Trueromanticart，again，makesaromanceofallthings.Itreachesintothehighestabstractionoftheideal;itdoesnotrefusethemostpedestrianrealism.ROBINSONCRUSOEisasrealisticasitisromantic;bothqualitiesarepushedtoanextreme，andneithersuffers.Nordoesromancedependuponthematerialimportanceoftheincidents.Todealwithstronganddeadlyelements，banditti，pirates，warandmurder，istoconjurewithgreatnames，and，intheeventoffailure，todoublethedisgrace.ThearrivalofHaydnandConsueloattheCanon’svillaisaverytriflingincident;yetwemayreadadozenboisterousstoriesfrombeginningtoend，andnotreceivesofreshandstirringanimpressionofadventure.ItwasthesceneofCrusoeatthewreck，ifIrememberrightly，thatsobewitchedmyblacksmith.
Noristhefactsurprising.Everysinglearticlethecastawayrecoversfromthehulkis\"ajoyforever\"tothemanwhoreadsofthem.Theyarethethingsthatshouldbefound，andthebareenumerationstirstheblood.Ifoundaglimmerofthesameinteresttheotherdayinanewbook，THESAILOR’SSWEETHEART，byMr.ClarkRussell.ThewholebusinessofthebrigMORNINGSTARisveryrightlyfeltandspiritedlywritten;buttheclothes，thebooksandthemoneysatisfythereader’smindlikethingstoeat.
Wearedealingherewiththeoldcut—and—dry，legitimateinterestoftreasuretrove.Buteventreasuretrovecanbemadedull.
TherearefewpeoplewhohavenotgroanedundertheplethoraofgoodsthatfelltothelotoftheSWISSFAMILYROBINSON，thatdrearyfamily.Theyfoundarticleafterarticle，creatureaftercreature，frommilkkinetopiecesofordnance，awholeconsignment;butnoinformingtastehadpresidedovertheselection，therewasnosmackorrelishintheinvoice;andtheserichesleftthefancycold.TheboxofgoodsinVerne’sMYSTERIOUS
ISLANDisanothercaseinpoint：therewasnogustoandnoglamouraboutthat;itmighthavecomefromashop.Butthetwohundredandseventy—eightAustraliansovereignsonboardtheMORNINGSTAR
felluponmelikeasurprisethatIhadexpected;wholevistasofsecondarystories，besidestheoneinhand，radiatedforthfromthatdiscovery，astheyradiatefromastrikingparticularinlife;
andIwasmadeforthemomentashappyasareaderhastherighttobe.
Tocomeatallatthenatureofthisqualityofromance，wemustbearinmindthepeculiarityofourattitudetoanyart.Noartproducesillusion;inthetheatreweneverforgetthatweareinthetheatre;andwhilewereadastory，wesitwaveringbetweentwominds，nowmerelyclappingourhandsatthemeritoftheperformance，nowcondescendingtotakeanactivepartinfancywiththecharacters.Thislastisthetriumphofromanticstory—
telling：whenthereaderconsciouslyplaysatbeingthehero，thesceneisagoodscene.Nowincharacter—studiesthepleasurethatwetakeiscritical;wewatch，weapprove，wesmileatincongruities，wearemovedtosuddenheatsofsympathywithcourage，sufferingorvirtue.Butthecharactersarestillthemselves，theyarenotus;themoreclearlytheyaredepicted，themorewidelydotheystandawayfromus，themoreimperiouslydotheythrustusbackintoourplaceasaspectator.IcannotidentifymyselfwithRawdonCrawleyorwithEugenedeRastignac，forIhavescarceahopeorfearincommonwiththem.Itisnotcharacterbutincidentthatwoosusoutofourreserve.Somethinghappensaswedesiretohaveithappentoourselves;somesituation，thatwehavelongdalliedwithinfancy，isrealisedinthestorywithenticingandappropriatedetails.Thenweforgetthecharacters;thenwepushtheheroaside;thenweplungeintothetaleinourownpersonandbatheinfreshexperience;andthen，andthenonly，dowesaywehavebeenreadingaromance.Itisnotonlypleasurablethingsthatweimagineinourday—dreams;therearelightsinwhichwearewillingtocontemplateeventheideaofourowndeath;waysinwhichitseemsasifitwouldamuseustobecheated，woundedorcalumniated.Itisthuspossibletoconstructastory，evenoftragicimport，inwhicheveryincident，detailandtrickofcircumstanceshallbewelcometothereader’sthoughts.
Fictionistothegrownmanwhatplayistothechild;itistherethathechangestheatmosphereandtenorofhislife;andwhenthegamesochimeswithhisfancythathecanjoininitwithallhisheart，whenitpleaseshimwitheveryturn，whenhelovestorecallitanddwellsuponitsrecollectionwithentiredelight，fictioniscalledromance.
WalterScottisoutandawaythekingoftheromantics.THELADY
OFTHELAKEhasnoindisputableclaimtobeapoembeyondtheinherentfitnessanddesirabilityofthetale.Itisjustsuchastoryasamanwouldmakeupforhimself，walking，inthebesthealthandtemper，throughjustsuchscenesasitislaidin.
Henceitisthatacharmdwellsundefinableamongtheseslovenlyverses，astheunseencuckoofillsthemountainswithhisnote;
hence，evenafterwehaveflungthebookaside，thesceneryandadventuresremainpresenttothemind，anewandgreenpossession，notunworthyofthatbeautifulname，THELADYOFTHELAKE，orthatdirect，romanticopening—oneofthemostspiritedandpoeticalinliterature—\"Thestagatevehaddrunkhisfill.\"Thesamestrengthandthesameweaknessesadornanddisfigurethenovels.
Inthatill—written，raggedbook，THEPIRATE，thefigureofCleveland—castupbytheseaontheresoundingforelandofDunrossness—moving，withthebloodonhishandsandtheSpanishwordsonhistongue，amongthesimpleislanders—singingaserenadeunderthewindowofhisShetlandmistress—isconceivedintheveryhighestmannerofromanticinvention.Thewordsofhissong，\"Throughgrovesofpalm，\"sunginsuchasceneandbysuchalover，clench，asinanutshell，theemphaticcontrastuponwhichthetaleisbuilt.INGUYMANNERING，again，everyincidentisdelightfultotheimagination;andthescenewhenHarryBertramlandsatEllangowanisamodelinstanceofromanticmethod.
\"Irememberthetunewell，\"hesays，\"thoughIcannotguesswhatshouldatpresentsostronglyrecallittomymemory.\"Hetookhisflageoletfromhispocketandplayedasimplemelody.Apparentlythetuneawokethecorrespondingassociationsofadamsel.Sheimmediatelytookupthesong—
\"’ArethesethelinksofForth，shesaid;
OraretheythecrooksofDee，OrthebonnywoodsofWarrochHeadThatIsofainwouldsee？’
\"’Byheaven！’saidBertram，’itistheveryballad.’\"
Onthisquotationtworemarksfalltobemade.First，asaninstanceofmodernfeelingforromance，thisfamoustouchoftheflageoletandtheoldsongisselectedbyMissBraddonforomission.MissBraddon’sideaofastory，likeMrs.Todgers’sideaofawoodenleg，weresomethingstrangetohaveexpounded.Asamatterofpersonalexperience，Meg’sappearancetooldMr.Bertramontheroad，theruinsofDerncleugh，thesceneoftheflageolet，andtheDominie’srecognitionofHarry，arethefourstrongnotesthatcontinuetoringinthemindafterthebookislaidaside.
Thesecondpointisstillmorecurious.The，readerwillobserveamarkofexcisioninthepassageasquotedbyme.Well，hereishowitrunsintheoriginal：\"adamsel，who，closebehindafinespringabouthalf—waydownthedescent，andwhichhadoncesuppliedthecastlewithwater，wasengagedinbleachinglinen.\"Amanwhogaveinsuchcopywouldbedischargedfromthestaffofadailypaper.
Scotthasforgottentopreparethereaderforthepresenceofthe\"damsel\";hehasforgottentomentionthespringanditsrelationtotheruin;andnow，facetofacewithhisomission，insteadoftryingbackandstartingfair，cramsallthismatter，tailforemost，intoasingleshamblingsentence.ItisnotmerelybadEnglish，orbadstyle;itisabominablybadnarrativebesides.
Certainlythecontrastisremarkable;anditisonethatthrowsastronglightuponthesubjectofthispaper.Forherewehaveamanofthefinestcreativeinstincttouchingwithperfectcertaintyandcharmtheromanticjuncturesofhisstory;andwefindhimutterlycareless，almost，itwouldseem，incapable，inthetechnicalmatterofstyle，andnotonlyfrequentlyweak，butfrequentlywronginpointsofdrama.Incharacterparts，indeed，andparticularlyintheScotch，hewasdelicate，strongandtruthful;butthetrite，obliteratedfeaturesoftoomanyofhisheroeshavealreadyweariedtwogenerationsofreaders.Attimeshischaracterswillspeakwithsomethingfarbeyondproprietywithatrueheroicnote;butonthenextpagetheywillhewadingwearilyforwardwithanungrammaticalandundramaticrigmaroleofwords.ThemanwhocouldconceiveandwritethecharacterofElspethoftheCraigburnfoot，asScotthasconceivedandwrittenit，hadnotonlysplendidromantic，butsplendidtragicgifts.Howcomesit，then，thathecouldsooftenfobusoffwithlanguid，inarticulatetwaddle？
Itseemstomethattheexplanationistobefoundintheveryqualityofhissurprisingmerits.Ashisbooksareplaytothereader，soweretheyplaytohim.Heconjureduptheromanticwithdelight，buthehadhardlypatiencetodescribeit.Hewasagreatday—dreamer，aseeroffitandbeautifulandhumorousvisions，buthardlyagreatartist;hardly，inthemanfulsense，anartistatall.Hepleasedhimself，andsohepleasesus.Ofthepleasuresofhisarthetastedfully;butofitstoilsandvigilsanddistressesnevermanknewless.Agreatromantic—anidlechild.
CHAPTERXVI.AHUMBLEREMONSTRANCE（11）
WEhaverecently（12）enjoyedaquitepeculiarpleasure：hearing，insomedetail，theopinions，aboutthearttheypractise，ofMr.
WalterBesantandMr.HenryJames;twomencertainlyofverydifferentcalibre：Mr.Jamessopreciseofoutline，socunningoffence，soscrupulousoffinish，andMr.Besantsogenial，sofriendly，withsopersuasiveandhumorousaveinofwhim：Mr.Jamestheverytypeofthedeliberateartist，Mr.Besanttheimpersonationofgoodnature.Thatsuchdoctorsshoulddifferwillexcitenogreatsurprise;butonepointinwhichtheyseemtoagreefillsme，Iconfess，withwonder.Fortheyarebothcontenttotalkaboutthe\"artoffiction\";andMr.Besant，waxingexceedinglybold，goesontoopposethisso—called\"artoffiction\"tothe\"artofpoetry.\"Bytheartofpoetryhecanmeannothingbuttheartofverse，anartofhandicraft，andonlycomparablewiththeartofprose.Forthatheatandheightofsaneemotionwhichweagreetocallbythenameofpoetry，isbutalibertineandvagrantquality;
present，attimes，inanyart，moreoftenabsentfromthemall;tooseldompresentintheprosenovel，toofrequentlyabsentfromtheodeandepic.Fictionisthesamecase;itisnosubstantiveart，butanelementwhichenterslargelyintoalltheartsbutarchitecture.Homer，Wordsworth，Phidias，Hogarth，andSalvini，alldealinfiction;andyetIdonotsupposethateitherHogarthorSalvini，tomentionbutthesetwo，enteredinanydegreeintothescopeofMr.Besant’sinterestinglectureorMr.James’scharmingessay.Theartoffiction，then，regardedasadefinition，isbothtooampleandtooscanty.Letmesuggestanother;letmesuggestthatwhatbothMr.JamesandMr.Besanthadinviewwasneithermorenorlessthantheartofnarrative.
ButMr.Besantisanxioustospeaksolelyof\"themodernEnglishnovel，\"thestayandbread—winnerofMr.Mudie;andintheauthorofthemostpleasingnovelonthatroll，ALLSORTSANDCONDITIONS
OFMEN，thedesireisnaturalenough.Icanconceive，then，thathewouldhastentoproposetwoadditions，andreadthus：theartofFICTITIOUSnarrativeINPROSE.
NowthefactoftheexistenceofthemodernEnglishnovelisnottobedenied;materially，withitsthreevolumes，leadedtype，andgildedlettering，itiseasilydistinguishablefromotherformsofliterature;buttotalkatallfruitfullyofanybranchofart，itisneedfultobuildourdefinitionsonsomemorefundamentalgroundthenbinding.Why，then，arewetoadd\"inprose\"？THEODYSSEY
appearstomethebestofromances;THELADYOFTHELAKEtostandhighinthesecondorder;andChaucer’stalesandprologuestocontainmoreofthematterandartofthemodernEnglishnovelthanthewholetreasuryofMr.Mudie.WhetheranarrativebewritteninblankverseortheSpenserianstanza，inthelongperiodofGibbonorthechippedphraseofCharlesReade，theprinciplesoftheartofnarrativemustbeequallyobserved.Thechoiceofanobleandswellingstyleinproseaffectstheproblemofnarrationinthesameway，ifnottothesamedegree，asthechoiceofmeasuredverse;forbothimplyaclosersynthesisofevents，ahigherkeyofdialogue，andamorepickedandstatelystrainofwords.IfyouaretorefuseDONJUAN，itishardtoseewhyyoushouldincludeZANONIor（tobracketworksofverydifferentvalue）THESCARLET
LETTER;andbywhatdiscriminationareyoutoopenyourdoorsTO
THEPILGRIM’SPROGRESSandclosethemonTHEFAERYQUEEN？Tobringthingscloserhome，IwillherepropoundtoMr.Besantaconundrum.
AnarrativecalledPARADISELOSTwaswritteninEnglishversebyoneJohnMilton;whatwasitthen？ItwasnexttranslatedbyChateaubriandintoFrenchprose;andwhatwasitthen？Lastly，theFrenchtranslationwas，bysomeinspiredcompatriotofGeorgeGilfillan（andofmine）turnedbodilyintoanEnglishnovel;and，inthenameofclearness，whatwasitthen？
But，oncemore，whyshouldweadd\"fictitious\"？Thereasonwhyisobvious.Thereasonwhynot，ifsomethingmorerecondite，doesnotwantforweight.Theartofnarrative，infact，isthesame，whetheritisappliedtotheselectionandillustrationofarealseriesofeventsorofanimaginaryseries.Boswell’sLIFEOF
JOHNSON（aworkofcunningandinimitableart）owesitssuccesstothesametechnicalmanoeuvresas（letussay）TOMJONES：theclearconceptionofcertaincharactersofman，thechoiceandpresentationofcertainincidentsoutofagreatnumberthatoffered，andtheinvention（yes，invention）andpreservationofacertainkeyindialogue.Inwhichthesethingsaredonewiththemoreart—inwhichwiththegreaterairofnature—readerswilldifferentlyjudge.Boswell’sis，indeed，averyspecialcase，andalmostageneric;butitisnotonlyinBoswell，itisineverybiographywithanysaltoflife，itisineveryhistorywhereeventsandmen，ratherthanideas，arepresented—inTacitus，inCarlyle，inMichelet，inMacaulay—thatthenovelistwillfindmanyofhisownmethodsmostconspicuouslyandadroitlyhandled.
Hewillfindbesidesthathe，whoisfree—whohastherighttoinventorstealamissingincident，whohastheright，morepreciousstill，ofwholesaleomission—isfrequentlydefeated，and，withallhisadvantages，leavesalessstrongimpressionofrealityandpassion.Mr.Jamesuttershismindwithabecomingfervouronthesanctityoftruthtothenovelist;onamorecarefulexaminationtruthwillseemawordofverydebateablepropriety，notonlyforthelaboursofthenovelist，butforthoseofthehistorian.Noart—tousethedaringphraseofMr.James—cansuccessfully\"competewithlife\";andtheartthatseekstodosoiscondemnedtoperishMONTIBUSAVIIS.Lifegoesbeforeus，infiniteincomplication;attendedbythemostvariousandsurprisingmeteors;appealingatoncetotheeye，totheear，tothemind—theseatofwonder，tothetouch—sothrillinglydelicate，andtothebelly—soimperiouswhenstarved.Itcombinesandemploysinitsmanifestationthemethodandmaterial，notofoneartonly，butofallthearts，Musicisbutanarbitrarytriflingwithafewoflife’smajesticchords;paintingisbutashadowofitspageantryoflightandcolour;literaturedoesbutdrilyindicatethatwealthofincident，ofmoralobligation，ofvirtue，vice，action，raptureandagony，withwhichitteems.To\"competewithlife，\"whosesunwecannotlookupon，whosepassionsanddiseaseswasteandslayus—tocompetewiththeflavourofwine，thebeautyofthedawn，thescorchingoffire，thebitternessofdeathandseparation—hereis，indeed，aprojectedescaladeofheaven;hereare，indeed，laboursforaHerculesinadresscoat，armedwithapenandadictionarytodepictthepassions，armedwithatubeofsuperiorflake—whitetopainttheportraitoftheinsufferablesun.Noartistrueinthissense：nonecan\"competewithlife\"：notevenhistory，builtindeedofindisputablefacts，butthesefactsrobbedoftheirvivacityandsting;sothatevenwhenwereadofthesackofacityorthefallofanempire，wearesurprised，andjustlycommendtheauthor’stalent，ifourpulsebequickened.Andmark，foralastdifferentia，thatthisquickeningofthepulseis，inalmosteverycase，purelyagreeable;thatthesephantomreproductionsofexperience，evenattheirmostacute，conveydecidedpleasure;whileexperienceitself，inthecockpitoflife，cantortureandslay.
What，then，istheobject，whatthemethod，ofanart，andwhatthesourceofitspower？Thewholesecretisthatnoartdoes\"competewithlife.\"Man’sonemethod，whetherhereasonsorcreates，istohalf—shuthiseyesagainstthedazzleandconfusionofreality.
Thearts，likearithmeticandgeometry，turnawaytheireyesfromthegross，colouredandmobilenatureatourfeet，andregardinsteadacertainfigmentaryabstraction.Geometrywilltellusofacircle，athingneverseeninnature;askedaboutagreencircleoranironcircle，itlaysitshanduponitsmouth.Sowiththearts.Painting，ruefullycomparingsunshineandflake—white，givesuptruthofcolour，asithadalreadygivenupreliefandmovement;
andinsteadofvyingwithnature，arrangesaschemeofharmonioustints.Literature，aboveallinitsmosttypicalmood，themoodofnarrative，similarlyfleesthedirectchallengeandpursuesinsteadanindependentandcreativeaim.Sofarasitimitatesatall，itimitatesnotlifebutspeech：notthefactsofhumandestiny，buttheemphasisandthesuppressionswithwhichthehumanactortellsofthem.Therealartthatdealtwithlifedirectlywasthatofthefirstmenwhotoldtheirstoriesroundthesavagecamp—fire.
Ourartisoccupied，andboundtobeoccupied，notsomuchinmakingstoriestrueasinmakingthemtypical;notsomuchincapturingthelineamentsofeachfact，asinmarshallingallofthemtowardsacommonend.Forthewelterofimpressions，allforciblebutalldiscreet，whichlifepresents，itsubstitutesacertainartificialseriesofimpressions，allindeedmostfeeblyrepresented，butallaimingatthesameeffect，alleloquentofthesameidea，allchimingtogetherlikeconsonantnotesinmusicorlikethegraduatedtintsinagoodpicture.Fromallitschapters，fromallitspages，fromallitssentences，thewell—writtennovelechoesandre—echoesitsonecreativeandcontrollingthought;tothismusteveryincidentandcharactercontribute;thestylemusthavebeenpitchedinunisonwiththis;andifthereisanywhereawordthatlooksanotherway，thebookwouldbestronger，clearer，and（Ihadalmostsaid）fullerwithoutit.Lifeismonstrous，infinite，illogical，abruptandpoignant;aworkofart，incomparison，isneat，finite，self—contained，rational，flowingandemasculate.Lifeimposesbybruteenergy，likeinarticulatethunder;artcatchestheear，amongthefarloudernoisesofexperience，likeanairartificiallymadebyadiscreetmusician.
Apropositionofgeometrydoesnotcompetewithlife;andapropositionofgeometryisafairandluminousparallelforaworkofart.Botharereasonable，bothuntruetothecrudefact;bothinhereinnature，neitherrepresentsit.Thenovel，whichisaworkofart，exists，notbyitsresemblancestolife，whichareforcedandmaterial，asashoemuststillconsistofleather，butbyitsimmeasurabledifferencefromlife，whichisdesignedandsignificant，andisboththemethodandthemeaningofthework.
Thelifeofmanisnotthesubjectofnovels，buttheinexhaustiblemagazinefromwhichsubjectsaretobeselected;thenameoftheseislegion;andwitheachnewsubject—forhereagainImustdifferbythewholewidthofheavenfromMr.James—thetrueartistwillvaryhismethodandchangethepointofattack.Thatwhichwasinonecaseanexcellence，willbecomeadefectinanother;whatwasthemakingofonebook，willinthenextbeimpertinentordull.
Firsteachnovel，andtheneachclassofnovels，existsbyandforitself.Iwilltake，forinstance，threemainclasses，whicharefairlydistinct：first，thenovelofadventure，whichappealstocertainalmostsensualandquiteillogicaltendenciesinman;
second，thenovelofcharacter，whichappealstoourintellectualappreciationofman’sfoiblesandmingledandinconstantmotives;
andthird，thedramaticnovel，whichdealswiththesamestuffastheserioustheatre，andappealstoouremotionalnatureandmoraljudgment.
Andfirstforthenovelofadventure.Mr.Jamesrefers，withsingulargenerosityofpraise，toalittlebookaboutaquestforhiddentreasure;butheletsfall，bytheway，someratherstartlingwords.Inthisbookhemisseswhathecallsthe\"immenseluxury\"ofbeingabletoquarrelwithhisauthor.Theluxury，tomostofus，istolaybyourjudgment，tobesubmergedbythetaleasbyabillow，andonlytoawake，andbegintodistinguishandfindfault，whenthepieceisoverandthevolumelaidaside.
StillmoreremarkableisMr.James’sreason.Hecannotcriticisetheauthor，ashegoes，\"because，\"sayshe，comparingitwithanotherwork，\"IHAVEBEENACHILD，BUTIHAVENEVERBEENONA
QUESTFORBURIEDTREASURE.\"Hereis，indeed，awilfulparadox;forifhehasneverbeenonaquestforburiedtreasure，itcanbedemonstratedthathehasneverbeenachild.Thereneverwasachild（unlessMasterJames）buthashuntedgold，andbeenapirate，andamilitarycommander，andabanditofthemountains;buthasfought，andsufferedshipwreckandprison，andimbrueditslittlehandsingore，andgallantlyretrievedthelostbattle，andtriumphantlyprotectedinnocenceandbeauty.ElsewhereinhisessayMr.Jameshasprotestedwithexcellentreasonagainsttoonarrowaconceptionofexperience;forthebornartist，hecontends，the\"faintesthintsoflife\"areconvertedintorevelations;anditwillbefoundtrue，Ibelieve，inamajorityofcases，thattheartistwriteswithmoregustoandeffectofthosethingswhichhehasonlywishedtodo，thanofthosewhichhehasdone.Desireisawonderfultelescope，andPisgahthebestobservatory.Now，whileitistruethatneitherMr.Jamesnortheauthoroftheworkinquestionhasever，inthefleshlysense，gonequestingaftergold，itisprobablethatbothhaveardentlydesiredandfondlyimaginedthedetailsofsuchalifeinyouthfulday—
dreams;andtheauthor，countinguponthat，andwellaware（cunningandlow—mindedman！）thatthisclassofinterest，havingbeenfrequentlytreated，findsareadilyaccessibleandbeatenroadtothesympathiesofthereader，addressedhimselfthroughouttothebuildingupandcircumstantiationofthisboyishdream.Charactertotheboyisasealedbook;forhim，apirateisabeard，apairofwidetrousersandaliberalcomplementofpistols.Theauthor，forthesakeofcircumstantiationandbecausehewashimselfmoreorlessgrownup，admittedcharacter，withincertainlimits，intohisdesign;butonlywithincertainlimits.Hadthesamepuppetsfiguredinaschemeofanothersort，theyhadbeendrawntoverydifferentpurpose;forinthiselementarynovelofadventure，thecharactersneedtobepresentedwithbutoneclassofqualities—
thewarlikeandformidable.Soastheyappearinsidiousindeceitandfatalinthecombat，theyhaveservedtheirend.Dangeristhematterwithwhichthisclassofnoveldeals;fear，thepassionwithwhichitidlytrifles;andthecharactersareportrayedonlysofarastheyrealisethesenseofdangerandprovokethesympathyoffear.Toaddmoretraits，tobetooclever，tostartthehareofmoralorintellectualinterestwhilewearerunningthefoxofmaterialinterest，isnottoenrichbuttostultifyyourtale.Thestupidreaderwillonlybeoffended，andthecleverreaderlosethescent.
Thenovelofcharacterhasthisdifferencefromallothers：thatitrequiresnocoherencyofplot，andforthisreason，asinthecaseofGILBLAS，itissometimescalledthenovelofadventure.Itturnsonthehumoursofthepersonsrepresented;theseare，tobesure，embodiedinincidents，buttheincidentsthemselves，beingtributary，neednotmarchinaprogression;andthecharactersmaybestaticallyshown.Astheyenter，sotheymaygoout;theymustbeconsistent，buttheyneednotgrow.HereMr.Jameswillrecognisethenoteofmuchofhisownwork：hetreats，forthemostpart，thestaticsofcharacter，studyingitatrestoronlygentlymoved;and，withhisusualdelicateandjustartisticinstinct，heavoidsthosestrongerpassionswhichwoulddeformtheattitudeshelovestostudy，andchangehissittersfromthehumoristsofordinarylifetothebruteforcesandbaretypesofmoreemotionalmoments.InhisrecentAUTHOROFBELTRAFFIO，sojustinconception，sonimbleandneatinworkmanship，strongpassionisindeedemployed;butobservethatitisnotdisplayed.Evenintheheroinetheworkingofthepassionissuppressed;andthegreatstruggle，thetruetragedy，theSCENE—A—FAIREpassesunseenbehindthepanelsofalockeddoor.Thedelectableinventionoftheyoungvisitorisintroduced，consciouslyornot，tothisend：thatMr.
James，truetohismethod，mightavoidthesceneofpassion.I
trustnoreaderwillsupposemeguiltyofundervaluingthislittlemasterpiece.Imeanmerelythatitbelongstoonemarkedclassofnovel，andthatitwouldhavebeenverydifferentlyconceivedandtreatedhaditbelongedtothatothermarkedclass，ofwhichInowproceedtospeak.
Itakepleasureincallingthedramaticnovelbythatname，becauseitenablesmetopointoutbythewayastrangeandpeculiarlyEnglishmisconception.Itissometimessupposedthatthedramaconsistsofincident.Itconsistsofpassion，whichgivestheactorhisopportunity;andthatpassionmustprogressivelyincrease，ortheactor，asthepieceproceeded，wouldbeunabletocarrytheaudiencefromalowertoahigherpitchofinterestandemotion.AgoodseriousplaymustthereforebefoundedononeofthepassionateCRUCESoflife，wheredutyandinclinationcomenoblytothegrapple;andthesameistrueofwhatIcall，forthatreason，thedramaticnovel.Iwillinstanceafewworthyspecimens，allofourowndayandlanguage;Meredith’sRHODA
FLEMING，thatwonderfulandpainfulbook，longoutofprint，（13）
andhuntedforatbookstallslikeanAldine;Hardy’sPAIROFBLUE
EYES;andtwoofCharlesReade’s，GRIFFITHGAUNTandtheDOUBLE
MARRIAGE，originallycalledWHITELIES，andfounded（byanaccidentquaintlyfavourabletomynomenclature）onaplaybyMaquet，thepartnerofthegreatDumas.InthiskindofnovelthecloseddoorofTHEAUTHOROFBELTRAFFIOmustbebrokenopen;passionmustappearuponthesceneandutteritslastword;passionisthebe—
allandtheend—all，theplotandthesolution，theprotagonistandtheDEUSEXMACHINAinone.Thecharactersmaycomeanyhowuponthestage：wedonotcare;thepointis，that，beforetheyleaveit，theyshallbecometransfiguredandraisedoutofthemselvesbypassion.Itmaybepartofthedesigntodrawthemwithdetail;todepictafull—lengthcharacter，andthenbeholditmeltandchangeinthefurnaceofemotion.
Butthereisnoobligationofthesort;niceportraitureisnotrequired;andwearecontenttoacceptmereabstracttypes，sotheybestronglyandsincerelymoved.Anovelofthisclassmaybeevengreat，andyetcontainnoindividualfigure;itmaybegreat，becauseitdisplaystheworkingsoftheperturbedheartandtheimpersonalutteranceofpassion;andwithanartistofthesecondclassitis，indeed，evenmorelikelytobegreat，whentheissuehasthusbeennarrowedandthewholeforceofthewriter’sminddirectedtopassionalone.Clevernessagain，whichhasitsfairfieldinthenovelofcharacter，isdebarredallentryuponthismoresolemntheatre.Afar—fetchedmotive，aningeniousevasionoftheissue，awittyinsteadofapassionateturn，offenduslikeaninsincerity.Allshouldbeplain，allstraightforwardtotheend.
Henceitisthat，inRHODAFLEMING，Mrs.Lovellraisessuchresentmentinthereader;hermotivesaretooflimsy，herwaysaretooequivocal，fortheweightandstrengthofhersurroundings.
HencethehotindignationofthereaderwhenBalzac，afterhavingbeguntheDUCHESSEDELANGEAISintermsofstrongifsomewhatswollenpassion，cutstheknotbythederangementofthehero’sclock.Suchpersonagesandincidentsbelongtothenovelofcharacter;theyareoutofplaceinthehighsocietyofthepassions;whenthepassionsareintroducedinartattheirfullheight，welooktoseethem，notbaffledandimpotentlystriving，asinlife，buttoweringabovecircumstanceandactingsubstitutesforfate.
AndhereIcanimagineMr.James，withhislucidsense，tointervene.TomuchofwhatIhavesaidhewouldapparentlydemur;
inmuchhewould，somewhatimpatiently，acquiesce.Itmaybetrue;
butitisnotwhathedesiredtosayortohearsaid.Hespokeofthefinishedpictureanditsworthwhendone;I，ofthebrushes，thepalette，andthenorthlight.Heutteredhisviewsinthetoneandfortheearofgoodsociety;I，withtheemphasisandtechnicalitiesoftheobtrusivestudent.Butthepoint，Imayreply，isnotmerelytoamusethepublic，buttoofferhelpfuladvicetotheyoungwriter.Andtheyoungwriterwillnotsomuchbehelpedbygenialpicturesofwhatanartmayaspiretoatitshighest，asbyatrueideaofwhatitmustbeonthelowestterms.
Thebestthatwecansaytohimisthis：Lethimchooseamotive，whetherofcharacterorpassion;carefullyconstructhisplotsothateveryincidentisanillustrationofthemotive，andeverypropertyemployedshallbeartoitanearrelationofcongruityorcontrast;avoidasub—plot，unless，assometimesinShakespeare，thesub—plotbeareversionorcomplementofthemainintrigue;
suffernothisstyletoflagbelowtheleveloftheargument;pitchthekeyofconversation，notwithanythoughtofhowmentalkinparlours，butwithasingleeyetothedegreeofpassionhemaybecalledontoexpress;andallowneitherhimselfinthenarrativenoranycharacterinthecourseofthedialogue，toutteronesentencethatisnotpartandparcelofthebusinessofthestoryorthediscussionoftheprobleminvolved.Lethimnotregretifthisshortenshisbook;itwillbebetterso;fortoaddirrelevantmatterisnottolengthenbuttobury.Lethimnotmindifhemissathousandqualities，sothathekeepsunflagginglyinpursuitoftheonehehaschosen.Lethimnotcareparticularlyifhemissthetoneofconversation，thepungentmaterialdetailoftheday’smanners，thereproductionoftheatmosphereandtheenvironment.
Theseelementsarenotessential：anovelmaybeexcellent，andyethavenoneofthem;apassionoracharacterissomuchthebetterdepictedasitrisesclearerfrommaterialcircumstance.Inthisageoftheparticular，lethimremembertheagesoftheabstract，thegreatbooksofthepast，thebravementhatlivedbeforeShakespeareandbeforeBalzac.Andastherootofthewholematter，lethimbearinmindthathisnovelisnotatranscriptoflife，tobejudgedbyitsexactitude;butasimplificationofsomesideorpointoflife，tostandorfallbyitssignificantsimplicity.Foralthough，ingreatmen，workingupongreatmotives，whatweobserveandadmireisoftentheircomplexity，yetunderneathappearancesthetruthremainsunchanged：thatsimplificationwastheirmethod，andthatsimplicityistheirexcellence.
II
Sincetheabovewaswrittenanothernovelisthasenteredrepeatedlythelistsoftheory：onewellworthyofmention，Mr.W.D.Howells;
andnoneevercouchedalancewithnarrowerconvictions.Hisownworkandthoseofhispupilsandmasterssinglyoccupyhismind;heisthebondslave，thezealotofhisschool;hedreamsofanadvanceinartlikewhatthereisinscience;hethinksofpastthingsasradicallydead;hethinksaformcanbeoutlived：astrangeimmersioninhisownhistory;astrangeforgetfulnessofthehistoryoftherace！Meanwhile，byaglanceathisownworks（couldheseethemwiththeeagereyesofhisreaders）muchofthisillusionwouldbedispelled.Forwhileheholdsallthepoorlittleorthodoxiesoftheday—nopoorerandnosmallerthanthoseofyesterdayorto—morrow，poorandsmall，indeed，onlysofarastheyareexclusive—thelivingqualityofmuchthathehasdoneisofacontrary，Ihadalmostsaidofaheretical，complexion.A
man，asIreadhim，ofanoriginallystrongromanticbent—acertainglowofromancestillresidesinmanyofhisbooks，andlendsthemtheirdistinction.Asbyaccidentherunsoutandrevelsintheexceptional;anditisthen，asoftenasnot，thathisreaderrejoices—justly，asIcontend.Forinallthisexcessiveeagernesstobecentrallyhuman，istherenotonecentralhumanthingthatMr.Howellsistoooftentemptedtoneglect：I
meanhimself？Apoet，afinishedartist，amaninlovewiththeappearancesoflife，acunningreaderofthemind，hehasotherpassionsandaspirationsthanthosehelovestodraw.AndwhyshouldhesuppresshimselfanddosuchreverencetotheLemuelBarkers？Theobviousisnotofnecessitythenormal;fashionrulesanddeforms;themajorityfalltamelyintothecontemporaryshape，andthusattain，intheeyesofthetrueobserver，onlyahigherpowerofinsignificance;andthedangerislest，inseekingtodrawthenormal，amanshoulddrawthenull，andwritethenovelofsocietyinsteadoftheromanceofman.
Footnotes：
（1）1881.
（2）Writtenforthe\"Book\"oftheEdinburghUniversityUnionFancyFair.
（3）ProfessorTait’slaboratoryassistant.
（4）InDr.Murray’sadmirablenewdictionary，IhaveremarkedaflawSUBVOCEBeacon.Initsexpress，technicalsense，abeaconmaybedefinedas\"afounded，artificialsea—mark，notlighted.\"
（5）ThelateFleemingJenkin.
（6）ThissequelwascalledforthbyanexcellentarticleinTHE
SPECTATOR.
（7）Waiter，Watty，Woggy，Woggs，Wogg，andlastlyBogue;underwhichlastnamehefellinbattlesometwelvemonthsago.Glorywashisaimandheattainedit;forhisicon，bythehandofCaldecott，nowliesamongthetreasuresofthenation.
（8）SincetracedbymanyobligingcorrespondentstothegalleryofCharlesKingsley.
（9）SincetheabovewaswrittenIhavetriedtolaunchtheboatwithmyownhandsinKIDNAPPED.Someday，perhaps，Imaytryarattleattheshutters.
（10）1882.
（11）Thispaper，whichdoesnototherwisefitthepresentvolume，isreprintedhereasthepropercontinuationofthelast.
（12）1884
（13）Nownolongerso，thankHeaven！