REALISTS UNCOMPROMISING

The novel, of the type of "Main Street," so much in vogue today, that deals with drab, everyday life in a colorless wag, will not last long as a classic, according to Joseph C. Lincoln, noted American novelist, In a recent interview for the Crimson. These novels form but one more example of the attempt of the Realists to supplant the Romanticists in the field of literature, Mr. Lincoln said.

"The conflict between Realism and Romanticism," he explained, "is one of long standing, and has always been marked by one characteristic. Briefly this is, that while the Romanticists admit that there is much good in the work of the Realists, the latter deny that there is anything of merit in the work of the Romanticists. Someone has used the simile of a road to point out the difference between the two schools and, in a way, the failure of both. The road is muddy, and unpleasant underfoot, but each side is lined with roses. One man looks at the mud, and the other at the roses, but neither gets an adequate idea of the road."

Schools Disagree on Endings

"One subject on which the two schools often disagree," continued Mr. Lincoln, "is that of endings. The Realists are prone to think that good art requires them to end every story and play sadly or unpleasantly, and they are willing to twist circumstances in any way so as to accomplish their purpose. But they are somewhat narrow-minded in their point of view. For while they praise, as high art, the accidental killing of the hero at the end of a book that seems bound to turn out happily, they condemn the fortuitous death of a villain as catering to a childish wish of the public."

In reply to the question as to whether there would be any enduring classic among the realist novels of today, Mr. Lincoln said that he thought not. "Those books have lasted," he declared,, "which have been written with more than a little regard for what might be called the humanities. All through the history of literature you will find this to be true. It is for this reason that Shakespeare's plays are still read and his characters still widely known, while the works of almost all of his contemporaries have long ago been forgotten. It is for this reason that Goldsmith has outlasted Johnson, and that Thackeray's work will be famous when present day writers are out of print."

"You will find, on the whole," said Mr. Lincoln, "that people like to have an affectionate feeling for the characters they meet in books, but this they cannot do when the characters are treated in such a way as they are in the realist novels of today. This is another reason why these novels will not last, for while people may call a sad or unpleasant book powerful, they will scarcely care to renew their acquaintance with it."