term applied
TO the majority of stories. IT is pointed
out that few novelists possess the power
Of construction. or the quick eye that
discerns character OF the rare quality
Of style. One sometimes wonders at the
luck of the best sellers i'm passing un-
scathed through this storm OF scornful
shafts.
There is in criticism o. this kind. how
/ ever, something shallow and fliberal
The fact that the novel is the chief form
OF literary expression in the modern
world, and that, as such, its development
and tendencies should be- the subject Of
careful and sympatheti, study, is apt 10
! be overlooked But the atrabilious critic
defeats his own purpose by awakening
am intelligent interest In the object OF his
discomfort II is evident, on the con
( trary, that a broader view Of fiction has
set IN, and viii, In the end, prevail in
/ criticism. This is the view that regards
/ the novel as iuteTpretatiVe OF life and the
makers of fiction as the best reporters Of
our time OF course, from this aspect,
/ fiction is vieH cd rs q whole. The cues
/ ton Of literary technique is another mat
/ ter. The novels ranked as masterpiece
[ the finest fruits of artistic achievement
are. after an. but "a part Of the general
stock Of fiction. The work Of supreme
genius does not make all other work OF
/ no avail, even though it sets a standard
/ few can hope 90 reach. II is through too
much insistence upon the exceptional
masterpiece that critics become narrow
minded In their judgment OF books Of
humber origin.
Beginning of Novels.
All the world loves a story. in the be-
/ ginning Of human society. wherever men
/ gathered. there the teller OF a tale found
an audience and welcome. And. wan
dcring bard OF minstrel. trUubad0ur or
/ minnesingar poet or novelist, an the
/ tribe Of story telIers have contributed 70
/ the treasures Of human pathos and JOY.
The art Of printing has facilitated the
u go. J.. .#.-. i. 20
/ hear the story is a part OF human nature
itself The novelist of our day has be-
/ hind him q long line Of distinguished an
. ceStors And il matters not how old and
/ tbreadbare the tale he brings there is
/ always a group to whom iI viii be- new.
/ Upon considering the function 0f the
. novelist. We ind that Il is his business
TO study and understand the ways of his
! tell0W-mea. II is 10 be expected that
some writer's will excel more than others
! In this subtle study, and hence their
work viii be fuller of life But an who
+ attempt % tell a story must derive their
material from the lives OF men. Love.
/ hate. fear. revenge. greed. her0ism. gem
/ crosity-au these emotions and passions
move men and women in real life to ac-
/ tion, and every novel no matter how
poorly written it may be. contains one or
/ more OF these human elements as its
theme. TO write a story absolutely with
our human traits is unth.nkable. II Is
possible 70 emphasize uuimpoTtant facts.
60 paint i'm broad colors and Csrelessiy,
bat II is not within the range OF human
ingenuity 10 write a nOnhuman story
Even bird and beast fables assume an
old Adam lurking somewhere. making
the story Ineligible and interesting.
Free of the World.
From the great world with its varied
types, the novelist IS free to choose al
will the subjects which prove most at
tractive TO him and compatible with his
individual ability. Nothing human is for
eign 10 him. From the wan face OF a
child gazing wistfuIly through a shoF
window at the toys which Will never De
his, up through al the layers Of social
strata 10 the dTawIng-rOom where my
lord and my lady engage in the smallest
Of small talk. all thought and action are
taken by the novelist as his province
The product Of this study and observa-
ton ranges from end TO end of the scale
of life. one writer will bring US "Plair
Tales from the Hills" another Will tel
the story Of The House of the Sever
so widely divergent is human nature; If
is the history OF men and women that
novelists. old and young. the greatest
and the least, aim TO portray.
Rules of Fiction.
Every novel carries an appeal 20 the
class of readers interested in its particu-
lar kind. Critics may debate the rules
upon which fiction should be written. but
each reader viii follow his own inclina-
tons. Where Thackeray repels, Tolsto
may attract Catholicity Of taste is not
given to us all. and there are readers
who fail to appreciate the subtlety OF
Mr. Meredith or the mild cOndescensior
Of Mr. James. but To whom the Zenda
world is real and the swordsmen of Mr.
Weyman the height of the heroic. Why
dispute over a matter Of taste? The
novelist writes to interest us. and when.
ever he does he makes a hit "a palpable
hit
Now. it will be seen that the novelist
has a mission His material is found in
human nature and the story revolves
around some human action. The ques-
ton Of art is, generally speaking. subor-
dinate because only a very small mum
Der of those who read consider art while
perusing "A novel. Readers are drawn tC
a story if they find in it something VIII ch
answers to traits in themselves. or II II
depicts an environment in which they
would choose to live, were such a choice
possible The novels containing these
qualities in the greatest degree viii be
found the most effective And since fic.
tion is the kind of reading that appeals
TO the largest number of people, and
moreover. because fiction deals essential
~ with life, We may say that the mis-
sion of the novelist is to interest human.
itv in its own history When combined
with artistic craftsmanship, this mission