TASTES IN FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1843, 1 September 1913, Page 7

TASTES IN FICTION.

ENGLAND AND AMERICA COMPARED, AN EDITOR'S VIEW. 'An American editor, Mr. Matthew ■ White, who has been in London for several months, has mot found England l very productive in tho way of . what ho considers acceptable manuscripts. Mr. White, who has been editor of 0110 of tho bost-kuown of the American - magazines,' "Tho Argosy," for twentysix years, was. sent to London by liia company, which controls half a dozen. ~ other publications. Mr. White was to ; reside in' London permanently to find material for those publications. lie says that ho has read hundreds ,bf manuscripts, of which less than half . a dozen were acceptable* for his purpose. ......... . Ho was asked why this was,. and . what tho differences aro between tho literary work of the two countries. "Most striking among tho differences," ho replied, ."is'tho clement of surprise. Tho average novel or story published here .convinces one that tho, . English reading public wants to / , know almost at the outset how 'tlie'' story will, end!' '.In '.America... that would bo quite fatal. Wc do not want to know how it will 'come out' until it has 'com© out.' Tho greater tho surprise and tho more : novol the 1 'twist.' tho greater chance tho story lias of being a great American success. : . It is 1 quito probable that English read- ' crs like''to say to themselves,, 'I guoss- . Ed the end.'' Whatever the reason, it remains that tho writers writo what the readers guess.'' "In the theatre, surpriso is a chief element in tho make-up of a play, t mid since a great many of our playwrights nre novelists, wo may account for it in that way. Tho great number of publications on our side, too, means many stories, and many stories will necessarily result in new things. It is tlio 'new tiling' in tho story that increases . the surpriso. • ' " '.: '. < . "Next, I should place the English : writer's attitude towards women. Wo place women on a. pedestal. Tins characteristic finds its way into everything 1 wc do, and this is especially true of our literature. It is not for nio to say what tho attitude towards women should he. , I can only say what it is in America and what it appears to mo to bo hero. Ajul hero it seems to niothat the women invariably get tlio worst of it. Pi ice 1 Collier'says: 'England is a man's coun- ' try.' Thb reflection of this in manuscripts is a barrier to their cso m America, because many of our readers ' aro women,' and because tlio American ' man's instinct is to suffer, if by. his suf- ' fering ho can make woman tlio gainer..... 1 Asked whether there' was any differ- ■ once between the position of authors hero and in America, Mr. White thought ■ ' tho'English author mora .fortunate than ' tlie American. '' \ "Tlio English author is ono of two i classes. Either ho is .very good or ho ' ! is very had. Tlie very bad write impossible material, and the verv good have their work contracted for before it is written. Each author has an agent, 1 and tlio ageiit is quite as independent ' as the. author. England is a paradise ; for tho author, just as America is a _ i paradise for tho editor. It is the ex--1 ceptional case in America when work is > accepted before it is written. And, oven i then, the editor often reserves .tlio right • to reject it. _ f "Tlio technical faults in the several ; hundreds of manuscripts I have read aro . amazing. If I did.not like tho manner • of expression I ; could understand that s the fault might bo with me. Hut it is 1 not a matter of choice of. language, i Grammar, spelling and punctuation arc fc often atrocious. Theso things aro fun. ) damentals, and tilings which, it seems , ito mo, people should know thoroughly ; before attempting to make n living by. , !. writing." ■