The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-23
R CAROLINA FICTION

90 -. Harrison, PROFESSOR OF
.n,lisr and Dean OF the IA ana NJ.
|ColleEc. +ho fold &c sufficient
~o,v.uce as that ASoTth
- - been interpreted In fiction as
haa w. 20 he the case with other
" I'm states. Every dramatic Pc
20, =, The life of Virginia has beer
fI' NJ in the stories OF Mary John
NJ. Inn Eaten Cooke, Thomas Mel
e'o"' Pee. and Ellen Glasgow. These
soL have done their work, too,
~ -, artistic sureness OF touch that
-" n among the permanent liter
pc -. ,obiavements of the nation. James
~ Allen. John Fox, and Alice
L., Rice have crystalized in fiction
lar,ain phases Of life in Kentucky;
~ charles Egbert has
simiIarly portrayed with Genes In
sight and loving sympathy the lives
ond Characters of the Tennessee
ooou~ntaireers. Equally valuable SER
ice has been rendered by George w.
~.blo Ruth McEnery Stuart, and
rrace King to Louisiana. Georgia
,lsn il, peculiarly rich in the fiction
,baf represents her varied n pic
rnre.gDe life. Richard Malcolm
Johnson. Joel Chandler Harris. Harry
snlvell Edwards, and Will N. Har-
har have depicted with skill and with
Characteristic humor the past OF the
old cracker State
n, what extent has North Carolina
been interpreted in fiction?
il.
tn order to enrich, or at least TO
make fairly completes. our survey, we
should include in North Carolina fic-
don. novels and short stories by au-
thors who are not native but who
have placed the scenes and incidents
If their stories chiefly within the
state. Ostensibly at least, these are
attempts to portray in fiction the his
torv OF the State and the life of the
people. This enlarged view brings
aithiu range such obvious pot-boilers
as William Farquhar Payson's John
Vytal, 4 Tale of the Lost Colony The
story baSins with roistering and rio
IN London streets, continues with mu'
TIM and other e~XcitenlentS at sea-
she s~tcreOtyped material Of a thouSanC
iales Of northumberland is filled OH
With rather crudely devised incident
IN the uilds of Carolina. Quite differ
pnt is Meredith Nicholson's "Littl
Brown Jug at Kildare" with its rattle
bright foolinG which becomes at time
horse-play. by this means an accom-
plished novelist chose to regale him
self for j. season. These books d
truly not portray North Carolina O
her people.
On. J.. Il. Wilson. the Universit
librarian at Chapel Hill. two year
& compiled a list OF 1913 titles G
fiction with a North Carolina set
ting Of course some of these book
merely touch North Carolina, an
many Of them are written by author
native of other States. OF this lis
one is likely to remember Cyrl
Tow nsend Brady's when Blades Al
out and Loves Afeld" and Mrs. Bul
nets Louisiana
III.
a degree nearer to us are the Sol
aud daughters of the State who ha,
gone abroad and from vantage poin
beyond our borders have write
stories, some on North CaroliT
themes. other with Incidents loca
tZed elsewhere. TO one of these, w
ham sidney Porter, we are pleased
lay unqualified claim. although fro
early manhood he lived outside o.
bounds, and although no story Of h
except one, | believe, touches in
course his native State. AS O. Hen
will he accorded special considerati'
at This meeting Of the society. no mo
need be said Of him here. Promine
u The group of native writer's W
nave done their writing as roTi-re
tents stands Mr.. Thomas Dixon,
iHaH of virile and prolific mind.
re mud in his novels. for eXamp
10 The Leopard's Spots" u true y
tafe Of life in North Carolina at a
period: Do We find an accurate pt
'Ia}al OF representative Southe
1bata"ter? The author has the folio
ny Historical Note" Introductory
The Leopard's Spots: '"The only
'ftE have taken with history is
Zone down the facts to make III
'ftdlnie in fiction" Unfortunat
h" statement does not adeQuat
answer u Question. The book is,
+'itN- To admit. not a wor OF
i"."lSts high art, displaying in ca
'hAN constructed narrative and in
'Ni3,tciy drawn characters our q
'Hatic past. Instead Of exercising
reserve and the restraint which IN;
tolh all the more compelling. the
nor gives himself all the license
Violent partisan. He produces
.~"istduence, not dramatic narrat