Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-07

OF the sixty-two authors who ex'
pressed their views believe that the
novel must recognize the necessity
of commanding interest or lose it:
hold on the public.
Do not get the impression thai
these British ~novelists are advocat-
ing that writer's aim for cheap pop.
ularity. Far from it. Their con.
tention is with the defects which
they find in the modern novel, de.
fects which if further emphasized
might be fatal to the future of thai
type of fiction. The defects men.
toned may be summed up az fol.
lows:
One is the use of realism as an end
rather than as a means to an end
Another is the too great stress laid
upon the morbid, depressing side o.
life. when beauty and adventure are
just as real and several times as in.
teresting and inspiring.
Alleged Experts Poorly Informed
1t is suggested by several of the
writer's that the novelist who poses
as a psychological expert often lacks
even elementary knowledge of psy-
chology. In this connection MAJ
Pemberton says:
II doubt if any mar writing to-
day has made a close study of tho
very science about which he talks
SO glibly."
A fourth criticism is that imagin-
alton and charm are lacking in the
ponderous works of the realists.
The most mentioned defect, how
ever, is indifference to form, the
lack of a rounded story, in so many
current novels. The steady reitera-
ton of this idea becomes the most
striking fact about the entire collec-
ton of opinions.
The story in which the plot Is the
most important element has often
been called the lowest form of fic-
ton. Novels and short stories em-
phasizing theme, character, or at
mosphere are more likely to attain
to distinction. This axiom has been
taken so seriously by writer's of the
twentieth century that the plot in
many a novel is practically missing.
Unchartered novel writing is vigor-
ously denounced by Alfred Noyes
well known British poet. He makes
the daring statement that sit is much
easier to give the subtle reasons for
each smile of the heroine than tc
give the smile and a good story"
Half a dozen writer's are main
tanning the highest standards" he
says, but for the most part we are
in the midst of an orgy of easy
methods-free verse, free music,
free painting; and fiction, too, free
from all the laws of order and pro-
portion. There will emerge, 1 am
sure, a greater care for form and q
more energetic will to conquer rath-
er than to evade the difficulties OF
literature
With so many novelists agreed on
the Importance of the story roman
ticism must be well started toward
a revival. in England at least.
One powerful influence is already
at work in that direction. That Is
the moving pucture industry. Com
posing novels is not a lucrative pro-
fession in the majority of cases. One
writer in the symposium mentions
that the novelist who makes $4,000
a year from his books is doing we'll
But the novelist whose works APP
peal to a motion picture producer
finds a source of real profit.
So. it is predicted that authors
even the greatest will more and
more construct their stories with an
eye to attracting moving picture
magnates and that assuredly
should mean the return of the move
in which the hero thinks little and
does many and exciting things.