How to Fail in Literature.docx

How to Fail in Literature.docx

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HowtoFailinLiterature

HowtoFailinLiteraturebyAndrewLangPREFACEThisLecturewasdeliveredattheSouthKensingtonMuseum,inaidoftheCollegeforWorkingMenandWomen.AsthePublishers,perhapserroneously,believethatsomeofthefewauthorswhowerenotpresentmaybegladtostudytheadvicehereproffered,theLectureisnowprinted.Ithasbeenpracticallyre-written,and,likethekisswhichtheLadyreturnedtoRodolphe,isrevu,corrige,etconsiderablementaugmente.

A.L.

HOWTOFAILINLITERATURE

Whatshouldbeaman'sorawoman'sreasonfortakingliteratureasavocation,whatsortofsuccessoughttheytodesire,whatsortofambitionshouldpossessthem?

Thesearenaturalquestions,nowthatsomanyreadersexistintheworld,allaskingforsomethingnew,nowthatsomanywritersaremakingtheirpens"inrunningtodevourtheway"oversomanyacresoffoolscap.Thelegitimatereasonsforenlisting（toooftenwithoutreceivingtheshilling）inthisarmyofwritersarenotfartoseek.Amanmaybeconvincedthathehasuseful,orbeautiful,orentertainingideaswithinhim,hemayholdthathecanexpresstheminfreshandcharminglanguage.Hemay,inshort,havea"vocation,"orfeelconsciousofavocation,whichisnotexactlythesamething.Thereare"manythyrsusbearers,fewmystics,"manyarecalled,fewchosen.Still,tobesensibleofavocationissomething,nay,ismuch,formostofusdriftwithoutanyparticularaimorpredominantpurpose.Nobodycanjustlycensurepeoplewhosechiefinterestisinletters,whosechiefpleasureisinstudyorcomposition,whorejoiceinafinesentenceasothersdoinawellmodelledlimb,oradelicatelytouchedlandscape,nobodycancensurethemfortryingtheirfortunesinliterature.Mostofthemwillfail,for,asthebookseller'syoungmantoldanauthoronce,theyhavethepoetictemperament,withoutthepoeticpower.StillamongthesewhomPendennishastempted,inboyhood,torunawayfromschooltoliteratureasMarryathastemptedotherstorunawaytosea,theremustbesomewhowillsucceed.Butanearlyandintenseambitionisnoteverything,anymorethanacapacityfortakingpainsiseverythinginliteratureorinanyart.

Somehavethegift,thenaturalincommunicablepower,withouttheambition,othershavetheambitionbutnoothergiftfromanyMuse.

Thisclassisthemorenumerous,butthesmallestclassofallhasboththepowerandthewilltoexcelinletters.Thedesiretowrite,theloveoflettersmayshewitselfinchildhood,inboyhood,oryouth,andmeannothingatall,amereharvestofbarrenblossomwithoutfragranceorfruit.Or,again,theconcernaboutlettersmaycomesuddenly,whenayouththatcaredfornoneofthosethingsiswaning,itmaycomewhenamansuddenlyfindsthathehassomethingwhichhereallymusttell.Thenheprobablyfumblesaboutforastyle,andhisfirstfreshimpulsesaremoreorlessmarredbyhisinexperienceofanartwhichbeguilesandfascinatesothersevenintheirschool-days.

Itisimpossibletoprophesythesuccessofamanoflettersfromhisearlypromise,hisearlytastes;asimpossibleasitistopredict,fromherchildishgrace,thebeautyofawoman.

ButthefollowingremarksonHowtofailinLiteraturearecertainlymeanttodiscouragenobodywholovesbooks,andhasanimpulsetotellastory,ortotryasongorasermon.Discouragementsenoughexistinthepursuitofthis,asofallarts,crafts,andprofessions,withoutmyaddingtothem.FamineandFearcrouchbytheportalsofliteratureastheycrouchatthegatesoftheVirgilianHades.Thereisnomorefrequentcauseoffailurethandoubtanddread;abeginnercanscarcelyputhisheartandstrengthintoaworkwhenheknowshowlongaretheoddsagainsthisvictory,howdifficultitisforanewmantowinahearing,eventhoughalleditorsandpublishersareeverpiningforanewman.Theyoungfellow,unknownandunwelcomed,whocansitdownandgiveallhisbestofknowledge,observation,humour,care,andfancytoaconsiderableworkhasgotcourageinnocommonportion;hedeservestotriumph,andcertainlyshouldnotbedisheartenedbyouroldexperience.Buttherebefewbeginnersofthismark,mostbeginsofeeblybecausetheybeginsofearfully.Theyarealreadytoodiscouraged,andcanscarcedothemselvesjustice.Itiseasiertowritemoreorlesswellandagreeablywhenyouarecertainofbeingpublishedandpaid,atleast,thantowritewellwhenadozenrejectedmanuscriptsarecowering（asTheocritussays）inyourchest,bowingtheirpalefacesovertheirchillyknees,outcast,hungry,repulsedfrommanyadoor.Towriteexcellently,brightly,powerfully,withthesepoorunwelcomedwanderers,returnedMSS.,inyourpossession,isdifficultindeed.ItmightbewisertodoasM.

GuydeMaupassantisrumouredtohavedone,towriteforsevenyears,andshewyouressaystononebutamentorasfriendlysevereasM.

Flaubert.Butallmencannothavesuchmentors,norcanallaffordsolonganunremunerativeapprenticeship.ForsomethebetterplanisNOTtolingeronthebank,andtaketeaandgoodadvice,asKeatssaid,buttoplungeatonceinmid-stream,andlearnswimmingofnecessity.

Onething,perhaps,mostpeoplewhosucceedinletterssofarastokeepthemselvesaliveandclothedbytheirpenswilladmit,namely,thattheirearlyrejectedMSS.DESERVEDTOBEREJECTED.Afewdaysagotherecametothewriteranoldforgottenbeginner'sattemptbyhimself.Whenceitcame,whosentit,heknowsnot;hehadforgottenitsveryexistence.Hereaditwithcuriosity;itwaswritteninaverymuchbetterhandthanhispresentscrawl,andwasperfectlylegible.ButREADABLEitwasnot.Therewasagreatdealofworkinit,onanoutofthewaytopic,andtheideaswere,perhaps,notquitewithoutnoveltyatthetimeofitscomposition.Butitwascrampedandthin,andhesitatingbetweenseveralmanners;aboveallitwasuncommonlydull.Ifiteverwassenttoaneditor,asIpresumeitmusthavebeen,thateditorwastreblyjustifiedindecliningit.Ontheotherhand,tobeegotistic,Ihaveknowneditorsrejecttheattemptsofthoseolddays,andafterwardsexpresslivelydelightinthemwhentheystruggledintoprint,somehow,somewhere.Theseworthymendidnotevenknowthattheyhaddespisedandrefusedwhattheycameafterwardsrathertoenjoy.

Editorsandpublishers,thesekeepersofthegatesofsuccess,arenotinfallible,buttheiropinionofabeginner'sworkisfarmorecorrectthanhisowncaneverbe.Theyshouldnotdepresshimquite,butiftheyarelongunanimousinholdinghimcheap,heiswarned,andhadbetterwithdrawfromthestruggle.Heiseitherincompetent,orhehasthemakingsofaBrowning.Heisageniusborntoosoon.

Hemayreadilycalculatethechancesinfavourofeitheralternative.

Somuchbywayofnotdampingallneophytesequally:

somuchwemaysayaboutsuccessbeforetalkingoftheeasywaysthatleadtofailure.Andbysuccesshereismeantnoglorioustriumph;thelaurelsarenotinourthoughts,northeenormousopulence（aboutafourthofafortunatebarrister'sgains）whichfallsinthelapofaDickensoraTrollope.Faintandfleetingpraise,acrownwithasmanypricklesasroses,amodesthardly-gainedcompetence,agooddealofenvy,agreatdealofgossip--thesearetherewardsofgeniuswhichconstituteamodernliterarysuccess.Nottoreachthemoderatecompetenceinliteratureis,foraprofessionalmanoflettersofallwork,somethinglikefailure.Butinpoetryto-dayamanmaysucceed,asfarashisartgoes,andyetmaybeunread,andmaypublishathisownexpense,ornotpublishatall.Hepleaseshimself,andaverytinyaudience:

Idonotcallthatfailure.Iregardfailureasthegoalofignorance,incompetence,lackofcommonsense,conceiteddulness,andcertainpracticalblundersnowtobeexplainedanddefined.

Themostambitiousmayaccept,withoutdistrust,thefollowingadviceastoHowtofailinLiterature.Theadviceisofferedbyamerecritic,anditisanaxiomoftheArtsthatthecritics"arethefellowswhohavefailed,"orhavenotsucceeded.Thepersonswhoreallycanpaint,orplay,orcomposeseldomtellushowitisdone,stilllessdotheyreviewtheperformancesoftheircontemporaries.

Thatinvidioustasktheyleavetotheunsuccessfulnovelists.Theinstruction,theadviceareofferedbythepersonswhocannotachieveperformance.Itisthusthatallthingsworktogetherinfavouroffailure,which,indeed,maywellappearsoeasythatspecialinstruction,howevercompetent,isaluxuryratherthananecessary.

Butwhenwelookroundonthevastmultitudeofwriterswho,toallseeming,deliberatelyaimatfailure,whotakeeveryprecautioninfavouroffailurethatuntutoredinexperiencecansuggest,itbecomesplainthateducationinill-success,isreallyapopularwant.Inthefollowingremarkssomebroadgeneralprinciples,makingdisasteralmostinevitable,willfirstbeoffered,andthenspecialmethodsoffailinginallspecialdepartmentsofletterswillbeungrudginglycommunicated.Itisnotenoughtoattainfailure,weshoulddeserveit.Thewriter,bywayofinsuringcompleteconfidence,wouldmodestlymentionthathehashadampleopportunitiesofstudyinthisbranchofknowledge.Whilesiftingforfiveorsixyearsthevolunteeredcontributionstoapopularperiodical,hehasreceivedandconsideredsomehundredweightsofmanuscript.Inallthesemyriadcontributionshehasnotfoundthirtypieceswhichroseeventotheordinarydeadlevelofmagazinework.Hehasthusenjoyedunrivalledchancesofexaminingsuchmodesofmissingsuccessasspontaneouslyoccurtothehumanintellect,totheunaidedingenuityofmen,women,andchildren.{1}

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