New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-12
be a manager, or plough the soil.
II IL

ans. On the contrary, every regard for
them, every consideration and the de-
sire in pleasing yourself to please
them. And yet | cannot too often re-
peat that they make the game difficult
For example, "Pendennis." What in
the world shall the playwright do with
all the narrative style, this engaging
disconnectedness, this way Of telling a
story which belongs so personally to
Thackeray, which has such quality?
And then the further consideration that
every classic is a whole just as crys-
tai or a diamond is a whole, and yet
the playwright must take this perfec-
ton, melt it, remould and make it over
into another medium. The great point
to be observed here is: He respects
it too much at his peril! In Thack-
cray he should respect the main thing
and the main thing is character.
Thackeray's English, his style, his
tone, his atmosphere-these can't be
rendered. Then again, his method Of
story telling. He wanders in his mar
ration, goes backward and forward,
does what pleases him, and, in short,
he weaves very complicated web Of
thought, feeling, time and space. He
is, of all English writers, the loosest
in his methods-one Of his charms, TO
be sure. There are long lapses Of
time; years, decades, frequent changes
of space-in short, those things which
characterize the Odyssey just as much
as they do "Pendennis," and Becky
Sharp"
But there is still another hurdle
which the playwright must leap boldly
over, and this is the dreadful plot
which Thackeray wove into a part Of
"Pendennis." My feelings are warm
upon this subject. have now for
many months hated, and still hate, the
dreadful melodramatic plot which
Thackeray injected into one Of Eng
lands greatest classics. / refer to the
plot which concerns the Amory family;
the plot which has to do with Amory
the convict and with the Chevalier
Strong, and so on and so on. All the
readers Of Thackeray will recall 1t i'm
mediately. Why, ask, did that great
writer introduce into his most charm
ing work this extravagant, melo-
dramatic, Anticipated, ridiculous, puer-
lie plot? | am not alone in thinking
it melodramatic, Anticipated and ridicu-
lous and, above all, hampering. One
other writer agrees with me, very
great writer, whom ] am glad to have
on my side-nsmely, Thackeray him
self. From such study Of the novel As
I was Of course obliged to make I
early came to the conclusion that he
had invented that plot in order TO
rival Dickens where Dickens himself
was, let me say, most misguided.
Having started out with this plan In
view, Thackeray succeeded merrily up
to q certain point In the story, where,
as the plot developed, it began to ham,
per him, weigh him down, worry him,
make him heavy, necessitate explana-
tions and reduce him, in short, to every
kind of misery which can fall upon
the unhappy writer Of romance. Tho
proof Of this Is in the last third or
fourth of the novel. He writhes under
it at times and at times he neglects it
completely. Then at the end he throws
it absolutely to the winds; indeed, his
gesture is more emphatic than this;
he throws the plot on the floor and
dances upon it. But what is play
wright to do with a plot that SO sick
ened and handicapped the novelist!
One thing is sure. He must ignore it
completely or he will find himself wal
lowing in melodrama and cursed by
every intelligent playgoer.
There are in Vanity Fair" about q
hundred-odd characters, and | sup
pose there are all told not less than
nine plays. There are certainly five In
"Pendennis." What Is that novel In Its
essence? The life history Of young
man-twenty years of youth. dis
tinguished, gifted, gay. rather worldly
but generous hearted young fellow. In
the play one omits Of necessity q
world Of delightful things. So in the
end the play comes to be simply Ar
thur Pendennis's love affairs-the ad-
ventures of Arthur Pendennis with
Emily, Fanny, Blanche, Laura. His
love affairs, his troubles, pretty seri-
Gus ones, and how his witty and world
ly, astute, suave old uncle makes his
troubles worse or pulls him completely
out Of them.
came early 70 the conclusion that
the only way to write a play OF the
novel which would satisfy. by which I
mean give pleasure, to the American
public would be to use Arthur Pen
denniss love affairs In connection with
Major Pendennis as his mentor. Most
men have love affairs; few have men.
tors. The play is the major taking
care Of his wild young nephew, trying
to make him marry for money and not