The literary man's
science and philosophy are bound to be condemned by the expert, but
his concrete delineations of life based on direct observation and vivid
sympathy and imagination are impeccable. His theories may be false,
but these will always be true. Nothing can take their place in fiction.
It is they which give enduring value to such tales as _Morte d'Arthur_,
despite all the crudity of the intellectual background.
Reflections upon life may become matter for literature in the essay,
quite apart from any story. But the essay, like the story, unless it
is to compete at a disadvantage with science and philosophy, must rely
upon first-hand personal acquaintance with life, and artistic
expression. The more abstract and theoretical it becomes, the more
precarious its worth. I do not mean that the essayist may not
generalize, but his generalizations should be limited to the scope of
his experience of life. I do not mean that he should not philosophize,
but his philosophy should be, like Goethe's or Emerson's, an expression
of intuition and faith. Properly, the literary essay is a distinct
artistic genre--the expression of a concrete _thinking_ personality, and
its value consists in the living wisdom it contains. Such essays as
those of a Montaigne or a La Rochefoucauld make excellent materials for
the social sciences, and can never be displaced by them as sources of
knowledge of life.
Considerations similar to those which we have adduced regarding the
implied philosophy of a story apply to its moral purpose.
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