a psychological counter-current in recent fiction-第1节

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A　Psychological　Counter…Current　in　Recent　Fiction　



by　William　Dean　Howells　







It　is　consoling　as　often　as　dismaying　to　find　in　what　seems　a

cataclysmal　tide　of　a　certain　direction　a　strong　drift　to　the　

opposite　quarter。　　It　is　so　divinable；　if　not　so　perceptible；

that　its　presence　may　usually　be　recognized　as　a　beginning　of　the

turn　in　every　tide　which　is　sure；　sooner　or　later；　to　come。　　In

reform；　it　is　the　menace　of　reaction；　in　reaction；　it　is　the

promise　of　reform；　we　may　take　heart　as　we　must　lose　heart　from

it。　　A　　few　years　ago；　when　a　movement　which　carried　fiction　to

the　　highest　place　in　literature　was　apparently　of　such　onward

and　upward　sweep　that　there　could　be　no　return　or　descent；　there

was　　a　counter…current　in　it　which　stayed　it　at　last；　and　pulled

it　back　　to　that　lamentable　level　where　fiction　is　now　sunk；　and

the　word　〃novel〃　is　again　the　synonym　of　all　that　is　morally

false　and　　mentally　despicable。　　Yet　that　this；　too；　is　partly

apparent；　I　　think　can　be　shown　from　some　phases　of　actual

fiction　which　　happen　to　be　its　very　latest　phases；　and　which　are

of　a　significance　　as　hopeful　as　it　is　interesting。　　Quite　as

surely　as　romanticism　　lurked　at　the　heart　of　realism；　something

that　we　may　call　　〃psychologism〃　has　been　present　in　the

romanticism　of　the　last　　four　or　five　years；　and　has　now　begun　to

evolve　itself　in　examples　which　it　is　the　pleasure　as　well　as　the

duty　of　criticism　to　deal　with。　





I。



No　one　in　his　day　has　done　more　to　popularize　the　romanticism；

now　decadent；　than　Mr。　Gilbert　Parker；　and　he　made　way　for　it　at

its　worst　just　because　he　was　so　much　better　than　it　was　at　its

worst；　because　he　was　a　poet　of　undeniable　quality；　and　because

he　could　bring　to　its　intellectual　squalor　the　graces　and　the

powers　which　charm；　though　they　could　not　avail　to　save　it　from

final　contempt。　　He　saves　himself　in　his　latest　novel；　because；

though　still　so　largely　romanticistic；　its　prevalent　effect　is

psychologistic；　which　is　the　finer　analogue　of　realistic；　and

which　gave　realism　whatever　was　vital　in　it；　as　now　it　gives

romanticism　whatever　will　survive　it。　　In　〃The　Right　of　Way〃　Mr。

Parker　is　not　in　a　world　where　mere　determinism　rules；　where

there　is　nothing　but　the　happening　of　things；　and　where　this　one

or　that　one　is　important　or　unimportant　according　as　things　are

happening　to　him　or　not；　but　has　in　himself　no　claim　upon　the

reader's　attention。　　Once　more　the　novel　begins　to　rise　to　its

higher　function；　and　to　teach　that　men　are　somehow　masters　of

their　fate。　　His　Charley　Steele　is；　indeed；　as　unpromising

material　for　the　experiment；　in　certain　ways；　as　could　well　be

chosen。　　One　of　the　few　memorable　things　that　Bulwer　said；　who

said　so　many　quotable　things；　was　that　pure　intellectuality　is

the　devil；　and　on　his　plane　Charley　Steele　comes　near　being　pure

intellectual。　He　apprehends　all　things　from　the　mind；　and　does

the　effects　even　of　goodness　from　the　pride　of　mental　strength。　

Add　to　these　conditions　of　his　personality　that　pathologically　he

is　from　time　to　time　a　drunkard；　with　always　the　danger　of

remaining　a　drunkard；　and　you　have　a　figure　of　which　so　much　may

be　despaired　that　it　might　almost　be　called　hopeless。　　I　confess

that　in　the　beginning　this　brilliant；　pitiless　lawyer；　this

consciencelessly　powerful　advocate；　at　once　mocker　and　poseur；

all　but　failed　to　interest　me。　　A　little　of　him　and　his　monocle

went　such　a　great　way　with　me　that　I　thought　I　had　enough　of　him

by　the　end　of　the　trial；　where　he　gets　off　a　man　charged　with

murder；　and　then　cruelly　snubs　the　homicide　in　his　gratitude；　and

I　do　not　quite　know　how　I　kept　on　to　the　point　where　Steele　in

his　drunkenness　first　dazzles　and　then　insults　the　gang　of

drunken　lumbermen；　and　begins　his　second　life　in　the　river　where

they　have　thrown　him；　and　where　his　former　client　finds　him。　

From　that　point　I　could　not　forsake　him　to　the　end；　though　I

found　myself　more　than　once　in　the　world　where　things　happen　of

themselves　and　do　not　happen　from　the　temperaments　of　its

inhabitants。　　In　a　better　and　wiser　world；　the　homicide　would　not

perhaps　be　at　hand　so　opportunely　to　save　the　life　of　the

advocate　who　had　saved　his；　but　one　consents　to　this；　as　one

consents　to　a　great　deal　besides　in　the　story；　which　is

imaginably　the　survival　of　a　former　method。　　The　artist's　affair

is　to　report　the　appearance；　the　effect；　and　in　the　real　world；

the　appearance；　the　effect；　is　that　of　law　and　not　of　miracle。　

Nature　employs　the　miracle　so　very　sparingly　that　most　of　us　go

through　life　without　seeing　one；　and　some　of　us　contract　such　a

prejudice　against　miracles　that　when　they　are　performed　for　us　we

suspect　a　trick。　　When　I　suffered　from　this　suspicion　in　〃The

Right　of　Way〃　I　was　the　more　vexed　because　I　felt　that　I　was　in

the　hands　of　a　connoisseur　of　character　who　had　no　need　of

miracles。



I　have　liked　Mr。　Parker's　treatment　of　French…Canadian　life；　as

far　as　I　have　known　it；　and　in　this　novel　it　is　one　of　the

principal　pleasures　for　me。　　He　may　not　have　his　habitant；　his

seigneur　or　his　cure　down　cold；　but　he　makes　me　believe　that　he

has；　and　I　can　ask　no　more　than　that　of　him。　　In　like　manner；　he

makes　the　ambient；　physical　as　well　as　social；　sensible　around

me：　　the　cold　rivers；　the　hard；　clear　skies；　the　snowy　woods　and

fields；　the　little　frozen　villages　of　Canada。　　In　this　book；

which　is　historical　of　the　present　rather　than　the　past；　he　gives

one　a　realizing　sense　of　the　Canadians；　not　only　in　the　country

but　in　the　city；　at　least　so　far　as　they　affect　each　other

psychologically　in　society；　and　makes　one　feel　their　interesting

temperamental　difference　from　Americans。　　His　Montrealers　are

still　Englishmen　in　their　strenuous　individuality；　but　in　the

frank　expression　of　character；　of　eccentricity；　Charley　Steele　is

like　a　type　of　lawyer　in　our　West；　of　an　epoch　when　people　were

not　yet　content　to　witness　ideals　of　themselves；　but　when　they

wished　to　be　their　poetry　rather　than　to　read　it。　　In　his　second

life　he　has　the　charm　for　the　imagination　that　a　disembodied

spirit　might　have；　if　it　could　be　made　known　to　us　in　the

circumstances　of　another　world。　　He　has；　indeed；　made　almost　as

clean　a　break　with　his　past　as　if　he　had　really　been　drowned　in

the　river。　　When；　after　the　term　of　oblivion；　in　which　he　knows

nothing　of　his　past　self；　he　is　restored　to　his　identity　by　a

famous　surgeon　too　opportunely　out　of　Paris；　on　a　visit　to　his

brother；　the　cure；　the　problem　is　how　he　shall　expiate　the　errors

of　his　past；　work　out　his　redemption　in　his　new　life；　and　the

author　solves　it　for　him　by　appointing　him　to　a　life　of　unselfish

labor；　illumined　by　actions　of　positive　beneficence。　　It　is

something　like　the　solution　which　Goethe　imagines　for　Faust；　and

perhaps　no　other　is　imaginable。　　In　contriving　it；　Mr。　Parker

indulges　the　weaker　brethren　with　an　abundance　of　accident　and　a

luxury　of　catastrophe；　which　the　reader　interested　in　the

psychology　of　the　story　may　take　as　little　account　of　as　he

likes。　　Without　so　much　of　them　he　might　have　made　a

sculpturesque　romance　as　clearly　and　nobly　definite　as　〃The

Scarlet　Letter〃；　with　them　he　has　made　a　most　picturesque

romantic　novel。　　His　work；　as　I　began　by　saying；　or　hinting；　is

the　work　of　a　poet；　in　conception；　and　I　wish　that　in　some

details　of　diction　it　were　as　elect　as　the　author's　verse　is。　

But　one　must　not　expect　everything；　and　in　what　it　is；　〃The　Right

of　Way〃　satisfies　a　reasonable　demand　on　the　side　of　literature；

while　it　more　than　meets　a　reasonable　expectation　on　the　side　of

psychological　interest。　　Distinctly　it　marks　an　epoch　in

contemporary　noveling；　and　mounts　far　above　the　average　best

toward　the　day　of　better　things　which　I　hope　it　is　not　rash　to

image　dawning。



II。　



I　am　sure　I　do　not　merely　fancy　the　auroral　light　in　a　group　of

stories　by　another　poet。　〃The　Ruling　Passion；〃　Dr。　Henry　Van　Dyke

calls　his　book；　which　relates　itself　by　a　double　tie　to　Mr。

Parker's　novel　through　kinship　of　Canadian　landscape　and

character；　and　through　the　prevalence　of　psychologism　over

determinism　in　it。　　In　the　situations　and　incidents　studied　with

sentiment　that　saves　itself　from　sentimentality　sometimes　with

greater　and　sometimes　with　less　ease；　but　saves　itself；　the

appeal　is　from　the　soul　in　the　character　to　the　soul　in　the

reader；　and　not　from　brute　event　to　his　sensation。　　I　believe

that　I　like　best　among　these　charming　things　the　two

sketchesthey　are　hardly　stories〃A　Year　of　Nobility〃　and　〃The

Keeper　of　the　Dight；〃　though　if　I　were　asked　to　say　why；　I　should

be　puzzled。　　Perhaps　it　is　because　I　find　in　the　two　pieces　named

a　greater　detachment　than　I　find　in　some　others　of　Dr。　Van　Dyke's

delightful　volume；　and　greater　evidence　that　he　has　himself　so

thoroughly　and　finally　mastered　his　material　that　he　is　no　longer

in　danger　of　being　unduly　affected　by