第1章

Theinterestingexperimentofoneofourgreatpublishinghousesinputtingoutseriallyseveralvolumesofshortstories，withthehopethatacourageouspersistencemayovercomethepopularindifferencetosuchcollectionswhenseverallyadministered，suggestssomequestionsastothiseldestformoffictionwhichIshouldliketoaskthereader\'spatiencewith。IdonotknowthatIshallbeabletoanswerthem，orthatIshalltrytodoso；thevitalityofaquestionthatisansweredseemstoexhaleintheevent；itpalpitatesnolonger；curiosityfluttersawayfromthefadedflower，whichisfitthenonlytobefoldedawayinthe\'hortussiccus\'ofaccomplishedfacts。InviewofthisImaywishmerelytostatetheproblemsandleavethemforthereader\'ssolution，or，moreamusingly，forhismystification。

I。

Oneofthemostamusingquestionsconcerningtheshortstoryiswhyaformwhichissinglysoattractivethateveryonelikestoreadashortstorywhenhefindsitaloneiscollectivelysorepellentasitissaidtobe。BeforenowIhaveimaginedthecasetobesomewhatthesameasthatofanumberofpleasantpeoplewhoaremostacceptableasseparatehouseholders，butwholosecasteandceasetobedesirableacquaintanceswhengatheredintoaboarding-house。

Yetthecaseisnotthesamequite，forweseethattheshortstorywhereitisrangedwithothersofitsspecieswithinthecoversofamagazineissowelcomethattheeditorthinkshisnumberthemorebrilliantthemoreshortstorywritershecancallabouthisboard，orundertheroofofhispension。Heretheboardinghouseanalogybreaks，breakssosignallythatIwaslatelymovedtoaskadistinguishededitorwhyabookofshortstoriesusuallyfailedandamagazineusuallysucceededbecauseofthem。Heanswered，gayly，thattheshortstoriesinmostbooksofthemwerebad；thatwheretheyweregood，theywent；andheallegedseveralwell-knowninstancesinwhichbooksofprimeshortstorieshadagreatvogue。HewassohandsomelyinterestedinmyinquirythatIcouldnotwellsayIthoughtsomeoftheshortstorieswhichhehadboastedinhislastnumberwereindifferentgood，andyet，asheallowed，hadmainlyhelpedsellit。Ihadinmindmanybooksofshortstoriesofthefirstexcellencewhichhadfailedasdecidedlyasthoseothershadsucceeded，fornoreasonthatIcouldsee；possiblythereisreallynoreasoninanyliterarysuccessorfailurethatcanbepredicted，orappliedinanotherBase。

Icouldnamethesebooks，ifitwouldserveanypurpose，but，inmydoubt，Iwillleavethereadertothinkofthem，forIbelievethathisindolenceorintellectualreluctanceislargelytoblameforthefailureofgoodbooksofshortstories。Heiscommonlysoaversetoanyimaginativeexertionthathefindsitahardshiptorespondtothatpeculiardemandwhichabookofgoodshortstoriesmakesuponhim。Hecanreadonegoodshortstoryinamagazinewithrefreshment，andapleasantsenseofexcitement，inthesortofspuritgivestohisownconstructivefaculty。But，ifthisisrepeatedintenortwentystories，hebecomesflutteredandexhaustedbythedraftuponhisenergies；

whereasacontinuousfictionofthesamequantityactsasanagreeablesedative。Aconditionthattheshortstorytacitlymakeswiththereader，throughitslimitations，isthatheshallsubjectivelyfillinthedetailsandcarryouttheschemewhichinitssmalldimensionsthestorycanonlysuggest；andthegreaternumberofreadersfindthistoomuchfortheirfeeblepowers，whiletheycannotresisttheincitementtoattemptit。

Mytheorydoesnotwhollyaccountforthefact（notheorywhollyaccountsforanyfact），andIownthatthesameobjectionswouldliefromthereaderagainstanumberofshortstoriesinamagazine。Butitmaybethattheeffectisnotthesameinthemagazinebecauseofthevarietyintheauthorship，andbecauseitwouldbeimpossiblyjoltingtoreadalltheshortstoriesinamagazine\'seriatim\'。Ontheotherhand，theidentityofauthorshipgivesacontinuityofattractiontotheshortstoriesinabookwhichformsthatexhaustingstrainupontheimaginationoftheinvoluntaryco-partner。

II。

Then，whatisthesolutionastotheformofpublicationforshortstories，sincepeopledonotobjecttothemsinglybutcollectively，andnotinvariety，butinidentityofauthorship？Aretheytobeprintedonlyinthemagazines，oraretheytobecollectedinvolumescombiningavarietyofauthorship？Rather，Icouldwish，itmightbefoundfeasibletopurveytheminsomeprettyshapewhereeachwouldappealsinglytothereaderandwouldnotexhausthiminthesubjectiveafter-workrequiredofhim。Inthiseventmanyshortstoriesnowcrampedintounduelimitsbytheeditorialexigenciesofthemagazinesmightexpandtogreaterlengthandbreadth，andwithoutceasingtobeeachashortstorymightnotmakesoheavyademanduponthesubliminalforcesofthereader。

Ifanyoneweretosaythatallthiswasalittlefantastic，Ishouldnotcontradicthim；butIhopethereissomereasoninit，ifreasoncanhelptheshortstorytogreaterfavor，foritisaformwhichIhavegreatpleasureinasareader，andprideinasanAmerican。Ifwehavenotexcelledallothermodernsinit，wehavecertainlyexcelledinit；

possiblybecauseweareintheperiodofourliterarydevelopmentwhichcorrespondstothatofotherpeopleswhentheshortstorypre-eminentlyflourishedamongthem。Butwhenonehassaidathinglikethis，itimmediatelyaccusesoneoflooseandinaccuratestatement，andrequiresonetorefineuponit，eitherforone\'sownpeaceofconscienceorforone\'ssafetyfromthethoughtfulreader。Iamnotmuchafraidofthatsortofreader，forheisveryrare，butIdoliketoknowmyselfwhatI

mean，ifImeananythinginparticular。

InthisinstanceIamobligedtoaskmyselfwhetherourliterarydevelopmentcanberecognizedseparatelyfromthatofthewholeEnglish-

speakingworld。Ithinkitcan，though，asIamalwayssayingAmericanliteratureismerelyaconditionofEnglishliterature。InsomesenseeveryEuropeanliteratureisaconditionofsomeotherEuropeanliterature，yettheimpulseineacheventuates，ifitdoesnotoriginateindigenously。Ayoungerliteraturewillchoose，byasortofnaturalselection，somethingsforassimilationfromanelderliterature，fornomoreapparentreasonthanitwillrejectotherthings，anditwilltransformthemintheprocesssothatitwillgivethemtheeffectofindigeneity。TheshortstoryamongtheItalians，whocalleditthenovella，andsupplieduswiththenamedevotedsolelyamongustofictionofepicalmagnitude，refinedindefinitelyupontheGreekromance，ifitderivedfromthat；itretrencheditselfinscope，andenlargeditselfinthevarietyofitstypes。Butstilltheseremainedtypes，andtheyremainedtypeswiththeFrenchimitatorsoftheItaliannovella。ItwasnottilltheSpaniardsborrowedtheformofthenovellaandtransplantedittotheirraciersoilthatitbegantobearcharacter，andtofruitintherichnessoftheirpicaresquefiction。WhentheEnglishborrowedittheyadaptedit，inthemetricaltalesofChaucer，tothegeniusoftheirnation，whichwasthenbothpoeticalandhumorous。Hereitwasfullofcharacter，too，andmoreandmorepersonalitybegantoenlargetheboundsoftheconventionaltypesandtoimbuefreshones。ButinsofarasthenovellawasstudiedintheItaliansources，theFrench，Spanish，andEnglishliteratureswereconditionsofItalianliteratureasdistinctly，though，ofcourse，notsothoroughly，asAmericanliteratureisaconditionofEnglishliterature。Eachborrowergaveanationalcasttothethingborrowed，andthatiswhathashappenedwithus，inthefullmeasurethatournationalityhasdifferenceditselffromtheEnglish。