Dr. Conan Doyle at Sale
Dr. Conan Doyle at Sale is an article published in The Northwich Guardian on 11 october 1893.
Report of a lecture "Facts about Fiction" given by Arthur Conan Doyle on 6 october 1893 at the Sale Public Hall (Manchester, UK).
Report
On Friday night, Dr. A. Conan Doyle, the popular novelist, delivered the first of the popular lectures of the season in the Sale Public Hall. There was a crowded attendance. Dr. Doyle, the subject of whose lecture was "Facts about Fiction," stated his intention of only a few of the younger of present-day novelists. Any attempt on his part to deal with English literature would be superficial, therefore he would confine himself to a few of the young writers of the present day. England had great reason to be proud of its literature, and although at the present day there might be no great writers, there was little doubt that literature as an art had improved, and that present-day writers had a greater idea of the laws governing it. There were often great wails in the critical press about the decay of literature. In every age critics had been inclined to think gloomily of the era in which they found themselves, and generally lived in the shadow of that which preceded it. That was not a peculiarity of the literary critic, but was a trait of human nature which generally thought far higher of what was then off than of what was near. It must be admitted, however, that no living writer could be said to approach to the position of Dickens and Thackeray. In Thomas Hardy and George Meredith they had novelists of remarkable power, but neither of them had been able to have that hold of the public which would entitle him to rank with the old predecessors. The lecturer afterwards detailed his opinion of present-day writers, speaking in terms of the highest praise of Stevenson, Hardy, Kipling, Barrie, Olive Schreiner, and others. Speaking of Stevenson the lecturer said he was the writer upon whom the majority of present-day writers formed their style, and he had no contemporary who in any way approached him in choice of language and power of pithily telling a story. He had been successful both in the book and short story. The two arts were very distinct, and very rarely had any great novelist written a short story which could be placed in the first flight. On the other hand, those who had written the best short stories were only too often not successful as novelists. In proof of this he instanced Poe, Bret Harte, and Kipling. In the opinion of the lecturer Olive Schreiner's "Story of an African Farm" was one of the finest works of fiction ever written by a woman. It was great in noble human nature, and the authoress had used her heart as an inkpot. The lecturer said they had never had such accurate drawing of their homely peasant folk as within the last generation, and in Barrie Scotland had produced a writer who was keen of insight into the character of her people, who had a kindly touch if dealing of her people, who had a kindly touch if dealing with their weaknesses, and who was sympathetic in drawing their joys and sorrows. He believed some of Barrie's work would be handed down in Scotland with the pride of national possession. Barrie's style was a model of art and simplicity, and nothing could be more clear cut and delicate than some of his characters. In Quiller Couch, the popular author who used the nom de plume of "Q," the lecturer saw a master of the art of telling short stories, and a writer who showed in his style the greatest signs of having taken R. L. Stevenson as his model. Rudyard Kipling was writer who, if his virtues were more brilliant than those of his contemporaries, had certainly faults of a mere pronounced nature. It was easy in cold blood to say what those faults were. Sometimes he took a false note, and sometimes he ventured upon one which was higher than he could attain to. He often forced a story off through sheer bluff often had little enough to tell. He had a cocksureness which reminded one of the of sayings of Sydney Smith, who wished he was as sure of anything as Macaulay was of everything. Kipling reminded them of a school boy taking his own side despite any other considerations. There was not a doubt that he was seriously wanting in power of self-criticism. But who could stop to criticize when reading Kipling's stories? The reader was fairly carried off his feet by the rush and the go of it. At the commencement they might think Kipling was looking at the matters he wrote upon from the most preposterous point of view, yet before the end that view became that of themselves also. Like the wedding guest in the "Antient Mariner" they were bound to listen to what he had to say. Kipling was not yet thirty years of age, and no man tell what developments his undoubted talents would undergo. The lecturer made passing reference to numerous other present-day novelists, including I. Zangwill, Ralph Boldrewood, Parker, Frank Mathew, and in conclusion spoke of Jerome K. Jerome. He said Jerome had never yet received justice at the hands of the critics, but without a doubt he was a great master of humour, which in his opinion was the summit of literary art. Of late Jerome had taken to a more serious style of writing, but whatever his future would be, he could certainly claim that he exercised a cheery and a beneficient influence upon present-day literature. The lecturer, whose reception by the audience was very generous, read copious extracts from all the authors he spoke about, and concluded with a reading from what he called the inimitable "Three Men in a Boat."
