ally about any of the people in his
story, and second, provided that the playwright passes the first test
successfully, whether he allures the audience to generalise falsely in
regard to life at large from the specific circumstances of his play. These
two questions are the only ones that need to be decided. This is the crux
of the whole matter. And it has been the purpose of the present chapter
merely to establish this one point by historical and philosophic criticism,
and thus to clear the ground for subsequent discussion.

OTHER PRINCIPLES OF DRAMATIC CRITICISM

I

THE PUBLIC AND THE DRAMATIST

No other artist is so little appreciated by the public that enjoys his
work, or is granted so little studious consideration from the critically
minded, as the dramatist. Other artists, like the novelist, the painter,
the sculptor, or the actor, appeal directly to the public and the critics;
nothing stands between their finished work and the minds that contemplate
it. A person reading a novel by Mr. Howells, or looking at a statue by
Saint-Gaudens or a picture by Mr. Sargent, may see exactly what the artist
has done and what he has not, and may appreciate his work accordingly. But
when the dramatist has completed his play, he does not deliver it directly
to the public; he delivers it only indirectly, through the medial
interpretation of many other artists,--the actor, the stage-director, the
scene-painter, and still others of whom the public seldom hears. If any of
these other and medial artists fails to convey the message that the
dramatist intended, the dramatist will fail of his intention, though the
fault is not his own. None of the general public, and few of the critics,
will discern what the dramatist had in mind, so completely may his creative
thought be clouded by inadequate interpretation.

The dramatist is obviously at the mercy of his actors. His most delicate
love scene may be spoiled irrevocably by an actor incapable of profound
emotion daintily expressed; his most imaginative creation of a hard and
cruel character may be rendered unappreciable by an actor of too persuasive
charm. And, on the other hand, the puppets of a dramatist with very little
gift for characterisation may sometimes be lifted into life by gifted
actors and produce upon the public a greater impression than the characters
of a better dramatist less skilfully portrayed. It is, therefore, very
difficult to determine whether the d