THE "GENIUS"
page: [ii][View Page [ii]]BOOKS BY
THEODORE DREISER
SISTER CARRIE
JENNIE GERHARDT
THE FINANCIER
THE TITAN
A TRAVELER AT FORTY
A HOOSIER HOLIDAY
PLAYS OF THE NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL
THE HAND OF THE POTTER
FREE AND OTHER STORIES
TWELVE MEN
HEY RUB-A-DUB-DUB
A BOOK ABOUT MYSELF
THE COLOR OF A GREAT CITY
THE "GENIUS"
AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY
page: [iii][View Page [iii]]THE "GENIUS"
BYTHEODORE DREISER
BONI AND LIVERIGHT
PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK
Copyright, 1915, by
JOHN LANE COMPANY
Copyright, 1923, by
BONI AND LIVERIGHT, INC.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
First Printing, July, 1923.
Second Printing, August, 1923.
Third Printing, October, 1923.
Fourth Printing, December, 1923.
Fifth Printing, March, 1924.
Sixth Printing, July, 1924.
Seventh Printing, October, 1924.
Eighth Printing, January, 1925.
Ninth Printing, July, 1925.
Tenth Printing, December, 1925.
Eleventh Printing, April, 1926.
Twelfth Printing, September, 1926.
Thirteenth Printing, May, 1927.
page: v[View Page v]FOREWORD
"The 'Genius'" was first published in 1915. More than one year after this and after the book had had a considerable sale, the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice notified the John Lane Company that the sale, advertisement and publication of this work violated the laws of the State of New York against obscene literature and threatened to prosecute the publishers criminally unless the publication and sale was stopped. The publishers in July 1916, withdrew "The 'Genius'" merely upon the attitude of the Society for the Prevention of Vice and despite the fact that all intelligent opinion in the United States in the form of press and periodical reviews and personal statement endorsed the work as a fine and interesting piece of literature. These reviews and opinions are too well known to require quotation here.
The attitude of the Society for the Suppression of Vice was expressed in a letter from its Secretary dated November 22, 1916 to Mr. George T. Keating. The quotation from Mr. Sumner's letter is pertinent:
"As to the book which you mention, this matter was brought to our attention by the receipt of two complaints at about the same time, one from an organization in another city, and the other from an individual who had obtained the book at a circulating library. This latter party sent us a very indignant letter, enclosing pages which he tore from the book rather than return the book to the library for further circulation. We read the book and had it read by others. It was the consensus of opinion that the book was not a proper one for general circulation, and notice of the complaints and our opinion thereon were filed with the publishers who consented to withdraw the book from sale. The argument is advanced that this book is not objectional because the principal character, at the end of the story, reaps the results of his immoral life: but it must be borne in mind that through the story there are very vivid descriptions of the activities of certain female delinquents who do not, apparently, suffer any ill page: vi[View Page vi] consequence from their misconduct but, in the language of the day, 'get away with it.' It is wholly conceivable that the reading of such a book by a young woman would be very harmful, and that is the standpoint from which this Society views the matters which become the subjects of its activities, to wit: the effect on the young and impressionable mind."
In order to determine whether or not a book is salacious and therefore a violation of the statute, it is necessary to know something of the purpose of the writer's art, as well as the dividing line between a literary work of art and a frankly nasty book.
Immoral books might be classed under three heads, namely, those that are written with a direct appeal to the baser passions; those that are written for a moral purpose; and those that are written solely for the purpose of art.
Among the first are such books as "Stolen Sweets," "The Confessions of Maria Monk," etc.books that are written to arouse lawless sexual passions, and sold on that basis. This sort of work appeals primarily to the ignorant and unenlightened members of society, and in fact is not to be classed under the head of literature.
Among the second are such books as the studies in the form of fiction by Reginald Wright Kauffman, Elizabeth Robins and others on the question of white slavery, and many of the films which have recently been shown on the screen are also representative of this type of work. In this instance literature is used for purposes of inculcating a moral lesson by holding up to the public the unpleasant aspects of vice in all its myriad forms. Of all such books and plays that have been written, not one takes rank as great literature, for in nearly every case the purpose of the novel or play is perverted and sacrificed to the moral object, and the literary side of the work becomes negligible.
Among the third class of books may be numbered "The 'Genius'" and hundreds of volumes of the ancient classics which were written for pure literary purposes. It is not necessary to institute a comparison between "The 'Genius'" and accredited works of genius, nor is it necessary to cite instances of immorality in such works to justify their presence in the book under discussion. In order to determine whether or not "The 'Genius'" is merely a book of filth, or an accredited work of literary art, we need only to base our proof on the principles of modern sthetics page: vii[View Page vii] as applied not only to literary work but to music, painting and sculpture.
First of all, the purpose of pure fiction is to stimulate the sthetic sense. It is true that the novel has been used for so-called high moral purposes, for the propaganda of various theories of government, for the alleviation of social suffering, for the discussion of problems of ethics, but these are, strictly speaking, not the functions of the novel but are only incidental to it, and more often than not, hurt the literary side of the work. Before proceeding with the discussion we ought to explain what is meant by the sthetic sense and how a work of art appeals to it. Only people of innate culture possess the sthetic sense, for it is merely the understanding and appreciation of the fine arts. Those that have it know it, but it is therefore difficult to explain what it is to those who have it not. We shall therefore use some comparisons that will be understood by everybody. Great works of art stimulate the sthetic feeling. We gain it from reading a great book, from hearing great music, and from viewing great paintings and sculpture. Perhaps the closest analogy to the sthetic sense is the feeling that one has when he looks at Niagara Falls, the Colorado Grand Canyon, or some great mountain. No one who has seen these great works of nature can forget the thrill that he experienced while in their presence and if the precise feeling could be analyzed, one would say that the sensation of awe comes over one and that one is in a measure spellbound. Great thoughts surge through the brain while the body remains inert. We feel the immensity of the scene while at the same time we realize how insignificant we are. Another phase of the sthetic sense might be shown in citing the instance of the effect which the service in certain churches has not only upon the members but frequently upon non-members. Those who are fond of ritual, incense, chanting, dim lights, architecture, painting and sculpture will frequently fall under such a spell inside of these churches. That is the nearest approach to the sthetic feeling that one can get without absolutely having it from an art point of view. Some people get a thrill from a sunset, some from a sunrise, some from the wide expanse of the ocean, but all people can, in some form, attain this thrill. Those having the sthetic sense get it from art.
Now the three elements which go toward the creation of all page: viii[View Page viii] great literary work, are Form, Organization and Rhythm. By the first we mean that the author creates his characters by giving an account of their hereditary traits, environmental influences, natural predilections, etc., besides describing them in physical detail, the purpose being to give us the feeling that a real flesh and blood person is passing before us. In other words, we must feel a sense of solidity in the characters.
After the characters are created in the mind of the novelist, he traces their lives through the various vicissitudes of life, which is known as Organization of the material.
Rhythm, which is the third step in the novel, is bringing the characters into relation with each other, and events with other events, making a compact mass of human relation, thus furnishing the dynamism.
It will be noticed that nothing has thus far been said about the plot, for the reason that in all great fiction, the plot is negligible. In fact, the converse is frequently true that where there is no plot there is apt to be literary merit. Now the reason for the absence of a plot in a great work of art is that it interferes with the logical working out of the destinies of the characters. The presence of a plot obliges the novelist to make concessions here and there so that the plot will work out to its proper dnouement, while its absence permits him to allow the characters to develop according to their own lights and in accordance with their natural or unnatural passions. The true novelist sees life pass before his eyes as a pageant and he merely notes what he sees in the passing. If it be immorality he records it; if it be sanctity, he also notes it; and it will be observed that in all great works of literary art the novelist rarely passes an opinion on the actions or the speeches of his characters. In other words, he places the people and situations before us, and lets us draw our own conclusions, or morals, if we choose.
Let us apply these principles to "The 'Genius'." From the foregoing it would logically appear that the book does not come under the first headbooks that were written and published for the purpose of appealing to a lewd mind. Second, there is no internal evidence that the book was intended to be a moral lesson showing that the wages of sin is death, nor are there any opinions expressed by the author as to the justification of the immorality. He simply records what happens to a man who is an page: ix[View Page ix] artist and a pathological specimen of life, and he lets it rest there.
Beginning with Form, which as we have said, is the creating of character, we find that in no other branch of American letters is there such careful attention given to detail as in the books of Theodore Dreiser, the only man who ever approached him having been the late David Graham Phillips. With tireless attention to physical detail, Dreiser builds up his characters until they give us the sensation of perfect solidity, so much in fact, that it has been said by eminent critics that he writes fiction like fact. There is not a single character in "The 'Genius'" that does not impress one as being well-rounded and containing the depth that is necessary to solidity.
After the characters have been created Dreiser furnishes the various situations of life in which they appear, starts every one of his people on their way and organizes his vast amount of material like a man putting a great charge into a powerful gun.
The dynamic force of the novel becomes apparent when the lives of the characters are brought into contact, the relation of events is established, and the whole procession starts on its eventful passage through the book and incidentally through life. Thus is the Rhythm of the novel established and we feel that the moving mass of life is proceeding under the stimulus of some mysterious power.
The works of Theodore Dreiser bear all the marks of greatness, for not only are they conceived on a colossal scale, but they are devoid of all moralizing, speculating, preaching, and aim to give a huge panorama of life as it expands to the sight. The characters are people that one might meet in any walk of life, and they fulfill their destinies in a natural and logical way without the guidance of the novelist. Those that are immoral continue to be so; those that are moral continue in their way of life. Angela Blue is a character that anyone would admire while Eugene Witla is quite the reverse. But whether or not we admire the characters, we feel that they are all powers either for good or evil, and that everyone of them is contributing something to life and, as it were, acting as food that goes into the cosmic hopper.
Only to thinking people can "The 'Genius'" appeal, and not to all of them. To those who put the constructions of the novel page: x[View Page x] after the plot and the incidental accounts of immoralities, the book may be of no interest, but to those who see the careful way in which the characters develop under the hand of the novelist, and who can sense the form, organization, and rhythm of the book, the appeal will be instantaneous.
It has been urged that this book is detrimental to the morals of the young and might have a bad effect upon people with weak moral sense, but are thousands of perfectly normal and responsible people to be denied this form of aesthetic stimulation simply because it is harmful to children and perverts? In addition it has not been established by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice that the book has been read by children and perverts; it has only been stated that their moral sense might be weakened if they did read it.
The proposition reduces itself to this:--Are literary works of sthetic value to be published for the benefit of the many safe and sane people who read them for sthetic stimulation or are such works to be suppressed for the benefit of the young and perverted who might become demoralized if they chanced to read them? The answer ought to be obvious to every thinking mind. Only people of culture and education pay any attention to the works of great men, and the general public never becomes interested until its attention is called to some salacious morsel to whet its lewd appetites. For years America has struggled for literary recognition without much encouragement from the rest of the world, the reason being that we have been too Puritanic in our attitude toward life and art; and if after all these years, it is decided that "The 'Genius'" is to be suppressed, we shall have killed the only evidence that we have had that American letters contain the same virility that characterizes the spirit of the country, and that we have freed ourselves of the narrow Puritanism with which we have been not unjustly charged. In the case of "The 'Genius,' " American letters are on trial, and the literary world will watch with interest the verdict. It is earnestly hoped that to every honest mind will come the conviction that "The 'Genius' " is a work of literary excellence and not an immoral tale calculated to fire prurient minds and to besmirch the morals of infants and imbeciles.
MERTON S. YEWDALE.
page: [xi][View Page [xi]]"Eugene Witla, wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour her, and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?"
"I will."
