THE AR T O F FICTIO N 387

ence and the transformation of that experience by his imagination; as

HENRY JAMES critics and readers, we can judge him only by the "execution," the
"treatment," the rendering of the raru multitudinous materials of life
into a unified work of art.
When James declares that the novel is "a living thing, all one and
continuous, like any other organism/' the very simile reminds us of
Aristotle, and how his discussion of character merges back into a dis-
cussion of plot, the two being inseparable. James' theory of fictional
The Art o f Fictio n form is equally organic, but for him a flawed structure and a failure
of execution are symptomatic of either intellectual or moral failures
on the part of the novelist: The integrity of a work is a reflection of
the artist's integrity. In this view, James denies that the novel must
have a conscious moral purpose. On the contrary, what is commonly
1884 thought of as morality he defines as timiditythat is, the avoidance of
certain "improper" but nevertheless real subjects; to insist that a novel
Here is another "defense" of art, but this time it is the novel, a rela- be morally didactic is to restrict the artist's freedom from another direc-
tively new genre, that in James' view needs some serious discussion. tion. The requisite "moral energy" liberates the novelist; thus James
Because Walter Besant's pamphlet on "the art of fiction" is both con- connects total artistic freedom, the "search for form," and morality in
ventional and superficial, James here will "edge in a few words" on the interest of rendering life in fiction.
the subject, and in so doing destroy Besant's position point for point.
This rebuttal, James' best-known essay on the theory of fiction, touches
on various issues amplified and developed in his extensive critical I SHOUL D not hav e affixed so comprehensive a titl e to thesf .e w remarks,
writing: the relationship between fiction and life, the freedom and necessarily wanting in any completeness upo n a subject th e full considera-
responsibilities of the novelist, the task of the critic, the relationship tion of which would carry us far, di d I no t see m to discover a pretex t for
between plot and character, the importance of technique, the place of my temerity in the interesting pamphlet lately published under this name
subject matter in fiction, the morality of fiction, and the character of by Mr . Walte r Besant . Mr . Besant' s lectur e a t th e Royal Institution
the novelist. How James deals with these topics should be studied, for the original form o f his pamphletappears to indicate that many persons
in his essays we find the beginnings of modern fictional theory. The are interested in the art of fiction, and ar e no t indifferent t o such remarks,
basic assumption is that, like any other art form, fiction must be taken as those who practise it may attemp t t o mak e about it. 1 am therefor e
seriously by authors, readers, and critics alike. anxious not t o lose the benefit of this favourable association , and t o edge
The word "free" occurs so often in the essay that it directs our at- in a fe w words under cover o f the attentio n whic h Mr. Besan t is sure to
tention to a major theme. James rejects conventional critical labels have excited . Ther e i s something ver y encouragin g i n hi s havin g pu t
and distinctions; h e rejects a prior i prescriptions an d rules about ho w into for m certai n of his ideas o n th e myster y o f story-telling.
to write a novel; he rejects limitations on the artist's freedom of choice It i s a proo f of life an d curiositycuriosit y on th e par t o f the brother -
in respect to subject matter and technique; he rejects traditional con- hood of novelists as well as on the part of thei r readers. Onl y a short time
cepts of plot; and, climactically, he rejects Besant's formulation con- ago it might have been supposed tha t th e Englis h novel was not what the
cerning "the conscious moral purpose" of the novel. If "the province of French cal l discutable. I t ha d n o ai r o f havin g a theory , a conviction , a
art is all life, all feeling, all observation, all vision . . . all experience," consciousness o f itsel f behin d ito f bein g th e expressio n o f a n artisti c
the novelist cannot be handcuffed in his attempts to represent life. faith, th e resul t o f choice an d comparison . I d o no t sa y i t wa s neces-
Throughout, James stresses the artist's necessary sensitivity to experi- sarily the worse for that: it would take much more courage than I possess
to intimat e tha t th e for m o f th e nove l a s Dicken s and Thackera y (fo r
From Partial Portraits; Th e Macmilla n Company , 1888 . instance) saw it had an y taint of incompleteness. I t was , however, naif (i f
386 I ma y hel p myself out with another Frenc h word) ; and evidentl y if it b e
 388 HENRY JAME S THE AR T O F FICTIO N 389

destined t o suffe r i n an y wa y fo r havin g los t it s naivete i t ha s no w a n for th e existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life. Whe n
idea of making sure of the corresponding advantages. Durin g the perio d it relinquishes this attempt, th e same attempt tha t w e see on the canvas of
I hav e alluded to there was a comfortable, good-humoured feeling abroad the painter, i t will have arrived a t a very strange pass. I t i s not expecte d
that a nove l i s a novel , a s a puddin g i s a pudding , an d tha t ou r onl y of the pictur e tha t i t will make itself humble in order t o be forgiven; an d
business with it could be to swallow it. Bu t within a year or two, for some the analogy betwee n the art o f the painter an d th e art o f the novelist is, so
reason o r other, there have been signs of returning animationthe era of far a s I a m abl e t o see , complete. Thei r inspiratio n i s the same , thei r
discussion woul d appea r t o hav e bee n t o a certai n exten t opened . Ar t process (allowin g fo r th e differen t qualit y o f th e vehicle) , i s th e same ,
lives upo n discussion , upon experiment , upo n curiosity , upon variet y of their succes s i s the same . The y ma y l earn fro m eac h other , the y ma y
attempt, upo n th e exchang e of views and th e compariso n o f standpoints; explain an d sustai n each other . Thei r caus e is the same, an d th e honour
and ther e i s a presumptio n tha t thos e time s when n o on e ha s anythin g of one is the honou r of another. The Mahometan s thin k a pictur e an
particular t o say about it , and ha s no reason to give for practice or prefer- unholy thing, but i t is a long time since any Christia n did , and i t is there-
ence, though they may be times of honour, are not times of development fore th e mor e od d tha t i n th e Christia n min d th e trace s (dissimulate d
are times , possibly even, a little of dulness. Th e successfu l applicatio n of though the y ma y be ) o f a suspicio n of the siste r ar t shoul d linge r t o this
any ar t i s a delightfu l spectacle , bu t th e theor y to o i s interesting ; an d day. Th e onl y effectual wa y t o lay it to res t i s to emphasise th e analog y
though there is a great deal of the latter without the former I suspect there to which I just alludedt o insist on the fact tha t as the pictur e i s reality,
has neve r bee n a genuin e succes s that ha s no t ha d a laten t cor e of con- so the nove l is history. Tha t is the onl y general description (whic h does
viction. Discussion , suggestion, formulation, these thing s ar e fertilisin g it justice) tha t w e may giv e o f the novel . ^ ut histor y als o i s allowed t o
when they are frank and sincere. Mr . Besan t has set an excellent example represent life ; i t i s not, any mor e tha n painting , expecte d t o apologise .
in sayin g wha t h e thinks , fo r hi s part, abou t th e wa y i n whic h fictio n The subject-matte r o f fiction is stored up likewis e in document s an d re -
should be written, as well as about the way in which it should be published; cords, and if it will not giv e itself away, as the y say in California , it must
for hi s vie w o f the "art, " carrie d o n int o a n appendix , cover s that too. speak- with assurance , wit h th e ton e o f th e historian . Certai n accom -
Other labourer s in th e sam e fiel d wil l doubtles s take u p th e argument , plished novelists have a habit o f giving themselves awa y which must ofte n
they will give it th e ligh t of their experience, and th e effec t wil l surely be bring tear s t o th e eye s of people wh o take thei r fiction seriously. I was
to mak e our interes t in th e nove l a littl e more what i t ha d fo r some tim e lately struck , i n readin g over man y page s o f Anthony Trollope , with his
threatened t o fai l t o be a serious , active, inquirin g interest, under pro- want o f discretion i n this particular. I n a digression , a parenthesis or an
tection o f whic h thi s delightfu l stud y may , in moment s o f confidence, aside, h e concedes t o the reader tha t h e and thi s trusting frien d ar e only
venture to say a little more what it thinks of itself. "making believe." H e admits that the events he narrates hav e not really
It must take itself seriously for the public to take it so. Th e old supersti- happened, an d that he can give his narrative an y turn th e reader may like
tion about fiction being "wicked " has doubtless died ou t in England; bu t best. Suc h a betrayal of a sacred offic e seem s to me, I confess , a terribl e
the spirit of it lingers in a certain oblique regard directed toward any story crime; i t i s what I mea n b y th e attitud e o f apology, an d i t shock s me
which doe s not mor e or les s admit tha t i t i s only a joke. Eve n the mos t every whit as much in Trollope as it would nave shocked me in Gibbon or
jocular nove l feels i n some degree the weigh t of the proscriptio n tha t wa s Macaulay. I t implie s that the novelis t is les s occupied i n looking for the
formerly directe d agains t literar y levity : th e jocularity doe s no t alway s truth (th e truth, o f course I mean , tha t he assumes , the premise s tha t we
succeed i n passin g fo r orthodoxy . I t i s stil l expected , thoug h perhap s must grant him , whatever the y may be), than th e historian, an d i n doing
people ar e ashame d t o sa y it, tha t a productio n which i s after al l onl y a so it deprives him at a stroke of all his standing-room. T o represen t an d
"make-believe" (fo r what els e i s a "story"? ) shal l b e i n som e degre e illustrate the past, th e actions of men, is the tas k of either writer , an d the
apologeticshall renounc e th e pretensio n o f attemptin g reall y t o re - only differenc e tha t I ca n se e is , i n proportion a s h e succeeds , t o th e
present life . This , o f course, any sensible , wide-awake story decline s t o honour o f the novelist, consisting as it does in hi s having mor e difficult y i n
do, fo r i t quickl y perceive s tha t th e toleranc e grante d t o i t o n suc h a collecting hi s evidence , whic h i s s o far from bein g purel y literary . I t
condition is only an attemp t t o stifl e i t disguised in the for m o f generosity. seems t o m e t o giv e hi m a grea t character , th e fac t tha t h e ha s at onc e
The ol d evangelica l hostility to th e novel , which was as explicit as it was so muc h i n commo n wit h th e philosophe r an d th e painter ; thi s double
narrow, an d whic h regarded i t a s littl e les s favourabl e to ou r immorta l analogy i s a magnificen t heritage .
part tha n a stage-play , was in realit y far less insulting. Th e onl y reaso n It is of all this evidently that Mr. Besan t is full whe n he insists upon the
 390 HENRY JAME S THE AR T O F FICTIO N 391

fact that fictio n is one of the fine arts, deserving in its turn of all the honours shall wish to jump ahead , t o see who was the my sterious stranger, and if
and emolument s tha t hav e hithert o bee n reserve d fo r th e successfu l the stole n wil l wa s eve r found , an d shal l no t b e detracte d ^ rom thi s
profession o f music , poetry, painting , architecture . I t i s impossibl e t o pleasure b y an y tiresom e analysi s or "description." J3u t the y would al l
insist to o much o n s o important a truth , an d th e plac e tha t Mr . Besan t agree tha t the "artistic " idea would spoil some of their fun - On e would
demands for the wor k of the novelis t may be represented , a trifl e les s hold i t accountable fo r all th e description, another wo u^ see ^ revealed
abstractly, b y sayin g that h e demand s no t onl y tha t i t shal l b e repute d in th e absenc e o f sympathy. It s hostilit y t o a happ y endin g woul d b e
artistic, bu t tha t i t shal l b e repute d ver y artistic indeed . I t i s excellent evident, an d i t might even in some cases render an y ending at al l impos-
that h e should have struck this note, fo r his doing so indicates tha t ther e sible. Th e "ending" of a novel is, for many persons , like that f a god
was nee d o f it, tha t hi s propositio n ma y b e t o man y peopl e a novelty . dinner, a course of dessert and ices, and the artist iu fi ctin i s regarded as a
One rub s one's eye s at the thought ; but the res t of Mr. Besant' s essa y sort of meddlesome doctor who forbid s agreeabl e aftertastes . I t i s there-
confirms th e revelation . I suspec t i n trut h tha t i t woul d b e possibl e fore tru e tha t thi s conception o f Mr. Besant' s of the nove l a s a superio r
to confirm it still further, an d tha t on e would not b e far wrong in saying form encounter s no t onl y a negativ e bu t a positive indifference . I t
that i n addition t o the people to whom it has never occurred tha t a novel matters little that as a work of art it should really be as little or as mucri f
ought t o b e artistic, ther e ar e a grea t man y other s who, i f this principl e its essenc e t o suppl y happ y endings , sympatheti c c tiaracters> an d a n
were urge d upo n them , woul d b e fille d wit h a n indefinabl e mistrust . objective tone, as if it were a work of mechanics: the association o f ideas,
They woul d fin d i t difficul t t o explai n thei r repugnance , bu t i t woul d however incongruous, might easily be too much f 0r i t if an eloquent voice
operate strongl y to pu t the m o n thei r guard . "Art, " in ou r Protestan t were not sometimes raised to call attention to the f ac t tha t it is at onc e as
communities, where so many thing s have go t s o strangely twiste d about , free an d a s serious a branch o f literature as any other .
is supposed i n certai n circle s to hav e som e vaguely injurious effect upo n Certainly this might sometimes be doubted in presence of the enormous
those wh o mak e i t a n importan t consideration , wh o le t i t weig h i n th e number o f works of fiction that appeal to the credulit y of our generation,
balance. I t i s assume d t o b e oppose d i n som e mysteriou s manne r t o for i t might easil y seem that ther e could b e no great character in a com"
morality, to amusement, to instruction. Whe n it is embodied i n the work modity s o quickly and easil y produced . I t mus t be admitted tha t ood
of th e painte r (th e sculpto r i s anothe r affair! ) yo u kno w wha t i t is : i t novels ar e muc h compromise d b y ba d ones , an d that th e fiel d a t larg e
stands there before you, in the honesty of pink and green and a gilt frame; suffers discredi t from overcrowding . I think , however* that thi s injury is
you ca n se e the worst of it a t a glance , an d yo u ca n b e o n you r guard . only superficial , an d tha t th e superabundanc e of written fictio n prove s
But whe n i t i s introduce d int o literatur e i t become s mor e insidious nothing against th e principle itself. I t ha s been Vulga^isedJ hk e all other
there is danger of its hurting you before you know it. Literatur e should be kinds of literature, like everything else to-day, and it has proved more than
either instructiv e or amusing , an d ther e i s in many mind s an impressio n some kind s accessible to vulgarisation . Bu t ther e i s ^s muc h differenc e
that thes e artisti c preoccupations , th e searc h fo r form , contribut e t o as there eve r was between a goo d nove l an d a ba d on^ ' the bad i s swept
neither end , interfer e indeed wit h both . The y ar e to o frivolou s t o b e with all the daubed canvase s and spoile d marble into s^me unvisited lim-
edifying, an d to o serious to be diverting ; and the y are moreove r priggis h bo, or infinite rubbish-yar d beneath the back-window^ of the world, and
and paradoxical an d superfluous . That , I think , represents th e manne r the goo d subsist s and emit s its light and stimulate s ou* * de sire fo r perfec -
in which the latent thought of many people who read novels as an exercise tion. A s I shal l take the liberty o f making but a single criticism o f Mr .
in skippin g woul d explai n itsel f if i t wer e t o becom e articulate . The y Besant, whose tone is so full o f the lov e of his art, I may as well have done
would argue , o f course, that a novel ought to be "good," but the y would with it at once . He seem s to me to mistak e i n attemptin g to say so
interpret thi s ter m i n a fashio n o f their own , whic h indee d woul d var y definitely beforehan d what sor t o f an affai r th e g ood j^ove l will be. T o
considerably from on e critic to another. On e would say that being good indicate the dange r of such a n erro r as that ha s been tl^e purpose of these
means representing virtuous and aspiring characters, placed i n prominen t few pages ; t o sugges t tha t certai n tradition s o n the subject , applie d a
positions; another woul d say that i t depend s o n a "happ y ending," on a priori, have already had much t o answer for, and that th e goo d healt h of
distribution a t th e las t o f prizes , pensions , husbands , wives , babies , an ar t whic h undertakes s o immediatel y to reproduc e hf e mus t deman d
millions, appende d paragraphs , an d cheerfu l remarks . Anothe r stil l that i t be perfectl y free . I t live s upon exercise, and tr^e very meaning of
would sa y that i t mean s being ful l o f incident an d movement , s o that w e exercise is freedom. The onl y obligatio n to whic h ir > advanc e we may
392 HENRY JAME S THE AR T FICTION 393

hold a novel , withou t incurrin g th e accusatio n o f bein g arbitrary , i s rules in a manner wit h which it would certainl y b e unaccommodatin g t o
that i t b e interesting. Tha t genera l responsibilit y rests upon it , bu t i t is disagree. Tha t th e novelis t mus t \vrit e fro m hi s experience , tha t hi s
the onl y on e I ca n thin k of . Th e way s in whic h i t i s at libert y t o ac - "characters mus t be real an d suc h as might b e me t wit h i n actua l life,"
complish this result (of interesting us) strike me as innumerable, and suc h that "a youn g lady brought up in a quiet country villag e shoul d avoi d de -
as ca n onl y suffe r fro m bein g marke d ou t o r fence d i n b y prescription . scriptions o f garrison life, " an d " a writer whose friend s an d persona l ex-
They are as various as the temperament of man, and the y are successful i n periences belon g t o th e lowe r middle-clas s should carefull y avoi d intro -
proportion a s the y revea l a particula r mind , differen t fro m others . A ducing his characters into society;" that one should ente r one's notes in a
novel i s in it s broades t definitio n a personal , a direc t impressio n o f life : common-place book ; tha t one' s figures should b e clea r i n outline ; tha t
that, t o begin with, constitutes its value, which is greater o r less according making them clear by some trick of speech or o f carriage is a bad metho d
to th e intensit y of the impression . Bu t ther e wil l be n o intensit y at all, and "describin g the m a t length " i s a wo rse one ; tha t Englis h Fictio n
and therefor e n o value , unles s ther e i s freedo m t o fee l an d say . Th e should have a "conscious moral purpose;" that "it i s almos t impossibl e to
tracing o f a lin e t o b e followed , o f a ton e t o b e taken , o f a for m t o b e estimate to o highl y the valu e o f careful wo rkmanshipthat is , of style;"
filled out, i s a limitatio n o f that freedo m an d a suppressio n o f the ver y that "th e most importan t poin t o f al l i s th e story, " tha t "th e stor y i s
thing tha t w e ar e mos t curiou s about. Th e form , i t seem s t o me , i s to everything": these are principles with most of which i t is surely impossible
be appreciated afte r th e fact: the n th e author's choice has been made, his not t o sympathise. Tha t remark about the lower middle-clas s write r and
standard ha s been indicated ; then we can follo w line s and direction s and his knowing his place i s perhaps rathe r chilling? bu t fo r the res t I shoul d
compare tone s and resemblances . The n i n a wor d w e can enjo y on e of find it difficult t o dissent from an y one of these recommendations. A t th e
the most charming of pleasures, we can estimate quality, we can apply the same time , I shoul d find it difficul t positivel y to assen t t o them , with th e
test o f execution. Th e executio n belong s t o th e autho r alone ; i t i s what exception, perhaps , o f th e injunctio n a s t o enterin g one' s note s i n a
is most persona l t o him, and we measure hi m b y that . Th e advantage , common-place book . The y scarcel y seem t o m e to hav e the qualit y that
the luxury , a s wel l a s th e tormen t an d responsibilit y o f th e novelist , is Mr. Besan t attribute s t o th e rule s o f the novelistth e "precisio n an d
that ther e i s no limi t t o what h e may attemp t a s an executantn o limi t exactness" o f "the law s of harmony, perspective, an d proportion. " The y
to hi s possibl e experiments , efforts , discoveries , successes . Her e i t i s are suggestive, they are even inspiring, but they are not exact , though they
especially tha t h e works , ste p b y step , lik e hi s brothe r o f th e brush , of are doubtles s as much s o as th e cas e admits of : whic h i s a proof of that
whom we may always say that he has painted hi s picture in a manner bes t liberty o f interpretatio n fo r whic h I just contended . Fo r th e valu e o f
known to himself. Hi s manner i s his secret, not necessarily a jealous one. these differen t injunctionss o beautifu l ari d s o vagueis wholl y in th e
He canno t disclos e it as a general thin g if he would; he would be at a loss meaning on e attache s t o them . Th e characters, th e situation , whic h
to teach i t to others. I say this with a due recollectio n of having insisted strike on e as real wil l b e those tha t touc h an d interes t on e most, but th e
on th e communit y o f method o f the artis t wh o paint s a pictur e an d th e measure o f reality is very difficul t t o fi x. Th e realit y o f Don Quixot e o r
artist who writes a novel . Th e painte r i s able t o teach th e rudiment s of of Mr. Micawbe r is a very delicate shade ; it is a reality so coloured by the
his practice, an d i t i s possible, from th e stud y of good wor k (grante d th e author's visio n that, vivi d as it may be , one woul d hesitate-t o propose it as
aptitude), bot h t o learn ho w to paint an d t o learn ho w to write. Ye t it a model: one would expose one's sel f t0 some very embarrassin g question s
remains true , withou t injur y t o th e rapprochement, tha t th e literar y artis t on th e par t o f a pupil . I t goe s without sayin g that yo u wil l not writ e a
would be obliged to say to his pupil much more than the other, "Ah , well, good nove l unless you possess the sens e of reality; but i t will b e difficult t o
you mus t do it as you can! " It is a questio n of degree , a matte r of give you a recipe for calling that sens e into being. Humanit y is immense,
delicacy. I f ther e are exac t sciences , there ar e als o exac t arts , an d th e and reality has a myriad forms; th e m 0st one can affir m i s that some of the
grammar o f painting is so much more definite that it makes the difference . flowers of fiction have th e odou r o f it, and other s hav e not ; a s for telling
I ought t o add, however , that i f Mr. Besan t says at th e beginnin g of his you i n advanc e ho w you r nosega y shoul d b e composed , tha t i s anothe r
essay that the "laws of fiction may b e laid down and taugh t wit h as much affair. I t i s equally excellent and inconclusiv e to say that one must write
precision an d exactnes s a s th e law s o f harmony , perspective , an d pro- from experience ; t o ou r suppositio n aspirant suc h a declaratio n migh t
portion," h e mitigate s wha t migh t appea r t o b e a n extravaganc e b y savour of mockery. Wha t kin d of experience is intended, and wher e does
applying his remark to "general " laws , and by expressing mos t of these it begin and end ? Experienc e is never limited, and i t is never complete ;
394 HENRY JAME S THE AR T O F FICTIO N 395

it i s an immens e sensibility, a kin d o f huge spider-we b o f the fines t silken its othe r merit s (includin g that consciou s moral purpos e o f whic h Mr .
threads suspende d i n th e chambe r o f consciousness, an d catchin g ever y Besant speaks) helplessly and submissivel y depend. I f it be not there they
airborne particl e in its tissue. I t i s the very atmosphere o f the mind; an d are al l a s nothing, and i f these be there , the y owe their effec t t o th e suc-
when the mind is imaginativemuch more when it happens to be that of a cess with which the author ha s produced the illusio n of life. Th e cultiva-
man o f geniusit takes to itself the faintest hints of life, it converts the very tion o f this success, th e stud y of this exquisite process, form, t o m y taste ,
pulses of the ai r int o revelations. Th e youn g lady livin g in a village has the beginnin g an d th e en d o f the ar t o f the novelist . The y ar e hi s in-
only to be a damsel upon whom nothing is lost to make it quite unfair (a s spiration, hi s despair, hi s reward, hi s torment, hi s delight. I t i s here i n
it seems to me) t o declare to her tha t sh e shall have nothin g to say about very truth tha t h e competes wit h life;'it i s here that h e competes with his
the military . Greate r miracle s hav e bee n see n tha n that , imaginatio n brother the painter in his attempt t o render the look of things, the look that
assisting, sh e should spea k th e trut h abou t som e o f these gentlemen . I conveys their meaning , t o catc h th e colour , th e relief , th e expression , the
remember a n Englis h novelist, a woman of genius, telling me that she was surface, th e substance of the huma n spectacle. I t i s in regard t o this that
much commende d fo r the impression sh e had manage d t o give in on e of Mr. Besan t is well inspired when he bids him take notes. H e cannot pos-
her tale s o f th e natur e an d wa y o f lif e o f the Frenc h Protestan t youth . sibly take too many, he cannot possibly take enough. Al l life solicits him,
She had bee n asked where she learned so much about thi s recondite being , and t o "render" the simplest surface, t o produce th e mos t momentary il-
she ha d bee n congratulate d o n he r peculia r opportunities . Thes e lusion, is a very complicated business . Hi s case would be easier, and th e
opportunities consiste d i n he r havin g once , i n Paris , a s sh e ascende d a rule would b e more exact , i f Mr. Besan t ha d bee n abl e t o tel l hi m wha t
staircase, passe d a n ope n doo r where , i n th e househol d o f a pasteur, some notes to take. Bu t this, I fear, he can never learn in any manual; it is the
of the young Protestants were seated at table round a finished meal. Th e business of his life. H e ha s t o take a great man y in order t o select a few,
glimpse mad e a picture ; i t laste d onl y a moment , bu t tha t momen t wa s he has to work them u p a s he can, an d eve n th e guides and philosophers
experience. Sh e had go t her direc t persona l impression , an d sh e turned who might hav e mos t t o say to him mus t leave him alon e whe n i t comes
out he r type . Sh e kne w what yout h was , an d wha t Protestantism ; she to the application o f precepts, a s we leave the painter i n communion with
also had th e advantage o f having seen what it was to be French, so that she his palette . Tha t hi s character s "mus t b e clea r i n outline, " a s Mr .
converted thes e idea s int o a concret e imag e an d produce d a reality . Besant sayshe feels tha t down to his boots; but ho w he shall make them
Above all , however , sh e wa s blesse d wit h th e facult y whic h whe n yo u so is a secre t betwee n his good ange l and himself . It woul d be absurdly
give i t a n inc h take s a n ell , an d whic h fo r th e artis t i s a muc h greate r simple if he could be taught tha t a great dea l of "description" would make
source of strength tha n an y acciden t o f residence o r o f place in th e socia l them so, or that on the contrary the absence of description and th e cultiva-
scale. Th e powe r t o guess the unseen from th e seen, to trace the implica- tion o f dialogue , o r th e absenc e o f dialogu e an d th e multiplicatio n o f
tion o f things, t o judge th e whol e piec e b y th e pattern , th e conditio n o f "incident," would rescue him from hi s difficulties. Nothing , for instance,
feeling lif e i n genera l s o completel y tha t yo u ar e wel l o n you r wa y t o is mor e possibl e tha n tha t h e b e o f a tur n o f mind fo r whic h thi s odd ,
knowing an y particula r corne r o f itthis cluste r o f gifts ma y almos t b e literal oppositio n o f description an d dialogue , inciden t an d description ,
said to constitute experience, and the y occur in country and i n town, an d has littl e meanin g an d light . Peopl e ofte n tal k o f these thing s as if they
in th e mos t differin g stage s o f education . I f experienc e consist s o f had a kin d of internecine distinctness, instead o f melting into eac h othe r
impressions, i t ma y b e sai d tha t impression s are experience, just a s (have at every breath, and bein g intimately associated parts of one general effor t
we not see n it ?) they are th e ver y air w e breathe. Therefore , i f I should of expression. I cannot imagine composition existing in a series of blocks,
certainly say to a novice , "Writ e fro m experienc e an d experienc e only," nor conceive , in any nove l worth discussing at all , of a passage of descrip-
I should feel tha t thi s was rather a tantalising monition if I were not care- tion that is not i n its intention narrative , a passage of dialogue that i s not
ful immediatel y to add, "Tr y to be one of the people o n whom nothing is in it s intentio n descriptive , a touc h o f trut h o f an y sor t tha t doe s no t
lost!" partake o f the natur e o f incident, o r a n inciden t tha t derive s its interest
I am far from intendin g by this to minimise the importance of exactness from an y othe r source than th e general and onl y source of the succes s of a
of truth of detail. On e can speak best from one' s own taste, and I ma y work o f artthat o f being illustrative . A novel is a livin g thing, all on e
therefore ventur e t o sa y tha t th e ai r o f reality (solidit y of specification) and continuous , lik e an y othe r organism , an d i n proportio n a s i t live s
seems to me to be the suprem e virtue of a novelth e merit o n which al l will i t b e found , I think , tha t i n eac h o f the part s ther e i s something of
396 HENRY JAME S THE AR T O F FICTIO N 397

each o f th e othe r parts . Th e criti c wh o ove r th e clos e textur e o f a whether he intends the remarks in which he alludes to it to be didacti c or
finished wor k shall pretend t o trac e a geograph y o f items will mar k som e historical. I t i s a s difficul t t o suppos e a perso n intendin g t o writ e a
frontiers a s artificial , I fear , a s an y tha t hav e bee n know n t o history . modern Englis h as to suppose him writin g an ancien t Englis h novel: tha t
There i s an old-fashione d distinction between th e nove l o f character an d is a labe l which begs the question . On e write s the novel , on e paint s th e
the nove l o f inciden t which must have cost many a smile to the intending picture, of one's language an d o f one's time, and callin g it modern Englis h
fabulist wh o wa s kee n abou t hi s work. I t appear s t o m e a s littl e t o th e will not, alas ! make th e difficul t tas k any easier . N o more, unfortunately,
point a s th e equall y celebrate d distinctio n betwee n th e nove l an d th e will calling this or that wor k of one's fellow-artist a romanceunless it be,
romanceto answe r a s little t o an y reality . Ther e ar e ba d novel s an d of course, simpl y fo r th e pleasantnes s of th e thing , a s fo r instanc e whe n
good novels , as there are ba d picture s an d goo d pictures ; bu t tha t i s the Hawthorne gav e thi s heading to his story of Blithedale. Th e French , wh o
only distinctio n in whic h I se e any meaning , an d I ca n a s little imagine have brough t th e theor y o f fiction to remarkable completeness , hav e bu t
speaking of a nove l of character a s I ca n imagin e speaking of a pictur e of one name for the novel, and hav e not attempted smalle r things in it, that I
character. Whe n on e say s picture on e say s of character, whe n on e says can see , for that. I ca n thin k of no obligation t o which th e "romancer "
novel on e say s o f incident , an d th e term s ma y b e transpose d a t will . would no t b e hel d equall y wit h the novelist ; the standar d o f execution is
What i s character bu t th e determinatio n o f incident ? Wha t i s incident equally hig h fo r each. O f cours e it is of execution tha t w e are talking
but th e illustration of character ? Wha t i s either a picture or a novel that that bein g th e onl y point o f a nove l tha t i s open t o contention . Thi s is
is no t of character? Wha t els e do w e see k in i t an d fin d i n it ? I t i s a n perhaps to o ofte n los t sigh t of , only t o produc e interminabl e confusion s
incident fo r a woma n t o stan d u p wit h he r han d restin g on a tabl e an d and cross-purposes . W e mus t gran t th e artis t hi s subject , hi s idea , hi s
look out at you in a certain way; or if it be not an incident I think it will be donnee: ou r criticis m is applied onl y to what h e makes of it. Naturall y I
hard t o say what i t is . A t th e sam e tim e i t is an expressio n o f character. do not mean that we are boun d t o like i t or find it interesting: i n case we
If you sa y you don't se e it (characte r i n that allons done! 1), thi s is exactly do no t ou r cours e i s perfectly simpleto le t i t alone . W e ma y believ e
what th e artis t wh o ha s reason s o f hi s ow n fo r thinkin g h e does se e i t that o f a certai n ide a eve n th e mos t sincer e novelis t ca n mak e nothin g
undertakes t o sho w you . Whe n a youn g ma n make s u p hi s mind tha t at all , an d th e even t ma y perfectl y justify ou r belief ; bu t th e failur e will
he ha s no t fait h enoug h afte r al l t o ente r th e churc h a s h e intended , have bee n a failur e to execute , an d i t i s in th e executio n tha t th e fata l
that i s an incident , though yo u ma y no t hurr y t o the en d o f the chapte r weakness is recorded. I f we pretend t o respect th e artis t a t all , w e must
to se e whethe r perhap s h e doesn' t chang e onc e more . I d o no t sa y allow hi m hi s freedo m o f choice , i n th e face , i n particula r cases , o f in -
that thes e are extraordinar y o r startlin g incidents. I d o no t preten d t o numerable presumption s tha t th e choic e wil l not fructify . Ar t derive s a
estimate th e degre e o f interest proceeding fro m them , fo r this will depen d considerable par t o f it s beneficia l exercise fro m flyin g i n th e fac e o f
upon th e skil l o f the painter . I t sound s almost pueril e t o sa y that som e presumptions, an d som e of the mos t interesting experiments of which it is
incidents ar e instrinsicall y muc h mor e importan t tha n others , an d I capable ar e hidde n i n th e boso m o f common things . Gustav e Flauber t
need no t tak e thi s precaution afte r havin g professe d m y sympath y fo r has written a story about th e devotion of a servant girl to a parrot, and the
the major one s in remarking that th e onl y classification of the novel that production, highl y finishe d a s it is , cannot o n th e whol e b, e calle d a suc -
I ca n understan d is into that whic h has lif e an d tha t whic h has it not . cess. W e ar e perfectl y free t o find it flat, but I thin k it might hav e bee n
The nove l and th e romance, th e novel of incident and tha t of character interesting; and I , for my part, am extremely glad h e should have written
these clumsy separations appear t o me to have been mad e b y critics and it; i t i s a contributio n t o ou r knowledg e of what ca n b e doneo r wha t
readers fo r their ow n convenience , an d t o hel p them ou t o f some of their cannot. Iva n Turgenief f ha s written a tal e abou t a dea f and dum b ser f
occasional queer predicaments , bu t t o have little reality or interest for the and a lap-dog, an d th e thing is touching, loving, a little masterpiece. H e
producer, fro m whos e point o f view it i s of course that w e are attemptin g struck th e not e o f life wher e Gustav e Flauber t misse d ithe fle w i n th e
to consider the art o f fiction . Th e cas e is the same with another shadow y face o f a presumptio n an d achieve d a victory.
category which Mr . Besan t apparentl y i s disposed t o se t uptha t o f th e Nothing, o f course, wil l eve r tak e th e plac e of the goo d ol d fashio n of
"modern Englis h novel" ; unles s indeed i t b e tha t i n thi s matter h e ha s "liking" a work of art o r not liking it: the most improved criticism wil l not
fallen int o a n accidenta l confusio n o f standpoints. I t i s not quit e clea r abolish tha t primitive , tha t ultimat e test. I mention thi s to guard myself
1 Oh, com e now ! from th e accusation o f intimating that the idea, the subject, of a nove l or a
398 HENRY JAME S THE AR T O F FICTIO N 399

picture, does not matter . I t matters , t o my sense, in th e highes t degree , repetition o f a few familiar cliches, cuts short its development, and lead s us
and i f I might pu t u p a prayer i t would b e that artist s shoul d selec t non e straight up to a dead wall . Catchin g the very note and trick , the strange
but th e richest . Some , a s I hav e alread y hastene d t o admit , ar e muc h irregular rhyth m o f life, tha t i s the attemp t whos e strenuous force keep s
more remunerative tha n others , and it would be a world happil y arrange d Fiction upo n her feet . In proportio n as in what she offers us we see lif e
in whic h person s intendin g t o trea t the m shoul d b e exemp t fro m confu - without rearrangemen t d o w e fee l tha t w e ar e touchin g th e truth ; i n
sions and mistakes . Thi s fortunate conditio n wil l arrive only, I fear , o n proportion a s we see it with rearrangement d o w e fee l tha t w e are bein g
the sam e da y tha t critic s becom e purge d fro m error . Meanwhile , I put of f with a substitute , a compromis e an d convention . I t i s not un -
repeat, w e do not judge th e artist with fairness unless we say to him, "Oh , common t o hea r a n extraordinar y assuranc e o f remark i n regar d t o thi s
I gran t yo u you r starting-point , becaus e i f I di d no t I shoul d see m t o matter of rearranging, whic h is often spoke n of as if it were the las t word of
prescribe to you, and heave n forbid I shoul d take that responsibility . I f art. Mr . Besan t seems to me in danger of falling into the great error with
I pretend t o tell you what you must not take, you will call upon me to tell his rather unguarde d tal k about "selection. " Ar t i s essentially selection,
you the n wha t yo u mus t take ; i n whic h cas e I shall b e prettil y caught . but it is a selection whose main car e is to be typical, to be inclusive. For
Moreover, it isn' t til l I hav e accepte d you r dat a tha t I can begi n to many people art mean s rose-coloured window-panes, and selectio n means
measure you . I hav e the standard, th e pitch; I hav e n o right t o tampe r picking a bouquet for Mrs. Grundy. The y will tell you glibly that artistic
with your flute and the n criticis e you r music . O f course I may not care considerations hav e nothin g t o d o wit h th e disagreeable , wit h th e ugly ;
for you r idea at all; I may think it silly, or stale, or unclean; in which case they will rattle of f shallow commonplace s abou t th e provinc e o f art an d
I wash my hands of you altogether. I may content mysel f with believin g the limit s o f art til l yo u ar e move d t o som e wonde r i n retur n a s to th e
that yo u wil l no t hav e succeede d i n bein g interesting , bu t I shall , o f province an d th e limit s of ignorance. I t appear s t o me tha t n o one can
course, not attempt t o demonstrate it, and you will be as indifferent t o me ever have made a seriously artistic attempt withou t becoming conscious of
as I a m t o you. I needn' t remin d yo u tha t ther e are al l sort s of tastes: an immens e increase a kin d o f revelationof freedom . On e perceives
who can know it better ? Som e people, fo r excellent reasons, don't like to in that caseb y the light of a heavenly raythat the province of art i s all
read abou t carpenters ; others , fo r reasons eve n better , don' t lik e t o read life, al l feeling , al l observation , al l vision . A s Mr . Besan t so justly inti-
about courtesans . Man y objec t t o Americans . Other s ( I believ e the y mates, i t i s al l experience . Tha t i s a sufficien t answe r t o thos e wh o
are mainl y editors and publishers ) won' t loo k at Italians . Som e reader s maintain tha t i t mus t no t touc h th e sa d thing s o f life, wh o stic k into it s
don't lik e quie t subjects ; others don' t lik e bustling ones . Som e enjo y a divine unconsciou s boso m littl e prohibitor y inscription s o n th e en d o f
complete illusion , other s th e consciousnes s o f larg e concessions . The y sticks, suc h a s we see in publi c gardens"I t i s forbidden t o wal k o n th e
choose their novels accordingly, and if they don't car e about your idea they grass; i t i s forbidden t o touc h th e flowers ; i t i s not allowed t o introduc e
won't, a fortiori, car e abou t you r treatment. " dogs or to remain afte r dark ; it is requested t o keep t o th e right." Th e
So that it comes back very quickly, as I have said, to the liking: in spite young aspirant i n the lin e of fiction whom we continue to imagine will do
of M. Zola , who reasons less powerfully tha n h e represents, an d wh o will nothing without taste, for in that cas e his freedom would be of little use to
not reconcil e himself to thi s absoluteness of taste, thinkin g that ther e ar e him; but th e first advantage o f his taste will be to reveal to him the absurd-
certain things that peopl e ought to like, and that the y can be made to like. ity o f the little sticks and tickets . I f h e have taste, I must add, o f course
I a m quit e a t a los s t o imagin e anythin g (a t an y rat e i n thi s matte r o f he will have ingenuity , and m y disrespectful referenc e t o that qualit y just
fiction) tha t peopl e ought to lik e or to dislike. Selectio n wil l be sur e to now was not mean t t o impl y tha t i t i s useless i n fiction . Bu t i t i s only a
take car e o f itself, fo r it has a constant motiv e behin d it . Tha t motive is secondary aid ; th e firs t i s a capacit y fo r receivin g straigh t impressions .
simply experience. A s people fee l life , so they will feel th e ar t tha t i s most Mr. Besan t ha s som e remark s o n th e questio n o f "the story " whic h I
closely relate d t o it . Thi s closenes s o f relation i s what w e should neve r shall not attempt to criticise, thoug h the y seem to me to contain a singular
forget i n talking of the effor t o f the novel . Man y peopl e spea k of it a s a am&iguity, because I do not think I understand them . I cannot see what
factitious, artificia l form , a produc t o f ingenuity, th e busines s of which is is meant b y talking as if there were a part of a novel which is the story and
to alte r an d arrang e th e thing s that surroun d us , to translat e the m int o part o f it which fo r mystical reasons is notunless indee d th e distinction
conventional, traditional moulds . This , however, is a view of the matte r be made i n a sens e in which i t is difficult t o suppose that an y on e should
which carrie s u s bu t a ver y shor t way , condemn s th e ar t t o a n eterna l attempt t o conve y anything . "Th e story, " i f i t represent s anything ,
400 HENRY JAME S THE AR T O F FICTIO N 401

represents the subject , th e idea, the donnee of the novel ; and ther e is surely "adventures." Wh y o f adventures mor e tha n o f green spectacle s ? H e
no "school"Mr . Besan t speaks o f a schoolwhic h urge s tha t a nove l mentions a categor y o f impossibl e things , an d amon g the m h e place s
should b e al l treatmen t an d n o subject . Ther e mus t assuredl y b e "fiction withou t adventure. " Wh y without adventure, mor e tha n with -
something t o treat ; ever y schoo l i s intimatel y consciou s o f that . Thi s out matrimony , o r celibacy, or parturition, o r cholera, o r hydropathy, o r
sense of the story being the idea, the starting-point, of the novel, is the only Jansenism ? Thi s seem s to me to bring the novel back to the hapless little
one tha t I see in which it can b e spoken of as something different fro m it s role o f bein g a n artificial , ingenious thingbring i t dow n fro m it s large ,
organic whole ; and sinc e in proportio n a s the wor k i s successful th e idea free characte r o f a n immens e an d exquisit e correspondenc e wit h life .
permeates an d penetrate s it, inform s an d animate s it , s o that ever y wor d And wha t i s adventure, whe n i t come s t o that , an d b y wha t sig n i s th e
and ever y punctuation-point contribut e directl y to the expression, i n that listening pupi l t o recognis e it ? I t i s an adventurea n immens e one
proportion d o we lose our sens e of the stor y being a blad e whic h may b e for m e t o writ e this little article; an d fo r a Bostonia n nymp h t o reject a n
drawn mor e o r les s ou t o f its sheath. Th e stor y and th e novel , th e idea English duk e i s an adventur e onl y less stirring , I shoul d say , tha n fo r a n
and th e form , ar e th e needle and thread, an d I neve r hear d o f a guil d of English duk e to be rejected b y a Bostonian nymph. I see dramas withi n
tailors who recommended th e use of the threa d withou t the needle, o r th e dramas i n that , an d innumerabl e points of view. A psychological reaso n
needle without the thread. Mr . Besant i s not the only critic who may be is, to my imagination, a n objec t adorably pictorial ; to catch th e tin t of its
observed t o hav e spoke n a s i f ther e wer e certai n thing s i n lif e whic h complexionI fee l a s if that ide a might inspire one to Titianesque efforts .
constitute stories , and certai n other s which d o not I fin d th e sam e od d There are fe w things more excitin g t o me, i n short, tha n a psychologica l
implication i n an entertainin g articl e i n th e Pall Mall Gazette, devoted, as reason, an d yet , I protest , th e nove l seem s t o m e th e mos t magnificen t
it happens , t o Mr . Besant' s lecture. "Th e stor y i s the thing! " say s thi s form o f art. I hav e just bee n reading , a t th e sam e time , th e delightfu l
graceful writer , a s i f wit h a ton e o f oppositio n t o som e othe r idea . I story of Treasure Island, b y Mr . Rober t Louis Stevenso n and , i n a manner
should thin k it was, as every painter who, as the tim e for "sending in " hi s less consecutive , th e las t tal e fro m M . Edmon d d e Goncourt , whic h i s
picture loom s i n th e distance , finds himself stil l i n ques t o f a subjecta s entitled Cherie. On e o f these work s treats o f murders, mysteries , island s
every belate d artis t not fixed about his theme wil l heartily agree . Ther e of dreadfu l renown , hairbreadt h escapes , miraculou s coincidence s an d
are som e subject s which spea k t o u s an d other s whic h d o not , bu t h e buried doubloons . Th e othe r treat s o f a littl e Frenc h gir l wh o live d i n
would b e a clever ma n wh o shoul d undertak e t o giv e a rulea n index a fine hous e in Paris , and die d of wounded sensibilit y because no one
expurgatoriusby whic h th e stor y an d th e no-stor y shoul d b e know n would marr y her . I cal l Treasure Island delightful , because i t appear s t o
apart. I t i s impossible (t o me a t least ) t o imagine an y suc h rul e whic h me t o have succeeded wonderfull y i n what i t attempts; and I ventur e t o
shall not be altogether arbitrary . Th e write r i n the Pall Mall opposes the bestow no epithet upon Cherie, which strikes me as having failed deplorabl y
delightful (a s I suppose ) nove l o f Margot l a Balafree t o certai n tale s i n in wha t i t attemptstha t i s i n tracin g th e developmen t o f th e mora l
which "Bostonia n nymphs " appea r t o hav e "rejecte d Englis h duke s for consciousness o f a child . Bu t on e o f thes e production s strike s m e a s
psychological reasons. " I a m no t acquainte d wit h th e romanc e jus t exactly as muc h o f a nove l as the other, an d a s having a "story" quite as
designated, and ca n scarcely forgive the Pall Mall critic for not mentionin g much. Th e mora l consciousnes s of a child is as much a part of life a s the
the nam e o f the author, bu t th e title appears to refer to a lad y wh o may islands of th e Spanis h Main , an d th e on e sor t o f geography seem s t o m e
have received a scar in some heroic adventure. I am inconsolabl e at no t to have those "surprises" o f which Mr. Besan t speaks quite as much a s the
being acquainte d wit h thi s episode , bu t a m utterl y a t a los s t o se e why other. Fo r mysel f (since it come s back i n th e las t resort, a s I say , t o th e
it is a story when the rejection (or acceptance) o f a duke is not, and wh y a preference o f the individual), the pictur e o f the child' s experience ha s th e
reason, psychologica l o r other, i s not a subjec t when a cicatri x is . The y advantage tha t I ca n a t successiv e steps (a n immense luxury , near t o th e
are al l particles o f the multitudinou s life wit h which th e nove l deals, an d "sensual pleasure " o f which Mr . Besant' s criti c i n th e Pall Mall speaks )
surely n o dogm a whic h pretend s t o make i t lawfu l t o touc h th e one an d say Ye s or No , a s it ma y be , t o wha t th e artis t put s befor e me. I hav e
unlawful t o touch th e other wil l stand fo r a moment o n its feet. I t i s the been a child in fact, bu t I have bee n o n a quest for a buried treasur e onl y
special picture that must stand or fall, accordin g a s it seem to possess truth in supposition , an d i t i s a simpl e acciden t tha t wit h M . d e Goncour t I
or t o lac k it . Mr . Besan t doe s not , t o m y sense , light u p th e subjec t b y should hav e for the mos t par t t o sa y No. Wit h Georg e Eliot , whe n sh e
intimating tha t a story must, under penalt y of not being a story, consis t of painted tha t country wit h a far other intelligence , I always sai d Yes .
402 HENRY JAME S THE AR T O F FICTION 403

The mos t interestin g part o f Mr. Besant' s lectur e i s unfortunately th e The essenc e of moral energ y is to surve y the whol e field, and I shoul d
briefest passagehi s ver y cursor y allusio n t o th e "consciou s mora l directly revers e Mr . Besant' s remar k an d sa y not tha t th e Englis h novel
purpose" o f th e novel . Her e agai n i t i s no t ver y clea r whethe r h e b e has a purpose, but that it has a diffidence. T o what degree a purpose in a
recording a fac t o r layin g down a principle ; it i s a grea t pit y that i n th e work o f art i s a sourc e o f corruption I shal l no t attemp t t o inquire ; th e
latter cas e h e shoul d no t hav e develope d hi s idea . Thi s branc h o f th e one tha t seem s t o me leas t dangerou s i s the purpos e o f making a perfect
subject i s of immense importance , an d Mr . Besant' s fe w words poin t t o work. A s for our novel, I may sa y lastly on this score that as we find it in
considerations of the wides t reach, no t t o b e lightly disposed of. H e will England to-da y i t strike s m e a s addresse d i n a larg e degre e t o "youn g
have treate d th e ar t o f fiction bu t superficiall y wh o i s not prepare d t o go people," an d tha t thi s i n itsel f constitutes a presumptio n tha t i t wil l b e
every inc h o f the wa y tha t thes e considerations will carr y him . I t i s for rather shy. Ther e are certai n thing s which i t i s generally agree d no t t o
this reaso n tha t a t th e beginnin g of these remarks I wa s careful t o notif y discuss, no t even t o mention , befor e youn g people . Tha t i s very well,
the reade r tha t m y reflection s o n s o large a them e hav e n o pretension t o but th e absence o f discussion is not a symptom of the moral passion . Th e
be exhaustive. Lik e Mr. Besant , I hav e lef t th e questio n o f the moralit y purpose of the English novel"a truly admirable thing , and a great caus e
of the novel till the last, and at the last I find I have used up my space. I t for congratulation"strike s m e therefor e a s rathe r negative.
is a questio n surrounde d wit h difficulties , a s witnes s th e ver y firs t tha t There i s one poin t a t whic h th e mora l sens e an d th e artisti c sens e lie
meets us, in the form o f a definite question, on the threshold. Vagueness , very near together ; that i s in th e ligh t o f the ver y obvious trut h tha t th e
in such a discussion, is fatal, and wha t is the meaning of your morality an d deepest qualit y o f a work o f art wil l always be the qualit y o f the mind of
your consciou s moral purpose ? Wil l you no t defin e you r term s and ex - the producer. I n proportion a s that intelligenc e is fine will the novel, the
plain ho w ( a novel being a picture ) a pictur e ca n b e either mora l o r im- picture, th e statu e partak e of the substanc e of beauty an d truth . T o b e
moral? Yo u wis h t o pain t a mora l pictur e o r carv e a mora l statue : constituted o f such elements is, to my vision, to have purpose enough. N o
will yo u no t tel l u s how yo u would se t about it ? W e ar e discussin g the good nove l will ever proceed fro m a superficial mind; that seem s to me an
Art o f Fiction ; question s o f ar t ar e question s (i n th e wides t sense ) o f axiom which , for the artist i n fiction, will cover all needful mora l ground:
execution; questions of morality are quit e another affair , an d wil l you not if the youthfu l aspiran t tak e i t to heart it will illuminate for him many of
let us see how it is that yo u find it so easy to mix them u p ? Thes e thing s the mysterie s o f "purpose. " Ther e ar e man y othe r usefu l thing s tha t
are so clear to Mr. Besan t that h e has deduced fro m the m a law which he might be said to him, but I hav e com e to the end of my article, and can
sees embodie d i n Englis h Fiction, and whic h i s "a trul y admirable thin g only touc h the m a s I pass . Th e criti c i n th e Pall Mall Gazette, whom I
and a great cause for congratulation." I t i s a great cause for congratula- have alread y quoted , draw s attentio n t o th e danger , i n speakin g of th e
tion indeed when such thorny problems become as smooth as silk. I ma y art of fiction, of generalising. The dange r tha t he has in mind is rather, I
add tha t i n s o far a s Mr . Besan t perceive s tha t i n poin t o f fac t Englis h imagine, tha t of particularising, for there are some comprehensive remarks
Fiction ha s addressed itsel f preponderantl y t o thes e delicat e question s he which, i n additio n t o thos e embodie d i n Mr . Besant' s suggestiv e lecture,
will appea r t o man y peopl e t o hav e mad e a vai n discovery . The y wil l might withou t fea r o f misleadin g hi m b e addresse d t o th e ingenuou s
have been positively struck, on the contrary, with the moral timidit y of the student. I should remind hi m first of the magnificence of the form that is
usual Englis h novelist; with his (o r with her) aversio n t o face th e difficul - open t o him, which offers t o sight so few restrictions and suc h innumerable
ties with which on ever y side the treatmen t o f reality bristles . H e i s ap t opportunities. Th e othe r arts , i n comparison, appea r confine d an d
to b e extremel y sh y (wherea s th e pictur e tha t Mr . Besan t draw s i s a hampered; th e variou s condition s unde r whic h the y ar e exercise d are so
picture o f boldness) , an d th e sig n o f hi s work , fo r th e mos t part , i s a rigid and definite . Bu t the only condition that I can think of attaching to
cautious silenc e on certai n subjects . I n th e Englis h nove l (b y whic h o f the compositio n o f the nove l is , as I hav e alread y said, tha t i t be sincere .
course I mea n th e America n a s well), more tha n i n an y other , ther e i s a This freedo m i s a splendi d privilege , an d th e firs t lesso n o f the youn g
traditional differenc e betwee n tha t whic h peopl e kno w an d tha t whic h novelist is to learn t o be worthy of it. "Enjo y i t as it deserves," I should
they agre e t o admit tha t the y know, tha t whic h the y se e and tha t which say t o him ; "tak e possession of it, explor e i t t o it s utmost extent , publish
they speak of, that whic h they feel t o be a part o f life an d tha t which the y it, rejoic e i n it . Al l lif e belong s t o you, an d d o no t liste n eithe r to thos e
allow t o ente r int o literature . Ther e i s th e grea t difference , i n short , who would shu t you u p int o corner s o f it and tel l yo u tha t i t is only her e
between what the y tal k of in conversation an d wha t the y tal k of in print . and ther e that art inhabits , o r to those who would persuad e yo u that thi s
404 HENRY JAME S

heavenly messenge r wing s her wa y outsid e of life altogether , breathin g a

superfine air, and turnin g away her hea d from th e truth of things. Ther e
is no impressio n of life, n o manner o f seeing it an d feelin g it , t o which th e
plan o f the novelist may not offer a place; you have only to remember tha t
talents s o dissimila r a s thos e o f Alexandr e Duma s an d Jan e Austen ,
Charles Dicken s an d Gustav e Flauber t hav e worke d i n thi s fiel d wit h
equal glory . D o not thin k too much abou t optimis m an d pessimism; try
and catc h th e colou r o f life itself . I n Franc e to-da y w e see a prodigiou s
effort (tha t o f Emile Zola , t o whose solid and seriou s work no explore r of
the capacit y o f th e nove l ca n allud e withou t respect) , w e se e an extra -
ordinary effor t vitiate d b y a spiri t o f pessimism on a narro w basis . M .
Zola is magnificent, but h e strikes an Englis h reader as ignorant; he has an
air o f working in th e dark ; i f he ha d a s much ligh t a s energy, hi s results
would be of the highes t value. A s for the aberrations o f a shallow optim-
ism, th e groun d (o f English fiction especially) is strewn with thei r brittl e
particles a s wit h broke n glass . I f yo u mus t indulg e i n conclusions , let
them have the taste of a wide knowledge. Remembe r tha t your first duty
is to be as complete as possibleto make as perfect a work. B e generous
and delicat e and pursu e the prize. "