Onehardlyknowswhichtogroanovermostsadly,——thetearingdownofoldmonuments,theshellingoftheParthenon,theoverthrowofthepillaredtemplesofRome,andinahumblerwaythedestructionoftheoldHancockhouse,ortheerectionofmonumentswhicharetobeaperpetualeyesoretoourselvesandourdescendants。
Wegottalkingonthesubjectofrealism,ofwhichsomuchhasbeensaidoflate。
Itseemstome,Isaid,thatthegreatadditionswhichhavebeenmadebyrealismtotheterritoryofliteratureconsistlargelyinswampy,malarious,ill—smellingpatchesofsoilwhichhadpreviouslybeenlefttoreptilesandvermin。Itisperfectlyeasytobeoriginalbyviolatingthelawsofdecencyandthecanonsofgoodtaste。Thegeneralconsentofcivilizedpeoplewassupposedtohavebanishedcertainsubjectsfromtheconversationofwell—bredpeopleandthepagesofrespectableliterature。Thereisnosubject,orhardlyany,whichmaynotbetreatedofatthepropertime,intheproperplace,bythefittingperson,fortherightkindoflistenerorreader。Butwhenthepoetorthestory—tellerinvadestheprovinceofthemanofscience,heisondangerousground。Ineedsaynothingoftheblundersheisprettysuretomake。Theimaginativewriterisaftereffects。Thescientificmanisaftertruth。Scienceisdecent,modest;doesnottrytostartle,buttoinstruct。Thesamescenesandobjectswhichoutrageeverysenseofdelicacyinthestoryteller\'shighlycoloredparagraphscanbereadwithoutgivingoffenceinthechastelanguageofthephysiologistorthephysician。
Thereisaverycelebratednovel,\"MadameBovary,\"theworkofM。
Flaubert,whichisnotedforhavingbeenthesubjectofprosecutionasanimmoralwork。Thatithasaseriouslessonthereisnodoubt,ifonewilldrinkdowntothebottomofthecup。Butthehoneyofsensuousdescriptionisspreadsodeeplyoverthesurfaceofthegobletthatalargeproportionofitsreadersneverthinkofitsholdinganythingelse。Allthephasesofunhallowedpassionaredescribedinfulldetail。Thatiswhatthebookisboughtandreadfor,bythegreatmajorityofitspurchasers,asallbutsimpletonsverywellknow。Thatiswhatmakesitsellandbroughtitintothecourtsofjustice。Thisbookisfamousforitsrealism;infact,itisrecognizedasoneoftheearliestandmostbrilliantexamplesofthatmodernstyleofnovelwhich,beginningwhereBalzacleftoff,attemptedtodoforliteraturewhatthephotographhasdoneforart。