Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-13
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES r. TRACEW ELL.

| characters which would give rise TO
any particular movement.
Dumas largely solved this problem
by selecting Tor perturbation men and
women who were as full FLOODED as
| himself That. we believe. Is one of
! the secrets Of the appeal Of these
stories The reader finds no "psy-
cliolocy," as such. no author stringino
! forth the inner feelings of men and
women.
The men and women in Dumas
| think feel and act--and talk. Now
isn't that much what men and women
dc in everyday life? Is there any
kindly author standing around for most
OF us. willng-nav. eaeer-to discuss
our Utmost thoughts with the public at
large?
Mostly we have to stumble along the
best we may. very much misunderstood
at times, half-understood most of the
| time. and occasionally valued properly
Because others are in full possession of
all the facts In the case.
X < *
It would seem that Dumas is inter-
eStin5 to the average reader because he
treats his characters as men and Wom-
EN- and approaches them from the view
neither sits above them nor below them,
nor inside them. They act and talk,
! Especially they talk!
| I is our contention that no romancer
ever handled conversation rs well as
Alexandra Dumas. Some of it may
be called stiltcd if you will. or even
unnatural it makes no difference.
BY and large. the talk in Dumas
novels is convincing because 1t is both
natural and apropos. What they
say is what real people would say under
similar circumstances. 1t is such talk
is goes on in million homes. over the
| exciting question of which one OF the
fine new cars OH the market to put In
the family garage.
! It is. above ell. talk which needs no
he said" and "she said to make 1t
| plausible.
Dumas characters act-and talk. SO
we said. The reverse is even more
true. They falkland act. Dumas lets
the reader take part in the story by
listening in on the conversation.
While most authors this. of course,
in a loose sense. perhaps. no other story
teller manages it quite so we'll. The
average novelist is satisfied If he can
give a page of conversation, without
description.
Dumas, alone of authors. lets the
reader eavesdrop on continuous pages,
page after page. of simple dialogue.
Thus. he combines the art of the novel;
list with that of the dramatiSt. 1t is
significant that his son ma jored' in
the latter branch of literary compost
ton
Not only does Alexandra Dumas the
elder. excel in the sheer amount of his
conversational dialogue: rather he is
paramount because all his talk actually
furthers the action of the story
Imitators have massed page after
page of dialogue. without che said.
but none has ever managed to infuse
the lines with such sense of light
ness and gayety. Dumas cleverly chose
to write about characters after his own
heart. Being a hearty glad-hearted
man himself. most Of his heroes and
heroines. especially the former, are filled
with the Joy of life.
Perhaps this quality in his pages is
what irresistibly appeals to the modern
reader. In whom it may be lacking,
having been knocked out by civilization,
training and environment.
Dumas restores us to our ancient
rights as breathing animals as human
beings. and so puts US in his debt as
few other fiction writer's do.