isa-normaladvance-1909-00101

Description:	THE NORMAL ADVANCE101The reader is seldom allowed to feel that heis bound to accept any opinion other than hisown. While this is one of Greens most commended qualities as a historian, he, at timesdoes what was mentioned first: expresses anopinion, then proceeds to prove its accuracy.This is his method of treating the causes of theAmerican Revolution. Taking an example, heexpresses a very definite opinion of the character of John Stuart, Earl of Bute, then setsout to prove that he is not mistaken. An earlier character, John of Gaunt is handled inmuch the same manner. It must be noticed thatthese opinions were but echoes of the feeling ofthe people in the times in which these menlived. His characteristic method though, is theone illustrated first. It is the safest one for themodern historian to follow.These ways of looking at the work of thisgroup of authors suggest that the style of eachmight be compared respectively to three gamesof pool. In the simplest game the player winning must pocket eight balls before his opponent does. Here the players need only to consider the relative positions of the balls andpockets, and the stroke of the cue, all subjectto the general rules of the game. The next stephigher is to bank the eighth ball. This requires, in addition to the first game, skill injudging angles and resiliency of cushions. Forthe third game let the fifth ball be banked.The difficulties here and in the second gameare about equal, the application of the skill injudging angles, etc., merely coming at a greaterdistance from the end of the game.Let the skill required for the first gamestand for Malorys style the skill required forthe second game for Greens style the skillrequired for the third game for Scotts style.The style in question, that used by each authoris narrative, but it varies as the three gamesvary. Le Morte DArthur is pure narration.Its descriptive passages of the greatest lengthare composed of two or three adjectives, andthese are usually applied to every man of acertain class, thus giving the reader a guide tohis position in society rather than an individual characteristic of the man. These descriptive phrases serve much the same purposein the case of horses, castles, women, etc.Neither does Malory see anything to explain,hence there is no exposition, unless perhaps anafterthought in the way of an excuse, following the account of the defeat of a good knight,for he had been a twelve-month on the quest,may be called exposition. The interest in LeMorte DArthur depends on the events just asthey came to pass, for, while there is unity oftheme, there is no connected plot, and it hasalready been shown that the interest can notdepend on description or exposition, unless perhaps on the absence of them as some readers ofcurrent fiction might testify. Perhaps, too,there is something else that makes this narration delightful. Malory certainly deserves hiscue at the first table, for he is very skillful inthe simple game.Since this is a study of historical narrative,the idea, historical narrative considered as toform and as to purpose shall be the end set upin determining the relative positions of Scottand Green in this classification, as it has already determined the position of Malory.Green must use description to some extent, anda great deal of exposition in his narration toaccomplish his end. His object, a comprehensive statement of the cause and effect of events,and his methods, narration strengthened andsupported by description and exposition, notonly come out even in the end but run parallelthroughout. Formally, as well as in reality,they are one and the same thing. He does notcare for the reader to feel the beauty of thescenery, or the delight, mingled in the endwith fatigue, of a long ride or the glory of abattlefield. He depends for his audience onthe people who are seeking things of immediatepractical value in the development of publicspirit and political science. When he describesa battlefield or explains the character of a historical figure, the reader knows that it has adirect bearing on the event that immediatelyprecedes or follows it. Green does properlysubordinate events and characters to certain
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34131
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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