kl,-
T
nmitmieum
NO. 10.
I'AUOIiliKH AND JIOItADIIi.
2111
The element of tragedy In u woll written
novel, though ohjcolcd to by simpering
intildoiis who declare Hint they will never
forgivo (hu uullior for uncling the story so
badly, has long boon recognized us a
most important factor; for that element
which so predominates in all lives cannot
ho ignored by those who profess to bo the
true painters of life.
In the novel, woman lias always occu
pied the sunt of honor mid authors have ox.
cried themselves to the utmost to interpret
her character, and the purest typo and tho
highest ideals of womanhood have had
their birth in tho brain of the novelist.
Woman's attempt to analyze tho character
of her sex has hardly been so successful
as that of man's, perhaps, from the groat
diilioulty of obeying tho command "know
thyself."
The novelist must be so entirely lost in
his work and forgetful of self, that, if ho
expects his readers to laugh or weep, ho
must laugh and weep before them, and we
llnd Itichardsoii weeping over his "Pa.
mela" as DoSltuI and Macau ley did after
him. Scott in his excitement over his
characters would show the greatest emo
tion and fooling, pacing the room witli
his faco allowing tho utmost intensity of
feeling.
Wo would uphold the novel from the
many thrusts against it by a paraphrase
of tho well-known apology for Beauty,
if books were made for reading, then a
novel is its own excuse for being.
It is owing to the many spurious arti
cles together with tho strong prejudice
ag itnsl the novel that it lias suffered such
injustice from ho many. Our libraries
are tilled with works of science, history,
of poetry and art, poorly written biogra
phies, and, according to custom, we add
in an undertone, a few choice novels.
I disclaim against this injustice to
those universal histories of the soul and
life, and while history and science may
perform their part, still, as Emerson says,
the human heart is of much more concern
and is larger than can be measured by tho
pompous figures of an astronomer. What,
then, can be higher or nobler than tho
study and interpretation of tins great,
human heart as It throbs and beats in the
life of man; but there are those who, as
Whipple says, consider him a greater per.
sonage who repeats mmiio axiom in phys
ios, or wraps up a plain fact in a meta
physical shroud, than ono who thrills tho
heart or warms tho soul with a prose epic.
E. P.
PAliOLLKS AND BOBADIL.
Kl IE study of character ought to be
one of the most important tilings,
that engage our attention. Tho power to
read character aright gives us tho key to
all of the actions of our follow men.
Tli is is more and more recognized as
wo move along tho path of improvement.
Tlii),it would seem, is proved by therm
morons works in our dny,teachinc;,or pre
tending to touch us how to read character
aright. Among all teachers and painters
of diameter, Shakspero and Jouson rise
superior. By them motive is proscn.
ted, as though tho soul were rclloct.
ted from a clear, smooth mirror- The
stamp of men, as presented to us by
Shakspero's Parollos and Jonson's Boba
dil, is seen arid known by all, is mot in
all the daily walks of life.
There is iih trait of character, perhaps,
that we so much dospiso, as sneaking,
yet constantly boasting and egotistical
cowardice. In theso two men, wo have
just such a character, painted with all tho
masterly skill of Shakspero, or tho bold
firmness of Jouson. To understand these
two lino conceptions of ono phase of hu.
man life, wo must take ono, and to it com
pare the other. In Bobadil wo have pre
cisely, what his big sounding oaths, "By
tho foot of Pharoali," or "As I am a sol
dior," would lead us to expect.
His pretensions to a soldier's skill, and
to us than the poring into microscopes; I frequent roforenco to his own deeds of
iii
i
