The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-06

text book writer could venture only with
high courage and a gypsy's love for the
unknown and the new. 1t would be any
thing but safe. Your current masterpiece
may be dead and forgotten next year, Just
when the sale Of your text book is step
ping out nicely, and your despised "maga-
zine writer" may be acclaimed from pole
to pole. =. -.. - .,. @
I remember well, ten or twelve years
ago, when o. Henry was in his writing
prime; sitting in a New York club and
hearing three, Of the shrewdest living
judges of fiction agree that the art Of
short story writing was dead. Mr.. Ham,
iltoi himself brings this danger to mind
in referring casually to Edna Ferber as
one Of o. Henry's imitators. She is not,
Of course. The Edna Ferber New York
is not at all the o. Henry New York.
And Miss Ferber in her own field has
written stories as good as any, or nearly
any, of o. Henry's.
The Writer'S New World. ., If,
The practical difficulty in this conserva-
tism is that fiction has changed profoundly
during the last twenty-five years. A
changing social understanding, a violently
changing world, indeed, has found almost
instant expression in the art Of fiction.
The influences on the young writer Of to-
day are only incidentally Scott and Haw-
thorne ct al. It is now another century.
We can't 60 back. And it is a century
which has already, from its first years to
the war crash, seen whole new schools Of
fiction and number of new novels that
may some day stand out among the ac-
eepted great books of English literature.
England is rich in this promise.
In this one respect Mr.. Hamilton's
book is like the others; it leans back safely
among long established figures. 1t seems
unaware of the changing Winds Of the
new century. And since the book is text
book for young writers it seems unfOrtu-
nate that an effort was not made to recog-
nize the atmosphere which those young
writers must breathe to-day.
So much for the one matter of current
sympathies and interests. On the broader
ground Of literary principles and tech
nique the book stands solidly. 1 recall
once myself undertaking to define the
task of the writer of fiction as that Of
thinking his way through an area of
feeling" The "area Of feeling must be
there of course; that is the region Of all
art. But the power to think must also
be there. The combination is necessary
to q sound result.
Where Technique" Comes In.
No book can tell beginner how TO
write fiction. The most to hope for it is
that it should !ell him how to think about
writing fiction. This Mr.. Hamilton's
book does and does well. 1t is a pretty
eomplete-really rather remarkably
complete-summing up Of the elements Of
a sound technique.
see have used this word Technique"
twice. 1t is, this word, a black beast TO
your beginner He will insist that an
artist cam acquire technique without los
ing what small divine spark may have
been in him.
The fact is any gifted and eager be-
ginner can tell a good story. But he can't
tell five without knowing how. And know
ing how is technique.
The story itself-that is another matter.
A story is persons and time and mood.
1t is color. 1t is action. 1t is character
ization. 1t may come creeping into the
mind as person. 1t may come as a sit
uation. 1t may come rs feeling, pres
sure, an overmastering desire to write
something, but inarticulate, all clouds, but
clouds with lightning in them and wind
behind them.
The Live Story.
I cherish certain very personal memo
ries of struggling 10 explain to sympa-
thetic editorial ears the exact nature Of