robert louis stevenson-第16部分

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to　　a　dreamy；　mystical；　so　far　perverted　and；　so　to　say；　often　even　　inverted　casuistical；　fatalistic　morality；　which　would　not　allow　　him　scope　in　what　Carlyle　would　have　called　a　healthy　hatred　of　　fools　and　scoundrels；　with　both　of　which　classes　…　vagabonds　in　　strictness　…　he　had　rather　too　much　of　a　sneaking　sympathy。　　Mr　　Pinero　was　wrong　…　totally　and　incomprehensibly　wrong　…　when　he　　told　the　good　folks　of　Edinburgh　at　the　Philosophical　Institution；　　and　afterwards　at　the　London　Birkbeck　Institution；　that　it　was　lack　　of　concentration　and　care　that　made　R。　L。　Stevenson　a　failure　as　a　　dramatist。　　No：　　it　was　here　and　not　elsewhere　that　the　failure　　lay。　　R。　L。　Stevenson　was　himself　an　unconscious　paradox　…　and　　sometimes　he　realised　it　…　his　great　weakness　from　this　point　of　　view　being　that　he　wished　to　show　strong　and　original　by　making　the　　villain　the　hero　of　the　piece　as　well。　　Now；　THAT；　if　it　may；　by　　clever　manipulation　and　dexterity；　be　made　to　do　in　a　novel；　most　　certainly　it　will　not　do　on　the　stage　…　more　especially　if　it　is　　done　consciously　and；　as　it　were；　of　MALICE　PREPENSE；　because；　for　　one　thing；　there　is　in　the　theatre　a　very　varied　yet　united　　audience　which　has　to　give　a　simultaneous　and　immediate　verdict　…　　an　audience　not　inclined　to　some　kinds　of　overwrought　subtleties　　and　casuistries；　however　clever　the　technique。　　If　THE　MASTER　OF　　BALLANTRAE　（which　has　some　highly　dramatic　scenes　and　situations；　　if　it　is　not　in　itself　substantially　a　drama）　were　to　be　put　on　the　　stage；　the　playwright；　if　wisely　determined　for　success；　would　　really　have　…　not　in　details；　but　in　essential　conception　…　to　kick　　R。　L。　Stevenson　in　his　most　personal　aim　out　of　it；　and　take　and　　present　a　more　definite　moral　view　of　the　two　villain…heroes　　（brothers；　too）；　improve　and　elevate　the　one　a　bit　if　he　lowered　　the　other；　and　not　wobble　in　sympathy　and　try　to　make　the　audience　　wobble　in　sympathy　also；　as　R。　L。　Stevenson　certainly　does。　　As　for　　BEAU　AUSTIN；　it　most　emphatically；　in　view　of　this；　should　be　re…　writ　…　re…writ　especially　towards　the　ending　…　and　the　scandalous　　Beau　tarred　and　feathered；　metaphorically　speaking；　instead　of　　walking　off　at　the　end　in　a　sneaking；　mincing　sort　of　way；　with　no　　more　than　a　little　momentary　twinge　of　discomfort　at　the　wreck　and　　ruin　he　has　wrought；　for　having　acted　as　a　selfish；　snivelling　　poltroon　and　coward；　though　in　fine　clothes　and　with　fine　ways　and　　fine　manners；　which　only；　from　our　point　of　view；　make　matters　　worse。　　It　is；　with　variations　I　admit；　much　the　same　all　through：　　　R。　L。　Stevenson　felt　it　and　confessed　it　about　the　EBB…TIDE；　and　　Huish；　the　cockney　hero　and　villain；　but　the　sense　of　healthy　　disgust；　even　at　the　vile　Huish；　is　not　emphasised　in　the　book　as　　it　would　have　demanded　to　be　for　the　stage　…　the　audience　would　not　　have　stood　it；　and　the　more　mixed　and　varied；　the　less　would　it　　have　stood　it　…　not　at　all；　and　his　relief　of　style　and　fine　or　　finished　speeches　would　not　THERE　in　the　least　have　told。　　This　is　　demanded　of　the　drama　…　that　at　once　it　satisfies　a　certain　crude　　something　subsisting　under　all　outward　glosses　and　veneers　that　　might　be　in　some　a　lively　sense　of　right　and　wrong　…　the　uprisal　of　　a　conscience；　in　fact；　or　in　others　a　vague　instinct　of　proper　　reward　or　punishment；　which　will　even　cover　and　sanction　certain　　kinds　of　revenge　or　retaliation。　　The　one　feeling　will　emerge　most　　among　the　cultured；　and　the　other　among　the　ruder　and　more　　ignorant；　but　both　meet　immediately　on　beholding　action　and　the　　limits　of　action　on　the　demand　for　some　clear　leading　to　what　may　　be　called　Providential　equity　…　each　man　undoubtedly　rewarded　or　　punished；　roughly；　according　to　his　deserts；　if　not　outwardly　then　　certainly　in　the　inner　torments　that　so　often　lead　to　confessions。　　　There　it　is　…　a　radical　fact　of　human　nature　…　as　radical　as　any　　reading　of　trait　or　determination　of　character　presented　…　seen　in　　the　Greek　drama　as　well　as　in　Shakespeare　and　the　great　Elizabethan　　dramatists；　and　in　the　drama…transpontine　and　others　of　to…day。　　R。　　L。　Stevenson　was　all　too　casuistical　（though　not　in　the　exclusively　　bad　sense）　for　this；　and　so　he　was　not　dramatic；　though　WEIR　OF　　HERMISTON　promised　something　like　an　advance　to　it；　and　ST　IVES　　did；　in　my　idea；　yet　more。〃


The　one　essential　of　a　DRAMATIC　piece　is　that；　by　the　interaction　　of　character　and　incident　（one　or　other　may　be　preponderating；　　according　to　the　type　and　intention　of　the　writer）　all　naturally　　leads　up　to　a　crisis　in　which　the　moral　motives；　appealed　to　or　　awakened　by　the　presentation　of　the　play；　are　justified。　　Where　　this　is　wanting　the　true　leading　and　the　definite　justification　are　　wanting。　　Goethe　failed　in　this　in　his　FAUST；　resourceful　and　far…　seeing　though　he　was　…　he　failed　because　a　certain　sympathy　is　　awakened　for　Mephistopheles　in　being；　so　to　say；　chivied　out　of　his　　bargain；　when　he　had　complied　with　the　terms　of　the　contract　by　　Faust；　and　Gounod　in　his　opera　does　exactly　for　〃immediate　dramatic　　effect；〃　what　we　hold　it　would　be　necessary　to　do　for　R。　L。　　Stevenson。　　Goethe；　with　his　casuistries　which　led　him　to　allegory　　and　all　manner　of　overdone　symbolisms　and　perversions　in　the　Second　　Part；　is　set　aside　and　a　true　crisis　and　close　is　found　by　Gounod　　through　simply　sending　Marguerite　above　and　Faust　below；　as；　　indeed；　Faust　had　agreed　by　solemn　compact　with　Mephistopheles　that　　it　should　be。　　And　to　come　to　another　illustration　from　our　own　　times；　Mr　Bernard　Shaw's　very　clever　and　all　too　ingenious　and　　over…subtle　MAN　AND　SUPERMAN　would；　in　my　idea；　and　for　much　the　　same　reason；　be　an　utterly　ineffective　and　weak　piece　on　the　stage；　　however　carefully　handled　and　however　clever　the　setting　…　the　　reason　lying　in　the　egotistic　upsetting　of　the　〃personal　equation〃　　and　the　theory　of　life　that　lies　behind　all　…　tinting　it　with　　strange　and　even　OUTRE　colours。　　Much　the　same　has　to　be　said　of　　most　of　what　are　problem…plays　…　several　of　Ibsen's　among　the　rest。

Those　who　remember　the　Fairy　opera　of　HANSEL　AND　GRETEL　on　the　　stage　in　London；　will　not　have　forgotten　in　the　witching　memory　of　　all　the　charms　of　scenery　and　setting；　how　the　scene　where　the　　witch　of　the　wood；　who　was　planning　out　the　baking　of　the　little　　hero　and　heroine　in　her　oven；　having　〃fatted〃　them　up　well；　to　make　　sweet　her　eating　of　them；　was　by　the　coolness　and　cleverness　of　the　　heroine　locked　in　her　own　oven　and　baked　there；　literally　brought　　down　the　house。　　She　received　exactly　what　she　had　planned　to　give　　those　children；　whom　their　own　cruel　parents　had　unwittingly；　by　　losing　the　children　in　the　wood；　put　into　her　hands。　　Quaint；　　naive；　half…grotesque　it　was　in　conception；　yet　the　truth　of　all　　drama　was　there　actively　exhibited；　and　all　casuistic　pleading　of　　excuses　of　some　sort；　even　of　justification　for　the　witch　（that　it　　was　her　nature；　heredity　in　her　aworking；　etc。；　etc。）　would　have　　not　only　been　out　of　place；　but　hotly　resented　by　that　audience。　　　Now；　Stevenson；　if　he　could　have　made　up　his　mind　to　have　the　witch　　locked　in　her　own　oven；　would　most　assuredly　have　tried　some　device　　to　get　her　out　by　some　fairy　witch…device　or　magic　slide　at　the　far　　end　of　it；　and　have　proceeded　to　paint　for　us　the　changed　character　　that　she　was　after　she　had　been　so　outwitted　by　a　child；　and　her　　witchdom　proved　after　all　of　little　effect。　　He　would　have　put　　probably　some　of　the　most　effective　moralities　into　her　mouth　if　　indeed　he　would　not　after　all　have　made　the　witch　a　triumph　on　his　　early　principle　of　bad…heartedness　being　strength。　　If　this　is　the　　sort　of　falsification　which　the　play　demands；　and　is　of　all　tastes　　the　most　ungrateful；　then；　it　is　clear；　that　for　full　effect　of　the　　drama　it　is　essential　to　it；　but　what　is　primary　in　it　is　the　　direct　answering　to　certain　immediate　and　instinctive　demands　in　　common　human　nature；　the　doing　of　which　is　far　more　effective　than　　no　end　of　deep　philosophy　to　show　how　much　better　human　nature　　would　be　if　it　were　not　just　quite　thus　constituted。　　　〃Concentration；〃　says　Mr　Pinero；　〃is　first；　second；　and　last　in　　it；〃　and　he　goes　on　thus；　as　reported　in　the　SCOTSMAN；　to　show　　Stevenson's　defect　and　mistake　and；　as　is　not；　of　course；　　unnatural；　to　magnify　the　greatness　and　grandeur　of　the　style　of　　work　in　which　he　has　himself　been　so　successful。


〃If　Stevenson　had　ever　mastered　that　art　…　and　I　do　not　question　　that　if　he　had　properly　conceived　it　he　had　it　in　him　to　master　it　　…　he　might　have　found　the　stage　a　gold　mine；　but　he　would　have　　found；　too；　that　it　is　a　gold　mine　which　cannot　be　worked　in　a　　smiling；　sportive；　half…contemptuous　spirit；　but　only　in　the　sweat　　of　the　brain；　and　with　every　mental　nerve　and　sinew　strained　to　its　　uttermost。　　He　would　have　known　that　no　ingots　are　to　be　got　out　of　　this　mine；　save　after　sleepless　nights；　days　of　gloom　and　　discouragement；　and　other　days；　again；　of　feverish　toil；　the　result　　of　which　proves　in　the　end　to　be　misapplied　and　has　to　be　thrown　to　　the　winds。　。　。　。　When　you　take　up　a　play…book　（if　ever　you　do　take　　one　up）　it　strikes　you　as　being　a　very　trifling　thing　…　a　mere　　insubstantial　pamphlet　beside　the　imposing　bulk　of　the　latest　six…　shilling　novel。　　Little　do　you　guess　that　every　page　of　the　play　　has　cost　more　care；　severer　mental　tension；　if　not　more　actual　　manual　labour；　than　any　chapter　of　a　novel；　though　it　be　fifty　　pages　long。　　It　is　the　height　of　the　author's　art；　according　to　the　　old　maxim；　that　the　ordinary　spectator　should　never　be　clearly　　conscious　of　the　skill　and　travail　that　have　gone　to　the　making　of　　the　finished　product。　　But　the　artist　who　would　achieve　a　like　feat　　must　realise　its　difficulties；　or　what　are　his　chances　of　success？〃


But　what　I　should；　in　little；　be　inclined　to　say；　in　answer　to　the　　〃concentration〃　idea　is　that；　unless　you　have　first　some　firm　hold　　on　the　broad　bed…rock　facts　of　human　nature　specially　appealed　to　　or　called　forth　by　the　drama；　you　may　concentrate　as　much　as　you　　please；　but　you　will　not　write　a　successful　acting　drama；　not　to　　speak　of　a　great　one。　　Mr　Pinero's　magnifications　of　the　immense　　effort　demanded　from　him　must　in　the　end　come　to　mean　that　he　　himself　does　not　instinctively　and　w