University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-09-20
HOW 0. HENRY SAW :.
THE SHORT STORY
He Believed Most Writers
Pass Up Truth for False
Realism.
IN A P0STHUMOUS LETTER
Author Told His Views as to
How Fiction Should
Be Written.

NEW YORK, Sept. 2O.-A letter
written by the late o. Henry contains
some interesting reflections on so call
ed true variations of fact and a still
more interesting outline of how a re-
ally true story could be written.
"My idea," he wrote, lis to write
the story of a man-an individual, hot
3 type-but man who at the same
time want to represent a human
nature type If such a person could
exist. The story will teach no lesson,
inculcate no moral, advance no theory.
Il want it to be something that it
won't or can't be-but as near as can
make 1.-THE true record of a mans
thoughts, his description Of his mis-
chances and adventures, his true opin-
ions Of life as he has seen it and his
absolutely honest deductions, COM
ments and views upon the different
phases Of lifeNthat he passes through.
"AiI Men are Liars"
Il do not remember ever to have
read an autobiography, a biography or
q piece Of fiction that told the truth
Of course, have read stuff such as
Rousseau and lola and George Moore
and various memoirs that were suppos,
ed to be window panes in their re-
spective breasts, but mostly all of them
were either liars, actors or posers.
(Of course, I'm not trying to belittle
the greatness of their literary express
sion.)
All of us have to be prevaricators,
hypocrites and liars every day of our
lives, otherwise the social structure
would fall into pieces the first day.
We must act in one another's presence,
just as we must wear clothes. It is
for the best.
"The trouble about writing the
truth has been that the writer's have
kept in mind one or another or ell of
three thoughts that made a handicap
they were trying to do a piece of i'm
mortal literature or to shock the pub
lie or to please editors. Some of them
succeeded in all three. hut: they did "a
write the truth: Most autobiographiAs
are insincere from beginning to- eAd.
About the only chance for the truth
to be told is in fiction. 1t is we'll un-
derstood that "all the truth" cannot be
told in print-but how about nothing
but the truth?' That's what l want to
do.
This for Mr.. Wells.
II want the man who is telling the
story to tell it-not as he would to a
reading public or to a confessor, but
something in this way. Suppose he
were marooned on an island in mid
ocean, with no hope of ever being res.
cued, and in order to pass away some
OF the time he should tell astory to
himself, embodying his adventure and
experience and opinions. Having a Ger.
tain respect for himself Qet us hope),
he would leave out the realism that
he would have no chance of selling
in the market, he would omit the lies
and self-conscious poses and would
turn out to his one auditor something
true and real. -
$50, as truth is not to be found in
history, autobiography, press reports
(nor at the bottom of an H. G. Wells),
let us hope that fiction may be the
means of bringing out a few grains
of it.
THE hero of the story will be man
born and raised in somnolent little
Southern town. His education is about
common school one, but he learns
afterward from reading and life. I'm
going to try to give him style in
narrative and spesch-the best I've
got in the shop, I'm going to take him
through all the main phases of life
wild adventure, city, society, something
OF the under world and among the
characteristic planes of the phases.
want him to acquire all the sophistica
ton that experience can give him and
always preserve his individual, honest
human view and have him tell the
truth about everything.
A Story the World Missed.
1t is time to say now that by the
truth / don't mean the Objectionable
stuff that SO often masquerades under
the name. mean true opinions,sa true
estimate of all things as they scent te
the hero If you find a word or a rug
gestive line or sentence in any ofsmy
copy, you cut it out and deduct it from
the royalties. -
Il want the man to be man OF nat
ural intelligence, of individual charac.
ter. absolutely open and broad minded,
and show how the Creator of the earth
has got him in a rat-trap-put him here
I'll