RESULT OF UNFINISHED STORY COMPETITION

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 65, 20 September 1940, Page 10

RESULT OF UNFINISHED STORY COMPETITION

New Zealanders have done interesting literary work in the examination of fact. They can recount incident or experience precisely, and in good English. They can examine theories logically. They are efficiently practical. The doings of people are clear in their minds, but not the people themselves. In a good story there must be more than beginning, middle, and end, There must be life and atmosphere. To overcome these limitations within the bounds set by this competition would be more than usually difficult. The story itself was almost pure narrative. The character of Mr. Potts was sketched in the most obvious way. The success of the story depended entirely on its ending. This had to illuminate the whole scene, put the final polish on the theme and the last coat of enamel (or tar) on Mr. Potts. As a competition in literary arithmetic it was easy. One hundred people found it so. As a competition in literary callisthenics it was difficult. Of the six finalists, the two who took his car away from Mr. Potts, to provide climax after anti-climax, came nearer to the requirements than others who had the same idea. Their technique, however, did not quite justify a perfect comedy situation. The same applied to the entrant who gave the thief a ride on a lorry. R. A. McIntosh had the advantage of an even better comedy situation, Mr. Potts without his suit was more' hilarious than Mr. Potts without his car, more pitiable, more despicable. The author did not quite make the best possible use of his idea. He spoiled it, I thought, by his use of such words as "purloined," "unsavoury gentleman," and " miscreant." He made it impossible to accept his entry by several slips: if the ditch were deep enough to hinder the man’s escape, it would be too wide for Mr. Potts’s stick. Mr. Potts, a small man, would not be wearing clothes that would fit the thief, a large man, The Best Effort Of all the entrants who chose to end tragically, Elizabeth Parsons supplied the best effort. Many killed Mr. Potts, most of them as unexcitingly as they might despatch a fowl on December 24. But the best tragic situation, and the best tragedy continuing the vein of fantasy in the original, wds the conception of Elizabeth Parsons. "‘I killed him,’ he said." A splendid ending, though. she rather spoiled it with her approach. It (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) was too extravagant. With words like " vindicate," "kill," "hot little brain," " grotesquely," she attempted to create an exciting image. She overdid it. Understatement would have been more effective. To summarise: Elizabeth Parsons receives first prize for her idea. One guinea goes to this entrant. E. E. Malden and E. Miles Samuel receive additional prizes of half a guinea each. These two entries were certainly not the most original, but they kept a safe middle course in their conceptions and in writing them down, where more original ideas were spoiled either by incongruities or by ‘extreme dullness. Where the idea was bright, the writing was usually a reflection of the author’s inability to exercise restraint. These two entries won their prizes by telling their tales in simple language.

S.

B.