ponkapog papers-第8节

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THE　night…scene　on　the　battlefield　of　Wa…　gram　in　〃L'Aiglon〃an　episode　whose　sharp　pathos　pierces　the　heart　and　the　imagina…　tion　like　the　point　of　a　rapierbears　a　striking　resemblance　to　a　picturesque　passage　in　Victor　Hugo's　〃Les　Miserables。〃　　It　is　the　one　intense　great　moment　in　the　play；　and　has　been　widely　discussed；　but　so　far　as　I　am　aware　none　of　M。　Rostand's　innumerable　critics　has　touched　on　the　resemblance　mentioned。　　In　the　master's　ro…　mance　it　is　not　the　field　of　Wagram；　but　the　field　of　Waterloo；　that　is　magically　repeopled　with　contending　armies　of　spooks；　to　use　the　grim　old　Dutch　word；　and　made　vivid　to　the　mind's　eye。　　The　passage　occurs　at　the　end　of　the　sixteenth　chapter　in　the　second　part　of　〃Les　Miserables〃　（Cosette）；　and　runs　as　follows：

　　　　　Le　champ　de　Waterloo　aujourd'hui　a　le　calme　qui　appartient　a　la　terre；　support　impassible　de　l'homme；　et　il　resemble　a　toutes　les　plaines。　　La　nuit　pourtant　une　espece　de　brume　visionnaire　s'en　degage；　et　si　quelque　voyageur　s'y　promene；　s'il　regarde；　s'il　ecoute；　s'il　reve　comme　Virgile　dans　les　funestes　plaines　de　Philippes；　l'hallucination　de　la　catastrophe　le　saisit。　L'effrayant　18　juin　revit；　la　fausse　colline…monument　s'efface；　ce　lion　quelconque　se　dissipe；　le　champ　de　bataille　reprend　sa　realite；　des　lignes　d'infanterie　ondulent　dans　la　plaine；　des　galops　furieux　traversent　l'horizon；　le　songeur　effare　voit　l'eclair　des　sabres；　l'etincelle　des　bayonnettes；　le　flamboiement　des　bombes；　l'entre…croisement　monstrueux　des　tonnerres；　il　en…　tend；　comme　un　rale　au　fond　d'une　tombe；　la　clameur　vague　de　la　bataille…fantome；　ces　ombres；　ce　sont　les　grenadiers；　ces　lueurs；　ce　sont　les　cuirassiers；　。　。　。　tout　cela　n'est　plus　et　se　heurte　et　combat　encore；　et　les　ravins　s'empourprent；　et　les　arbres　frissonnent；　et　il　y　a　de　la　furie　jusque　dans　les　nuees；　et；　dans　les　tenebres；　toutes　ces　hauteurs　farouches；　Mont…Saint…　Jean；　Hougomont；　Frischemont；　Papelotte；　Plance…　noit；　apparaissent　confusement　couronnees　de　tour…　billons　de　spectres　s'exterminant。　

　　　　　Here　is　the　whole　battle　scene　in　〃L'Aiglon；〃　with　scarcely　a　gruesome　detail　omitted。　　The　vast　plain　glimmering　in　phantasmal　light；　the　ghostly　squadrons　hurling　themselves　against

　　　　　　The　field　of　Waterloo　has　to…day　the　peacefulness　which　be…　longs　to　earth；　the　impassive　support　of　man；　and　is　like　all　other　plains。　　At　night；　however；　a　kind　of　visionary　mist　is　exhaled；　and　if　any　traveler　walks　there；　and　watches　and　listens；　and　dreams　like　Virgil　on　the　sorrowful　plains　of　Philippi；　the　hallu…　cination　of　the　catastrophe　takes　possession　of　him。　　The　terrible　June　18　relives；　the　artificial　commemorative　mound　effaces　itself；　the　lion　disappears；　the　field　of　battle　assumes　its　reality；　lines　of　infantry　waver　on　the　plain；　the　horizon　is　broken　by　furious　charges　of　cavalry；　the　alarmed　dreamer　sees　the　gleam　of　sabres；　the　glimmer　of　bayonets；　the　lurid　glare　of　bursting　shells；　the　clashing　of　mighty　thunderbolts；　the　muffled　clamor　of　the　phantom　conflict　comes　to　him　like　dying　moans　from　the　tomb；　these　shadows　are　grenadiers；　these　lights　are　cuirassiers　。　。　。　all　this　does　not　really　exist；　yet　the　combat　goes　on；　the　ravines　are　stained　with　purple；　the　trees　tremble；　there　is　fury　even　in　the　clouds；　and　in　the　obscurity　the　sombre　heightsMont　Saint…　Jean；　Hougomont；　Frischemont；　Papelotte；　and　Plancenoitap…　pear　dimly　crowned　with　throngs　of　apparitions　annihilating　one　another。

One　another　（seen　only　through　the　eyes　of　the　poor　little　Duke　of　Reichstadt）；　the　mangled　shapes　lying　motionless　in　various　postures　of　death　upon　the　blood…stained　sward；　the　moans　of　the　wounded　rising　up　and　sweeping　by　like　vague　wailings　of　the　windall　this　might　be　taken　for　an　artful　appropriation　of　Victor　Hugo's　text；　but　I　do　not　think　it　was；　though　it　is　possible　that　a　faint　reflection　of　a　brilliant　page；　read　in　early　youth；　still　lingered　on　the　retina　of　M。　Rostand's　memory。　　If　such　were　the　case；　it　does　not　necessarily　detract　from　the　integrity　of　the　conception　or　the　playwright's　presentment　of　it。　　　　　　The　idea　of　repeopling　old　battlefields　with　the　shades　of　vanished　hosts　is　not　novel。　　In　such　tragic　spots　the　twilight　always　lays　a　dark　hand　on　the　imagination；　and　prompts　one　to　invoke　the　unappeased　spirit　of　the　past　that　haunts　the　place。　　One　summer　evening　long　ago；　as　I　was　standing　alone　by　the　ruined　walls　of　Hougomont；　with　that　sense　of　not　being　alone　which　is　sometimes　so　strangely　stirred　by　solitude；　I　had　a　sudden　vision　of　that　desperate　last　charge　of　Napoleon's　Old　Guard。　　Marshal　Ney　rose　from　the　grave　and　again　shouted　those　heroic　words　to　Drouet　d'Erlon：　〃Are　you　not　going　to　get　yourself　killed？〃　　For　an　instant　a　thousand　sabres　flashed　in　the　air。　　The　deathly　silence　that　accompanied　the　ghostly　onset　was　an　added　poignancy　to　the　short…lived　dream。　　A　moment　later　I　beheld　a　hunched　little　figure　mounted　on　a　white　horse　with　housings　of　purple　velvet。　　The　reins　lay　slack　in　the　rider's　hand；　his　three…cornered　hat　was　slouched　over　his　brows；　and　his　chin　rested　on　the　breast　of　his　great…coat。　　Thus　he　slowly　rode　away　through　the　twilight；　and　nobody　cried；　Vive　l'Empereur！　　　　　　The　ground　on　which　a　famous　battle　has　been　fought　casts　a　spell　upon　every　man's　mind；　and　the　impression　made　upon　two　men　of　poetic　genius；　like　Victor　Hugo　and　Edmond　Rostand；　might　well　be　nearly　identical。　　This　sufficiently　explains　the　likeness　between　the　fantastic　silhouette　in　〃Les　Miserables〃　and　the　battle　of　the　ghosts　in　〃L'Aiglon。〃　　A　muse　so　rich　in　the　improbable　as　M。　Rostand's　need　not　borrow　a　piece　of　supernaturalness　from　anybody。



PLOT　AND　CHARACTER

HENRY　JAMES；　in　his　paper　on　Anthony　Trollope；　says　that　if　Trollope　〃had　taken　sides　on　the　rather　superficial　opposition　between　novels　of　character　and　novels　of　plot；　I　can　imagine　him　to　have　said　（except　that　he　never　expressed　himself　in　epigram）　that　he　preferred　the　former　class；　inasmuch　as　character　in　itself　is　plot；　while　plot　is　by　no　means　character。〃　So　neat　an　antithesis　would　surely　never　have　found　itself　between　Mr。　Trollope's　lips　if　Mr。　James　had　not　cunningly　lent　it　to　him。　　What…　ever　theory　of　novel…writing　Mr。　Trollope　may　have　preached；　his　almost　invariable　practice　was　to　have　a　plot。　　He　always　had　a　story　to　tell；　and　a　story　involves　beginning；　middle；　and　endin　short；　a　framework　of　some　description。　　　　　　There　have　been　delightful　books　filled　wholly　with　character…drawing；　but　they　have　not　been　great　novels。　　The　great　novel　deals　with　human　action　as　well　as　with　mental　portraiture　and　analysis。　　That　〃character　in　itself　is　plot〃　is　true　only　in　a　limited　sense。　　A　plan；　a　motive　with　a　logical　conclusion；　is　as　necessary　to　a　novel　or　a　romance　as　it　is　to　a　drama。　　A　group　of　skillfully　made…up　men　and　women　lounging　in　the　green…room　or　at　the　wings　is　not　the　play。　　It　is　not　enough　to　say　that　this　is　Romeo　and　that　Lady　Macbeth。　　It　is　not　enough　to　inform　us　that　certain　passions　are　supposed　to　be　embodied　in　such　and　such　persons：　these　persons　should　be　placed　in　situations　develop…　ing　those　passions。　　A　series　of　unrelated　scenes　and　dialogues　leading　to　nothing　is　inadequate。　　　　　　Mr。　James's　engaging　epigram　seems　to　me　vulnerable　at　both　endsunlike　Achilles。　〃Plot　is　by　no　means　character。〃　　Strictly　speaking；　it　is　not。　　It　appears　to　me；　however；　that　plot　approaches　nearer　to　being　character　than　character　does　to　being　plot。　　Plot　necessi…　tates　action；　and　it　is　impossible　to　describe　a　man's　actions'　under　whatever　conditions；　with…　out　revealing　something　of　his　character；　his　way　of　looking　at　things；　his　moral　and　mental　pose。　　What　a　hero　of　fiction　does　paints　him　better　than　what　he　says；　and　vastly　better　than　anything　his　creator　may　say　of　him。　　Mr。　James　asserts　that　〃we　care　what　happens　to　people　only　in　proportion　as　we　know　what　people　are。〃　　I　think　we　care　very　little　what　people　are　（in　fiction）　when　we　do　not　know　what　happens　to　them。


THE　CRUELTY　OF　SCIENCE

IN　the　process　of　their　experiments　upon　the　bodies　of　living　animals　some　anatomists　do　not；　I　fear；　sufficiently　realize　that

　　　　　The　poor　beetle；　that　we　tread　upon；　　　　　　In　corporal　sufferance；　finds　a　pang　as　great　　　　　　As　when　a　giant　dies。

I　am　not　for　a　moment　challenging　the　neces…　sity　of　vivisection；　though　distinguished　sur…　geons　have　themselves　challenged　it；　I　merely　contend　that　science　is　apt　to　be　cold…hearted；　and　does　not　seem　always　to　take　into　consider…　ation　the　tortures　she　inflicts　in　her　search　for　knowledge。　　　　　　Just　now；　in　turning　over　the　leaves　of　an　old　number　of　the　〃London　Lancet；〃　I　came　upon　the　report　of　a　lecture　on　experimental　physiology　delivered　by　Professor　William　Rutherford　be…　fore　a　learned　association　in　London。　　Though　the　type　had　become　antiquated　and　the　paper　yellowed　in　the　lapse　of　years；　the　pathos　of　those　pages　was　alive　and　palpitating。　　　　　　The　following　passages　from　the　report　will　illustrate　not　unfairly　the　point　I　am　making。　In　the　course　of　his　remarks　the　lecturer　ex…　hibited　certain　interesting　experiments　on　living　frogs。　　Intellectually　I　go　very　st