Volume I Part 30 (2/2)

I hope you received photograph sent by Baker through inal force of style; but itof the author's _intensity_ His power of i queer sensations makes him remarkable

Affectionately, L HEARN

TO H E KREHBIEL

NEW ORLEANS, 1886

DEAR KREHBIEL,--I aiting to write you in the hope of being able to send you some literary news I havesilence is still unbroken The o able nohen replying to your delightful letter, to tell you everything is O K,--because the book is dedicated to you There are only six little stories; but each of theher atte in the ”Stray Leaves” The dedication will, I think, amuse you if the book appears,--and will be more or less mysterious to the rest of the world I fear now it cannot be published in time to reach you before you leave for Europe

Well, dear old fellow, I think I must try to see you at New York anyhow

At all events I ed hu on me; I have been considerably pulled down in spite of an easy life, and must try the sea somewhere I fear the Eastern beaches are too expensive; but I could run North, and spend the rest of the ti village Europe, I fear, iven up this summer I could visit Spain in company with a dear friend, Dr Matas; but I feel it a duty to myself to stick at literary work this summer in order to effect a new departure

Now, Ia novelette It will require at least twelve h it will be a tiny book It will be all divided into e each

Every one of these is to be a little picture, with some novel features

Some touches of evolutionary philosophy I want to ether odd, novel, ideal in the best sense The theme, I fear, you will not like The story of a somewhat improper love--a fascination developed into a sincere but vain affection--an effort to re-create what has been hopelessly lost,--a seeking after the ie the estion_ than of real plot I do, indeed, remember your advice; but I am not sorry not to have followed it before My style was not forinning to learn Ticknor writes that if I should undertake a novelette, he is certain it would succeed So I shall try In trying I must study from real material; I must take models where I can find thee of fantasy

So h to talk first about myself, it is partly because I cannot answer your question without giving some of my own experience You ask about style; you deem yours unsatisfactory, and say that I overestis that with a soement I would consider less enthusiastically But I always perceived an uncommon excellence in the tendency of your style--a purity and strength that is uncommon and which I could never successfully imitate A man's style, when fully developed, is part of his personality Mine is being shaped for a particular end; yours, I think, is better adapted to an ultiher purpose The fact that you deem it unsatisfactory shows, I fancy, that you are in a way to develop it still further I have only observed this, that it is capable of much more polish than you have cared to bestow upon it Mind! I do not mean _ornament_;--I do not think you should attempt ornament, but rather force and sonority Your tendency, I think, is naturally toward classical purity and correctness--alth,--ornaeneral cultivation of strength involves the cultivation of grace I still consider yours a higher style than mine, but I do not think you have cultivated it to one fourth of what it is capable Now, let me say why

Chiefly, I fancy, for want of time If you do not know it already, let me dwell upon an art principle Both you and I have a _trade_: journalism We have also an _art_: authorshi+p The same system of labour cannot be applied to the one as to the other without unfortunate results Let the trade be performed as mechanically as is consistent with preservation of one's reputation as a good _workman_: any more labour devoted to it is an unpaid waste of ti,--a book or a brochure,--every line ought to be written at least twice, if possible _three_ tihly, in pencil: after which correct and reshape as much as you deeain; and you will be surprised to find how much improvement is possible Then copy in ink, and in the very act of copying, new ideas of grace, force, and harmony will make themselves manifest Without this, I will venture to say, fine literary execution is _impossible_ Some writers need the discipline less than others You, for exaination and enthusiasements to be reversed or amended; my adjectives perpetually sifted and pruned But my work is ornamental--my dream is poetical prose: a style unsuited to literature of the solid and instructive kind Have you ever worked et's ”Thesaurus”?--it is invaluable Still ical dictionaries like those of Skeat (best in the world), of Brachet (French), of Dozy and Engelive one that subtle sense of words to which much that _startles_ in poetry and prose is due Time develops the secret merit of work thus done

These, dear K, are simply my own experiences, ideas, and iht estions Our hus soe in opinions, I am really astonished at myself You knohat my fantastic metaphysics were A friend disciplined me to read Herbert Spencer I suddenly discovered what a waste of time all my Oriental metaphysics had been I also discovered, for the first tie I possessed I also learned what an absurd thing positive skepticism is I also found unspeakable co of the Great Doubt, which renders pessimism ridiculous, and teaches a new reverence for all forms of faith In short, from the day when I finished the ”First Principles,”--a totally new intellectual life opened forthe next two years to devour the rest of this oceanic philosophy

But this is boring you too much for the nonce

Believe me, dear friend, affectionately,

LAFCADIO HEARN

TO H E KREHBIEL

NEW ORLEANS, 1886

DEAR KREHBIEL,--I must drop you another line or two; for you o to Europe

I have completely recovered from the nervous shock which the sudden return of my tiny volume produced in spite ofre-crystallized I knoork is good in so over well, next winter I may take a notion to publish a small edition at my own expense In fact, I believe I will have to publish several things at my own expense Even if my art-ideas are correct (and I sincerely believe they are)--in their most mature form they would represent a heterodox novelty in American style, and literary heterodoxies no publisher will touch I ae an undertaking at present,--and will try short stories My notebooks will always be useful Whenever I receive a new and strong impression, even in a dream, I write it down, and afterwards develop it at leisure These efforts repay ht and gold and green, correlated to old Spanish legend, which can be found only south of this line I obtained a few in Florida;--I o to the most vast and luminous of all ports known to the seamen of the South--the Bay of the Holy Ghost (Espiritu Santo),--in plainer language, Taer in the South I have some 600 saved up; but, I fear, under present circumstances, that I would be in trip, and ait until I can make some sort of impression with some new sort of work The _T-D_ will save expenses for me on Florida trip, and instead of roar and ru of steam and dust of microbes, I shall dream by the shores of phosphorescent seas, and inhale the Spirit that ot in my last to thank you for little notice in the playbill ofparaphrases

They were literal translations, so far as I was able to make them at the time I am sorry that they now appear full of faults: especially as I cannot get any publisher to take theton If I succeed soet out a more perfect edition in small neat shape ”Stray Leaves” also has several hideous errors in it

I never dare now to look at the else worse than before

By the way, last year I had to oria to the flames

Very affectionately, LAFCADIO