Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-02-04
Literary Tyranny

Literary Tyranny
A secret tyranny at work In Amcri-
"a Il alleged by Gertrude Anterior to
be the cause in great part Of lack OF
originality. of vlrillty. Of elemental
DIRE" IN The large annual output Of
American writers Of fiction, Mrs. Ath-
erton asserts that the European writer
has greater liberty TO paint with free
hand, TO essay individual literary ere
alton" To quote further from regent
interview with this gifted author:
But in America originality is not wanted
/ by the powers that govern our literary
| output. certain arbitrary school OF
writer's has erected here a narrow con.
ventional standard, a hard and fast rule,
| 70 which the would be author. with a
| message all his own. is bound as to some
| procrustean bed whose painful limitations
are repressive OF genius and bring all who
come within its influence to one dead
tevel Of sameness. OF mediocrity. OF hope.
essly middle class effort We must write
u the small things OF life, we must
paint IN miniature. we must view Amer
ca as stage upon which the great
tramas OF humanity are not acted Ii we
wish to be numbered among the elect in
us Wtiul schooI that at present seems
have the literary conscience of this
ountry IN its Keeping. And until this
standard Is withdrawn, until the bars that
suard the way to the limltleas pastures Of
imaginative literature are taken down
he books that are written in America
VII surely NOT mirror this country's mani
fold, seething life. will not be typical OF
our complex national existence.
Mrs. Atherton herself struggled long
FOR recognition Of her work. which
hears the stamp Of originality, and her
lntest novel soon took rank among the
best sellers" She says that the tyran.
ny referred TO Is exercised by a school
~ writers. "the magazine school"
which has taken 10 itself the Office IT
literary censor, and that 1t emanatas
nnconsciously from William Dean
dowells The standard set by Howels
and followed by large body Of
writer's, n sort OF literary aristocra-
~" Is described ms "hopelessly mar
nw. hnlcky. commonplace IN It's ron.
eeptIon md treatment Of things" Mrs.
Atherton continues:
Undoubtedly this magazine school has
taught some people how to write who
possibly never would have developed into
anything otherwise. but that is rather
negative virtue after all. confess that
az the beginning Of my literary career
could make nothing Of this school. !
couldn't write the way II demanded and
so ] went TO England and obtained the
recognition ] needed there.
g u IL curious thing but England with
It's venerable literary anteoedents h 10 no
hard and fast standard to impose upon
the writer. There Is perfect hunger for
something new among both British pub
fishers and public that Is quite refreshing
to the writer who has wearied OF s:rug-
CLING with the Howels cult. Here the
critics and the publishers are positively
frightened at anything now.
Mrs, Anterior admits that It is I'm.
fair to lay all blame for the suppress
sion Of originality" In American novels
to any school of writers, for ut is the
public In the last resort that IL to
blame" She also predicts that the
time will undoubtedly come when
there VIII be at least two standards OF
literary excellence recognized In This
country and that writer's whom orig
lhAhAJ SUITS VIII an uucOuuueTuNhe
force and with the gift to create life
in dction ms It is found In the real
world win give the American public
a glimpse Of something new, some
thing to remain as an inspiration TO
true effort Ia American literature"
In the course of the Interview Mrs.
Atherton drops a hint us to her own,
standard for fiction. saying:
All subjects are good for the novelist,
but the latter must be able to tell some
thing worth While, something original, OF
tho phase Of life which he makes his
theme, else the picture he would convey
will be false alike to art and morals
And then, above all. there IL the canon of
literary taste which. In the case 81 a yer.
table ioaster. must decide lnfallibly where |
the novelist is TO stop In the treatment Of |
a diRogreeable theme from real life.
The polut is also made that the
great novelist should be able at times
to present an "lmpersonallty OF STYLE
an aloofness in sympathy with the
traits of the characters he Is depicting
At the same time great writer's must
know all about the people and the con-
lltions they would describe.