“Try to be one of the people on whom nothing
is lost!”
These words are the command of Henry James to
fiction authors of the realism movement (315). As one might surmise, realism is
the extent to which a novel accurately portrays real life. In the chapter
“Realism and Beyond,” excerpts from numerous authors reflect on various aspects
of realism and offer additional examples of slum fiction to complement Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.
The first of these excerpts is from Aesthetics, by Eugène Véron. Véron defines art as “nothing but the
spontaneous expression of certain conceptions of things, which follow logically
from the combination of the moral and physical influences” (311). According to
Véron, the moral and physical influences are
unique to each artist’s or author’s time period, and each era has only a small
range of inspirations to offer. What constitutes art, then, is the way
different artists interpret the same inspirations. It is the originality of
each artist that sets it apart. Véron notes
that art has become more realistic. That is, its focus is no longer gods and
creation myths, but humans themselves. Art is now inspired by mankind’s growing
fascination with itself. Thus, the subject matter has turned to the everyday
and the tangible.
Henry James is the one who really defines
realism. From the whole of his essay from The
Art of Fiction, we glean that realistic fiction is drawn from the author’s
experience, accurately portraying types of characters and incidents. While it
initially sounds limiting to say that authors can only draw from their
experience, James clarifies that experience also encompasses the patterns and
details authors see in the world. Very observant authors can find all they need
in their immediate environment. The products of their labors are novels that
contain impressions of life. These
impressions interest readers because they are so true to reality.
The other authors sampled in the chapter
offer additional insights into realism. One describes how realism captures a
slice of a specific time or culture, and thus allows a work of fiction to live
on and interest future generations. Another author expresses the sentiment that
realism promotes sympathy for the less fortunate classes, and is therefore a
democratizing force in society. Finally, realism embraces the fact that in real
life, situations enormously impact people and the outcomes of their own
stories. This is reflected in realistic literature, in which the hero can’t
always win.
Maggie exemplifies the last point. Like the story
excerpts at the end of “Realism and Beyond,” it is the tale of a well-meaning
woman who has fallen on hard times. She didn’t choose her circumstances, and it
is all she can do to survive. Even that, she fails in the end. From this
chapter it appears that the ruined woman is a consistent theme in New York slum
fiction. This character struggles to simply get by, her struggle intensifies,
she is forced to resort to prostitution, the few friends she has reject her, and
she dies – destroyed by the horrible life that has overtaken her. Realism
unveils the bad side of town without flinching. It brings to light the
miserable people about whom wealthy New Yorkers either didn’t know or didn’t
care. Sure enough, we still read their stories because we can see them
unfolding before our eyes. We can picture the characters living and breathing
in our own world, in another time and place. And we pity them.
Realism
Movement:
American
Realism:
Discussion questions:
1. Why do you think the realism movement gained popularity later, after initially being rejected?
2. What do you think a book would be like if it had no realism whatsoever?
3. James uses a comparison between a novelist and a painter. Why do you suppose he chose to make this particular comparison?
4. Do you think that, as James puts it, all works of "English fiction should have a 'conscious moral purpose'?"
5. James conveys the message that good novels are to have a sense of reality and that they are based on experiences, which include impressions. Do you think that impressions can be considered experiences? Have you read any books that seemed realistically lacking, and if so, do you think that was because they were only based on impressions?
6. What does James mean when he says "'Write from experience, and experience only,' I should feel that this was a rather tantalizing monition if I were not careful immediately to add, 'Try to be one of the people on whom is nothing lost!'”?
7. Did James change your personal view on realism with this essay? Will you prefer to see more realism in the books you read?
8. Did the realism in Maggie inspire any emotions in you for the characters and their situations?
5. I think that impressions can be considered experiences in their own right. Every perspective is legitimate and if people are empathetic and perceptive enough, they can get a good understanding of other people’s situations. However, one person’s firsthand experience and another’s impression of that experience are two totally separate things. I think there are a lot of dimensions to even the simplest experiences. I have never been to New York City but I have gathered a lot of ideas about it from talking to people who have been there, watching TV shows and movies and reading stories set there, and listening to songs by musicians who live there. If I wanted to, I could possibly write a story set in New York and have it be relatively convincing that I have personally been there. I would be much more limited in what I could write based on my impressions than what someone could write who has been to New York. A point that should not be overlooked though is that my impressions of the city are actually indirect experiences of New York City. The stories, images, and songs that I have experienced are, in a sense, New York reaching out to the rest of the world. Looking at a picture of central park is not equivalent to visiting, but whatever response I have to looking at the picture of the park is no less an experience than walking through the park. It’s just a different kind of experience.
ReplyDeleteA more general example would be an author writing about the opposite sex. No man will ever fully experience what it is to be a woman just as no woman will ever experience what it is to be a man throughout every stage of life. When an author creates a character that is not of the same sex, their thoughts, emotions, EVERYTHING is based on impressions. Sometimes these impressions are very accurate and characters are believable but I often come across a story and can tell the gender of the author just be how natural the characters seemed.
8. The realism in Maggie did inspire emotions in me, but not very positive ones. I felt pity, frustration, anger, resentment, sadness, disappointment, etc. Certain aspects of it were very true to reality- or what I believe to have been reality- during the time period, such as the poverty and abuse. I am unable to really relate to the mindsets of the characters. Maggie seemed so stereo-typically dependent and weak, Pete did not react to situations like real people do, and Jimmie, though confusing, was perhaps the most relatable. He made stupid decisions, was naïve, angry, never wanted to go back to the insanity that was his home life, had his own way of trying to solve problems, etc. The descriptions of the setting, the dialect, and lack of communication between characters were all very realistic though.
For question 4: there are stories with plots where realism is the ideal way to express a thought or feeling. There are other stories with plots where realism is not the way to go, and should be exclusively for entertaining a happy ending or creative adventure. That being said, not all stories can apply a conscious moral purpose. A fictional story may contain conscious messages hidden throughout the text and dialog, but the messages aren't necessary if they don’t add to the plot or overall theme.
ReplyDeleteFor question 6: for the first part of the quote, I believe James was trying to show that a writer should not conjure up a response if they do not have any background on the question at hand. Similarly, a realistic story should not be written if the author doesn't have supportive evidence that the information is reliable or believable. I understand why James is saying this, because I’m sure a lot of research and experience goes into writing realism. As for the second part of his quote, I think we should refer back to question 4, because James wants everything we say and do to be based on a conscious purpose. So, when he says “nothing is lost,” I believe he is trying to get across that everything we say should come out (or be perceived) as we mean it to; it should be obvious; no key points or additional details have been forgotten or disregarded.
For question 8: When I began reading Maggie, I didn’t believe a lot of what was happening, and I kept in the back of my mind that this was a “fictional” story. However, I had glossed over the fact that just because a story is fictional, doesn’t mean it isn’t realistic. After learning more about realism and reading additional stories similar to Maggie’s, I felt more sympathetic for those going through such situations. I was hit by how much more difficult life was like back then than what I go through now. We may feel like our parents “torture” us, but to read that Maggie and Jimmie curled up in corners while their parents literally destroyed furniture seems much more dramatic than what we go through at home. What they went through has a much deeper impact on their future lives – physically and emotionally.