The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-04-28
based on the old Latin legend Of Con-

based on the old Latin legend Of Con-
stantine's mother, Helena, and the
search for the holy cross, highly
imaginative and interesting svlrlle
Aanglo-Saxon story.
With the coming Of the wild, bar
barrie Danes or Norsemen in the 9th
and 10th centuries, the imaginative lit
erature practically died out in Eng
land. but after the Norman conquest
IN 1866. the Norman-French minstrels
brought to her a new and more re-
fined vein of legendary tales, and for
four hundred years these raconteurs
went up and down the land singing
their romantic lays in the castle of the
noble. about the tavern fire, and at
nnhlic occasions Of every kind. It was
to this time that the legends OF King
Arthur and his round table belong.
Then came the time when the
Anglo-Saxon dialects OF the common
people, the Norman-French language
Of the court circle and the Latin OF
the church services amalgamated and
we have the beginnings of modern
English. And Chaucer, one Of the
greatest factors in bringing this
about, though he may have been IRE
suit Of centuries of English story tell
ing" added to adventure" which had
heretofore been the principal element
in fiction, "character portrayal" and
whether it is the nun who does not
snatch her food at table or thrust her
fingers too deep in the gravy or some
other character, Chaucer's men and
women all come before us as real per-
sonalities.
The 18th century Renaissance
brought the French and Italian prose
fiction to England. A wave OF lltera-
ture from these countries flooded the
British Isles, and while some old fash
ioned Englishmen were shocked with
it's content, from the majority it re-
ceived hearty admiration. Soon Eng
lish writer's in great numbers were
initiating these stories OF "dramatlc;
display of feeling and passion and
English prose fiction came into belng:
and 9th century England became
as fiction mad as Goth century Amer
But it was not until the beginning
of the 18th century that Simple;
flexible, smooth running prose style"
suitable for that natural" form OF nc
ton "the novel; was developed. Then
# was that the London bricklayer, sol.
der and journalist, Defoe, stumbled
uuon the primary principle of modern
Action. viz. that it is "kind OF lie
and that it is useless to lie unless you
can be so like the truth that you are
believed" Defoe proceeded in his
PAMPHLET on The Shortest Way with
Dissenters, to lie. and his lie was ac-
cented as the truth. But when it was
discovered that he had duped and fool,
ed both parties. he was pillorled, 1lned
and imprisoned for year. When ne
came out of prison and found his fam
ING starving he tried his hand at a
Ghost story and again deceived his
leaders. but this time with happier
results to himself. ,,
Defoe, as you KNOW was a nacA
journalist. Whenever a noted or no.
torious character died. it was his Gus
tom to publish "life" of the deceas,,
ed, and if the true narrative seemed
too dull and prosaic he interspersed
interesting events of his own lnven,
ton. and now that he had learned
that he could Gle like the TRUTH it
was but step from writing bog
raphies of real characters to writing
biographies of fictitious characters
and in 1719 appeared what many
writer's on the subject acknowledge d
tn he the first English novel. So like
the truth it seemed that on its puoll-
cation it was accepted as real mar
rative of one Robinson Crusoe. Al
though Henry James says that it isn't
novel at all because it is in the "ac-
curst photographic form which puts
a premium on the loose, the impro-
vised. the cheap and the easy" Among
other reasons given for denying it a
place among modern novels are that
the great theme of mans love for
woman is absent, that the sentiment
of sympathy is absolutely lacking
Not even in the death of the man Fri
day is any tenderness shown. line
story is coarse and commonplace ana
often squalid, but what could one ex.
pect from such times of brutality and
vice! Seats in parliament, it is said
were sold openly for 1000 gulnea3s
Cock-fighting was allowed in the
schools. Bull batting was a BIZ
weekly sport in London. The the
aires were noted for their coarse jokes
and vulgar personalities. Old Sir
Roger de Coverly was, wise to take
along a good guard and strong cudgeell
when he went to see a play. But II
YOU will persist in calling Robinson
Crusoe a novel, you will have the
sanction of some of the best literary
critics Of the day. ae..
About ten years after the publiea-
ton of Robinson Crusoe there appear
ed another travel story, far more alb
surd than Defoe's but with the same
carefulness and accuracy as to detail.
The story of the Lilliputians, and the
Boobdingnagians is a ridiculous I'M
possibility, and while we never for :; a
moment would mistake it for the truth
neither does it strike US as being IL
logical. Gulliver's Travels. one OF the
greatest satires in the English Ian,
uage, has the same realistic series OF t
events conferred about one individual
that is shown in Robinson Crusoe, but
IN the former Swift has added wit and
hunaor and as one Of his critics has
said, ''has pointed out the power OF