Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-11-16
PROFESSOR WINCHESTER LECTURES
In Popular Lecture Course at Slater HsllGses His Views
Aspects Of American Literature American Poets m
Backward State Today intellectual Element in Present
Day Literature Has Greatly Declined.

Present Aspects of American Litera-
ture, delivered by Prof. Caleb T.. Win
chester. In his talk, which was an
other of the. popular lecture series,
Prof. Winchester pointed out that the
present day literature could not abt
classed with the works of the grea
writer's. Tennyson, Dickens, Lengfel-
low. and others. for it is his opinion
that no writer who began his work
after these great man had finished
theirs has yet proved himself their
equal. Our prose literature is lacking
in the element OF reflection, is becoIn-
ing a literature of fact rather than of
truth, and both our poetry and prose
are lacking IN the power of appeal to
deep and serious human emotion.
I Not His FIRST Time Here
Prof. Winchester has spoken to
Norwich audiences several times be-
fore and needed no Introduction TO
those present, Monday evening: he
was presented by Henry A. Tirrell,
principal of the Norwich Free Aead-
envy. In part, Prof. Winchester spoke
as follows;
1t is a. pleasure to me te-speak again
in Norwich, where I often had the
privilege of speaking to very indulgent
audiences years ago. I much fear,
| however, that what have to say this
evening may be less interesting and
claim even more. of your indulgence
than my talks in earlier years. For
erature. of previous centuries, that lit
erature whose power ana charm are
undeniable. and seem undiminished
through the ages. This evening /
wish to speak a little while Of the
| narrower field Of contemporary litera-
! ture; and without attempting any
| complete, or mprehensives view of
| that literature to mention some ten
denotes that seem to me not alto
gether reassuring or inspiring.
. e. nk~zvw ~T<frz
question whether the last rs or 80
| years have produced much literature
of the first order Of merit, either in
England or America How many writ
ers OF poetry or fiction beginning their
work in the last 20 years seem likely
| by their performance or their promise
| to be remembered rs years from now,
along with the men who began their
work some rs years ago-Fith Tenny-
| son and Browning and Arnold, with
| Longfellow and Lowell and Whittier?
| How many novelists to rank with
Dickens and Thackery and Haw-
| thorne2 -s.-. $3.50. ,.,.-.--.. -
1 think it must be admitted that no
writer who began his work after these
I great men had finished theirs has yet
proved himself their equal. But with
out condemning anybody to oblivion,
\ we may not unreasonably ask, what
must be the qualities of good litera-
! ture IN any age and then to inquire
| whether the IefluGnGleS AulcIISStA
society and culture today are favorable
/ to the production of such q high and
Eperma nent literature.
Elements, Making Good Litesature.
What, then; are the elements that
/ go to make good literature? In the
| first place. every book that is to have
/ permanent literary value must have a
Considerable content of truth. And
/ this truth must not merely be abstract
| or generalizeda trdth-4that makes SCI
| ence or philosophy, not literature. The
truth in the book must be in the broad
sense moral truth, that is, truth i'm
| mediately related to the life and con-
| duet of men. We may safely say that
4 no work of literature is of a very high
order unless it stimulate thought upon
subjects of lasting interest, unless it
has considerable, content Of perennial
| truth.
But that is not enough. The thought
| of the book must be touched with emo
| ton. Emotion is really the Character
istic element Of literature, which diff
! ferentiates it from science or pure
philosophy. or mere record of fact.
Appeal to Imagination.
In some forms of literature the, ap-
peal to the emotions is the primary
purpose and object of the book. And
| in all literature. other things being
! equal, the most lofty or profound the
emotion, the greater the literature.
I
\ be reached only through the imagina-
ton, the great book viii be sure to
| appeal, in greater or less degree, to
the imagination; Lastly, the book
| which is to meet. these conditions must
| show some mastery in the art of Ian
guage,. which Is the only medium OF
literary expression. These elements,
thought, emotion, imagination and
1 style. any real work of literature must
/ possess them all. Any one of them
1 IN foh oil No.
deficient in the others; but the great
and lasting book must show them all
| combined in proportions adapted to the
purpose of the work. -
You see. then. how intimate must
be the relation between the literature
and the life of any age. You may es-
4 innate the intellectual emotional and
moral life of any society pretty ac-
curately by asking what sort of lit
erature it demands and produces.
| Applying the Test.
/ Applying this test to our literature
here in America today, do we find
| these intellectual and emotional quail
ties in any high degree in the books
that are written and read today? And.
what is more important, do we expect
to find them or demand them? What
kind Of books are we getting, and
what kind do we seem not to be get
| ting
I should think the first thing to be
noticed when we look over our con-
4 temporaneous literature Is its immense
mass. believe most of US do not at
all realize the astonishing amount Of
| what Is called reading matter that rolls
| out OF our printing presses yearly.
| This immense increase In the volume
| OF literature, or what claims to- be
such. Is in itself a disadvantage. The
really great work may sometimes be
| choked by the mass Of feeble common
| place. With all this portentous in
! crease in the amount OF what 10 Sig
nihcantly called reading matter. some
forms OF literature seem almost entire
~ to have disappeared. For example,
/ the thoughtful essay, with q tome Of
| quiet reflection, or the charm Of q
mellow humor, or the sparkle Of q
| brilliant style. This IL q literary genius
| that seems almost extinct. Not entire-
y. perhaps; we stiii have few writer's
IKE Mr.. Crowthers or Agnes Repplier.
/ Decline Of the lntelIsetuat.
The literature most widely current
today docs not much appeal 10 the
thoughtfui reflective temper. Reading
has come to be Thought Of az an
amusement, literature as recreation,
like tho moving pictures. The result
is that the intellectual element In our
GA