WILLIAM WATSON ON THE NOVEL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1425, 27 April 1912, Page 9

WILLIAM WATSON ON THE NOVEL.

An interesting interview w'ffh Mr. William Watson is thus printed in tho New York "Post":— William Watson takes the part of the poets ol to-day against the writers of fiction, and goes further—these latter, he avers, are the enemies of literature, nothing less. Mr. Watsipn took less than minutes' time, in his apartment in a Fifth Avenue hotel herb, to read llio pre-sent-day novelists out of tho ranks of thoso who produce literature, nnd to declare thein enemies, and make war upon them. His opinions were positive and brief in the matter, as Mr. AVatson is in his manner. From his appearance you would expect from him a concise, straightforwardness, rather than the excursions of ft' poet. At a time—ono might almost'.say in a month, since epochs in literature are mado with !ach moon's magazines—when thoso who arc in tho snddlc among the writers are saying that tlio novel is the only horse to ride; that the story of from fifty thousand words even to the infinite length of a .romance of .the Middle Ages is tho outfit expression of the .twentieth century, Mr. AVatson's opinions have an 'unaccustomed sound. The echo of H. G. Wells's statement of the novel's super-excellent merits is still in the air. Arnold Bennett, he soys, should be allowed and encouraged to write at any length he pleases Upon any or 110 subject. Mr. Watson's voice _ would drown the echoes of Mr. Wolls'.s cry. The name of artist lie denies (<j tlie novelists, who are to-day. 110 says, merely playing a game, of which players and spectators must soon tire. Tn answer to a question concerning the relative merits of contemporary novelists tiuJ <"-.pf=. Mr. Waf<o:) n-niiftl thai lie would not give his views of any individual. His targets are no'- hard to discern, however, although his shots are dispatched a general direction. I'erlinps it is ungracious to attempt, to identify them—but for one thing, Mr. and Mrs. Watson confess that tliey liave never rend Arnold Bennett, nnd w'iH not. . . . While apologising for keeping the visitor ■waitin?. Ml'.' Watson explained thai lie lvns dilieently at work while in New lYork. The visitor expressed surprise. "But vou- .could scarcely call your 'American .city- and climate 11 sedative." Ifr. Watson observed, .'"l.tind that I can jfork very readily here. Not- writing

poetry, you -know, but a-JectUro to"bo"do-" uvcrea in luauiuopous." "1 am hoping mat your city may inspuo linn," exclaimed Airs. \\ aUon. "it lias done so before, ami America lias always represented so much to him! And tlie ship rolled so much coming over that ho count do nothing then." Air. Watson remarked that a 6tearaship m a rough sea was more uncongenial surrounding than, any city lor the composition. oi poetry. "But some of our writers do write on shipboard," was suggested. "Vou have .heard that one novelist does his beat work at sea, havo you not?" "Ah, you Know, I have no opinion of prcsent-uay fiction," ho answered. ".Novels to-day are a delusion and a snare*. They have taken hold oi' a people which does not yet know how little tnero is to such efforts. Indeed, I have come to regard fiction to-day as the enemy of true literature—tho arch-enemy. Fiction writing, 1 think, to bo merely a game, a great game, a tour-de force, one might call it. \ou can't regard-the writing of novels and such hings as we have now thrust upon lis as an art. Novelists are not artists. They are only the players of a game, 1 say, which must come to an end, as all games do." "And that.will come scon?" 31 r. Watson gave a none too optimistic shrug. "In the hands of one like Scott fiction could bo an art, even though he suffered occasional lapses, as a novelist must. Sustained effort, sustained inspiration is impossible in such work, and one must have this is creative art. Our novelists now spin out it thread of a story interminably, until it totes up something like one hundred thousand words. I have never read one of the books, and I never shall. They comprehend all tho gossip of the authors' mind about tho little people and the little events ho puts there, and about other things. ."One does'pledge a good part of one's life in engaging, to read such a book," added Mr. Watson. "We have heard so much of Air. Arnold Bennett here. We have never read one of his books." "Our twentietli century novelists are painting without the correct model," Mr. Watson continued. "They should go back to the past and draw from there. When 1 wish to read the most supremely satisfying fiction of all the world's literature,*l go to my Bible and read the charming idyll of Ruth and Boaz. Or if X want a story of adventure and of war, there is the tremendous narrative of Samuel ami Agag. Then said Samuel, Bring yo hither to me Agag the king of the Ainalekitcs. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And" Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Uilnal. J "There you fiiid a. model for a convincing narativc. It is all expressed there, and all is human, simple, dircct, rapid. The best of our novels of to-day might be put into the compass of two or three mngaziuo pages, or in 500 words, perhaps, and lose nothing in the tcliing. Instead wn must search through a wholo book for so little, all to please tho fiction writers who arc playing their gams with us for tho ball on the field. "England is at a low level of education at present, and does not realiso how barren are these things on which she feeds her mind. The liking for serious literature there is small indeed. On (he tables in the homes of the best people you find wretched magazines■ instead oi' books. Tour newspapers here in America take a far greater interest in literary things than do tho English newspapers." This is a very good indication ol a popular interest." In an attempt to persuade Mr. Watson to express an opinion of somo of tho contemporary poets, tho visitor remarked that Alfred Noyes's verse was well known, here. Mr. Watson's reply. ..was general, but it implied no high estimate of tho estate of British poetry. "I do not wish to give mv opinion of anyone who is living now," he said. "It would bo ungracious of me to do so. It would bo very repugnant to mo to give my views. Perhaps 1 should not be able to say anything at all in praise of my contemporaries HARRY THACIvGRAY. ,

Mr. Harry Furniss: .has' illustrated' .the fine edition of Thackeray recently issued by Messrs. Macmillan. : 111 an attractively got up pamphlet just brought out by the same publishers, Mr. Furniss explains "Hoiv and Why" he did so. How Mr. Furniss equipped himself for his task the following extract will show: "I studied and rcstudied everything Thackeray has written. I made copious notes. I read everything written about Thackeray. I-procured books of the times of which he wrote. I purchased old prints of the places he mentioned. I--spent days in the British Jiluseum-to obtain authentic portraits of his historical characters. I searched the old ■ clothes shops in the East End of 'London for genuine coats of the Pendennis period, and bought tho actual things. I had costumes made for the Queen Anno period, and borrowed or hired others actually worn in the old, old days. I then engaged the best models I could procure in London, and brought them down to my studio in the country, and for months and months drew from them, giving up all my work so as to devote myself entirely to Thackeray." It was not till Mr. Furniss had completed nearly l a fifth of his big task that he thought of consulting publisher. He approached Messrs. Macmillan. who made terms at oncp, and at great cost produced the "Harry Furniss Centenary Edition." Becky Sharp Mr. Furniss considers as undoubtedly the most difficult of all Thackeray's characters to draw. Indeed, he contends that Thackeray—himself an artist—more than once in his books defies artists to depict with anything approaching success his heroines. "To 'draw' Beatrix," he says, "in a few inches' space, or even to paint her full length, is impossible." Concerning some of the other characters Mr. Furniss writes:— "My model for Miss Fotheringav came to my mind the moment I read 'Pendennis.' She is probably alive now—it is not long since she was a star actress in London. . . . Claverin?' and Altamonfs are walking about London, and occasionally can bo sketched in the dock at Bow Street; and as for Major Pendennis, you will find him—at. least I did—in his club 111 Pall Mall. Pendcnnises and Warrington? still have chambers in the Temple, only that they do not wear long hair and whiskers. The barber has done mors to .alter tho Thackeray types than the tailor." As regards Colonel Newcome, Mr. Forms? says that "sympathetic love is the trait in his character" he has endeavoured to depict. Mr. Furniss. .it may be stated, provided for tho edition some 500 drawings in all.