On April 25, 1884, Sir Walter Besant, an English historian and novelist gave a lecture titled “Fiction as One of the Fine Arts” at the Royal Institution in London.
In the lecture, he argued that the novel was an artistic form like a poem or a painting, that the writing of a novel was governed by laws that a writer should master, that a writer should have artistic talent and moreover, a novel should aim to raise a readers’s moral conscience. Back then the novel was seen as an unserious literary form.
The lecture was published a month later in a newspaper with the title “The Art of Fiction” and led to a series of rejoinders by several writers of the day. Among them was the British-American novelist Henry James.
The response by Henry James, which he published in September 1884 was also titled “The Art of Fiction”. In it, although he agreed with Besant that the novel is a work of art, he took issue with the former’s proposal that the writer of a novel be guided by laws. He maintained the most important job of the novelist was to make sure the story was interesting.
One other point he agreed with Besant on, is that characters in a novel should be clearly defined. In the 7th paragraph of the essay is this memorable quote:
“What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?”
Think about this for a minute.
This is one of this quotes that easily escapes it’s area of origin and wafts into the everyday due to it’s connotation. It’s doesn’t stay only as a guideline for the novelist but seems to carry lessons for life in general. Realistically, this should not be a surprise since a novelist tries to capture life and weave it seamlessly into a story.
So back to the quote.
The novelist may see in these lines a call to create characters in a novel who mesh into the incidents that define them and to build incidents that clearly elucidate the characters they encompass.
If one creates a character with negative traits, he must be placed in incidents that define him. However, the character’s ability or inability to surmount or succumb to his dark side and rise or fall is what should make the story.
In real life however, what does, say, the first part of the quote even mean?
“What is character but the determination of incident?….”
Does who we are draw us to certain situations in life? Does character predetermine what conditions we find ourselves in in this journey of life? To a point. I think. A drunk frequents bars and is more apt to get in a fight. An aggressive driver is more prone to get driving tickets and see the confines of a courtroom at a higher rate. An empathic person is going to hear sad and heartbreaking stories from others more than the self-centered one.
We all know of that friend who seems to always be in trouble, or the one who always suffers the worst misfortune or even she with the Midas touch.
I bet you look back and think of a trait that always seem s to land them in these situations.
Also, the words and deeds that may emanate from a character can have effects far and wide. An uncaring leader, who by his words, incites hate in a society can awaken and embolden her darker elements.
Character determines incident.
The second part of the quote is actually easier to understand.
“….What is incident but the illustration of character?”
Our character is our fate. Our character decides how we react to many of life’s vicissitudes. Our character is evident when we fail to empathize with the unfortunate or are unable to draw the right parallels and equivalences in life. When we say, equate the reaction of those who resist hate and oppression to those who seek to perpetrate and spread these cancers of society.
If we accept Shakespeare’s assertion that all the world is a stage and we are all just two-bit players in a cosmic production, then the ability to rise above our base instincts and traits and aim for a higher point is what ultimately tells the story of our lives. It is what determines the plot of our performance.
That even though our characters might place us in incidents that are negative, it is ultimately our reaction to these incidents that matter. That is what defines us.
Like Viktor Frankl wrote:
“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves”.
So go ahead and write your life’s novel. Fill it with joy and pain, laughter and sadness, love and hate. Make love. Sing. Dance. Who you are will determine the songs that play and even where the wind blows but dig deep and rise. Rise to let those dark incidents illustrate a strength and resolve to write the best novel ever.