Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-14

: 'rcIy hDSorDed IN nerselt, WHOSE RUE y
/ life is to take what she wants.
The two 20 about. the night restau'
rants Of New York. drinking more ant
more as the years 60 by. till Anthon,
becomes n hopeless sot and they live 81
cXtravagantly that their money has al.
most disappeared. when they succeed
in breaking the grandfat hers will which
had left the fortune away from thu
drunken grandson.
The Damned Of the story seems
IN be the rich mans kir pith moth
ing 10 do bat ,r1it to inherit redlfh.
and the "Bcnutifur' seems TO be the
voung noman phose ddmnafion con.
si's in the selfish pursuit Of pleasure.
OF COURSE a novel is primarily a
~ story. There is story enough in
this one. But n great novel IS more
than a story. " is an Informed and
tolerant commentary on lie. No bet.
ter illustration Of the superficial quail.
ity Of Mr. Fitzgcrnld's thinking can be
found than in the definition OF a classic
which he puts in the mouth Of his hero.
"A classic" suggested Anthony. 'is
a successful book that has survived the
reaction Of the next period or genera /.
ton.
Compare this with what Sainte-
Reuve had 10 say on the subject: "a
true classic. as I like to understand
the term. Is an author who has en-
richcd fha human spirit. who has really
enlarged it's treasure. who has taken a
stop forward. who has discovered some
undoubtcd moral verify or who has re-
discovered some external passion in the
cart where all seemed known and cx-
plored: who has put his thought. his
observation or his invention in no mat.
ter what form SO long as It ia large and
Gigniticd. refined and intelligible. sane
and beautiful in itself; who has spoken
10 all in style of his own which yet
proves to be the style Of every one. in
n style new without neologisms. new
and ancient. easily contemporary Of all
the ages
To mriir something thni cnn pass
his test shouM be the am mbiiion of
crcry man Of letters.
TT CANNOT he done. however. by =
i young man who sets out to be smart.
for not in that way is the human spirit
enriched. Nor IS an external passion
Iediscovered thus in the human heart
where all seems 70 be known There
is Hppancy and triviality about Fitz.
gcrald's book which is the result Of a
striving for brilliancy. In conversn- :
ton he has character reply 10 a
Young woman who says she has ideas.
bur cannot put them in words: "As
Goliath said. he understood how David
felt. for he couldn't express himself.
The remark was Immediately adopted for
q motto by the rhilistines." And in
writing Of the entrance Of the United
States into the war he saws: Wilson
and his Cablnet-a Cabinet that In It's
lick OF distinction was strangely rem
iniscent Of the twelve apostles--let loose
the carefully starved dogs Of war;
These passages, along with the def.
milton Of classic which l have quoted
nre characteristic Of the whole book
The pursuit Of cleverness for it's own
sake blinds a man to tho larger truths.
the statement Of which in the simplest
terms is more moving than the most
surprising turn Of phrase or than the
most flippant or :rrevercnt Sbe.
Bm rith all his fnuHs Fitzgerald
has the story telling gift. He proved
it beyond doubt in his roIumc of
short stories last year.
TT IS in the construction OF a novel
1 that he fails. His second novel has
all the faults Of the first. lie is aware
"f those faults. for he cOnfesses through
one Of the characters in the new one
that the old one is not true to life and
is shoddy realism. II Is because he has
gifts and because he may be able to do
something of permanent value II he
win take himself in hand and put his
thinking and his style through a rigid
discipline that have written thus at
length about him. | should like 70 ses
him devote five years to his next novel.
years given 10 wide reading and sincere
reflection and to careful and painstas.
ing observation Of life Then the book
might have one or more Of those nuali-
ties which Sninte. Beuve said charnc-
cried a classic--qualities that are eter-
nally in style, regardless Of the chang.
ing fashions. 6. W. u.