Atlantic Narratives Part 61

2. a.n.a.lyze the elements that make up the charm of Stanislaus. Aside from the pathetic, what is the strongest interest?

3. How does Miss Julia help to prolong the suspense?

4. Would the story have been as powerful if it were entirely tragic?

5. Would the story have gained if Stanislaus were presented in direct contrast to the other blind children? Why would a longer story have been weaker?

6. Does the dialect contribute to the charm of the story? What is the real function of dialect?

7. Does the ending seem a makes.h.i.+ft to avoid a difficulty? How has the author succeeded in making the ending not only possible but probable?

A SOLDIER OF THE LEGION

E. MORLAE was an American who, in the early days of the Great War, enlisted in the French Army and became a Soldier of the Legion. Many of his war experiences are graphically told in his various articles in _The Atlantic Monthly_.

'We spent our time eating and sleeping, mildly distracted by an intermittent bombardment': these were the breathing spells; active work found a.n.a.logy only in the regions below. Yet either adventure was told with equal calm. That is what impresses one in Sergeant Morlae's narrative. It is so grimly calm, almost impersonal. There is no careless enthusiasm, excited hilarity, or mad vengeance--simply a job to be done.

The enemy alive present a target; dead, a source of added comfort for one's self, a souvenir for one's brother, or, if need be, material for a parapet. One's life before and after has nothing to do with the present.

And this is even more terrible for what it leaves unsaid.

There is, however, no lack of vividness in _A Soldier of the Legion_.

The matter-of-factness of the telling deceives us only for a time, until the intrusion of a crisp, 'h.e.l.l kissed us welcome'; or, more significant still, 'And we were counted: eight hundred and fifty-two in the entire regiment, out of three thousand two hundred who entered the attack on the 25th of September.'

_Suggested Points for Study and Comment_

1. Does the conversational tone of the narrative make it any the less vivid?

2. When is the author's power of vivid portrayal most apparent?

3. What ideas do you get of the Legion's views of the enemy? Contrast it with other war stories you have read. Could it be accounted for by the type of men who entered the Foreign Legion?

4. What in the author's account suggests the general morale of the troops?

5. What does the grimness of the occasional bits of humor convey as to the mental state of the men? What do these occasional jokes gain by their very scarcity?

6. What new ideas of war come to you from Sergeant Morlae's account?

THE BOULEVARD OF ROGUES

MEREDITH NICHOLSON has won most of his popularity as a novelist. He is, however, an accomplished essayist, a poet of distinction, and a keen critic of current literary and political matters. More recently, he has become interested in the writing of short stories. His home is in Indianapolis, where he was privileged to enjoy for many years an intimate friends.h.i.+p with James Whitcomb Riley, whose character Mr.

Nicholson has sympathetically portrayed in his novel, _The Poet_, and in an illuminating essay in _The Atlantic Monthly_ for October, 1916.

Propaganda in such disguise needs no apology. Not only can we appreciate the cleverness of the trick as well as the earnestness of its author, but we relish what a very good thing a similar lesson would be for our own or for our neighboring cities.

At the same time, there is a worth-while character-study to be made of the Chairman of the Committee on Art, who presents a type almost as rare in fiction as it is in life.

_Suggested Points for Study and Comment_

1. The student will find it interesting to make a thorough study of Barton's character--his cynicism, his practical good sense, and all his other prominent traits. A composition discussing all these could be made very interesting and enlightening.

2. Discuss the general political att.i.tude of the average city councilman.

3. In an examination of the plot, what incident seems to you to mark the point of highest interest? Discuss fully.

4. How is Barton's character relieved from any final censure for the spending of money for a statue of a rogue?

WHAT HAPPENED TO ALANNA

KATHLEEN NORRIS, a Californian by birth, has been a voluminous writer of magazine fiction since 1910, when she contributed two stories to the _Atlantic_--_What Happened to Alanna_ and _The Tide Marsh_.

To those who know Kathleen Norris's _Mother_, nothing more need be said of this author's ability to depict the wholesome sentiment of family life, without the sentimentality that clings to many of the ordinary short stories and novels. The less fortunate may make valuable acquaintance in the halls of Costello. F. X., Senior, 'undertaker by profession and mayor by an immense majority,' shares his position of importance by reason of the charms of his numerous offspring. Mrs.

Costello is, of course, the centre of interest, as she is of the Costello circle, which means all who come within range of her generous hand and kindly word. Yet no one remains unindividualized. A few vivid strokes, and the picture is complete. If an artistic hand adds another touch now and then, we are never made conscious of technique. Especially is this true in the case of young Mrs. Church. And what more delightful could there be than the family conversations, which are quite as revealing in points of character as they are delightful in their flashes of humor?

_Suggested Points for Study and Comment_

1. What purpose does the detailed description of family life serve?

Comment on the choice of detail.

2. Besides the plot, what are the most interesting elements in the story?

3. Could you suggest another climax?

4. What is gained by having Alanna solve her problem alone? How does the author arrange that the solution shall be thus accomplished?

5. Is Mrs. Church introduced for any reason other than her slight connection with the plot?

6. Is Mr. Costello as well portrayed as his wife? Can you suggest any reasons why he typifies the Irish-American rather than the native Irishman of the same rank?

7. How does Miss Norris achieve the atmosphere that she does?

8. Could the story be criticized as being sentimental?

SPENDTHRIFTS

LAURA SPENCER PORTOR (Mrs. Francis Pope) has long been engaged in literary work. Her essays and stories 'give proof of a versatility of experience as Protean as her talents.' Mrs. Pope is now connected with the editorial staff of one of the prominent New York magazines.

Perhaps that which impresses the reader most in _Spendthrifts_ is the production of an atmosphere that makes the strange seem real, and the commonplace take on a suggestion of the fanciful. Not half so wonderful is it that the woman of the orange-colored eyes should meet the lover of her youth, now a lay Franciscan, and live again with him the story of their love before a smilingly complacent husband, as that this story should have been unfolded before the eyes of a romantic little girl who went out to see the world in a rambling old coach. The author, like the successful playwright, completely transfers us to another world. The careful preparation of atmosphere is followed by a swift march of events to a climax the more powerful by the necessity of its restraint. The gradual trailing off into the dim romantic atmosphere out of which the story grew, calls for a curtain that may be raised again only on the author's epilogue.

_Suggested Points for Study and Comment_

1. What can you say by way of comment on the somewhat leisurely beginning of this story?