Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-17
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

indeed, II he dare to differ from him.
A real author-and by that we mean
one whose work will live in after ages
makes the scene and the characters. It
is not so much a matter of making the
reader see what he has seen as of
creating scenes, character and action
which will make the reader see at all.
y Il X X
The first-hand testimony of writer's
as to "how they do it." and especially
as to how they view their own work.
will always interest readers. Not only
are they given a glimpse into the minds
and hearts of writer's but they come to
find out that the latter often are mis-
taken about themselves.
1t is seldom that an authors own
preference among his novels or other
works is the same as that of the GEN
eral public. This often comes about
because the author. being an artist,
could not properly put in the work In
question all that actually went into it
that is, he could not show to the reader
the full content of the story, because
10 nave done SO would have killed the
artistic effect.
It is interesting to note in the above
given specimen of self-analysis from
the pen of George Sand that She rather
told the truth about The Devils POOL
than give any real hints about the
writing business.
II wished to make something very
touching and very simple" It was that
desire, Towering into those quiet pages,
which gave them the charm they Dos
SesS today. These three or four peasant
stories, redolent Of a chosen soil, but
not too redolent, achieved utter SIM
plicity. II they are touching" or not
must depend upon the reader. But GER
tafnly all readers will find them simple
simple to the extent of being French
fairy tales almost.
4 * X x
Although French fiction is noted most
for an utter honesty which sometimes
appears hard, great deal of it pos
Sesses another quality, and that is a
simple righteousness. One has to read
certain of the short stories of Leon
Daudet to grasp this quality to the full.
There is one story. whose title we have
forgotten, Of sheepboy who sits all
night In the mountains beside the beau
tiiul young daughter OF the baron. To
MIN she Is as being from another
world. This is all there is to the story;
not much, 1t must be admitted-until
one stops to realize that he is being
made to see what the author meant for
him to see. Then he realizes that he
mas been reading MASTERPIECE
George Sand was not the craftsman
Daudet was. Her now remembered
stories have certain sweetness to them
which remind one of the Victorian
writer's about whom we have heard 50
much In the last 10 years. She had a
certain leisurely method i'll in keeping
with our swift era. Perhaps that is one
reason why reading some of her stories
Is pleasant experience nowadays. She
was not a bit bothered about what Mr..
Mencken would think of them or herI
She put her pen to paper and wrote
thereon IN large, round hand. scarcely
plotting out word in a whole novel
IT Is said that she seldom had any idea
OF what she was going to write, but one
may suspect that not always TO have
been true. There is, however, a certain
gain evidently in that method. II events
succeed in surprising the writer, it is
reasonably sure that they will surprise
the reader, too. If he is logged out OF
his leiSurely gait. the reader MAY get
what today We call kick"
George Sand wrote voluminously. and
In her day was immensely popular
Even in the late nineties her peasant
stories were favorite presentation books
probably because they permitted the
donors to deal in a famous name with
out harm TO themselves or the recipi-
ents. Let US read a little OF George
sand simply because she is worth it,