aydreaming with the
materials provided by the {513} author, and gratifies the same
motives. A novel to be really popular must have a genuine hero or
heroine--some one with whom the reader can identify himself. The
frequency of novels in which the hero or heroine is a person of high
rank, or wins rank or wealth in the course of the story, is a sign of
appeal to the mastery motive. The humble reader is tickled in his own
self-esteem by identifying himself for the time with the highborn or
noble or beautiful character in the story. The escape motive also is
relied upon to furnish the excitement of the story, which always
brings the hero into danger or difficulty and finally rescues him,
much to the reader's relief. Love stories appeal, of course, to the
sex impulse, humorous stories to laughter, and mystery stories to
curiosity. Cynical stories, showing the "pillars of society" in an
ignoble light, appeal to the self-assertive impulse of the reader, in
that he is led to apply their teaching to pretentious people whom he
knows about, and set them down a peg, to his own relative advancement.
But here again we have to insist, as under the head of sports and
daydreams, that interests of a more objective kind are also gratified
by a good work of fiction. A story that runs its logical course to a
tragic end is interesting as a good piece of workmanship, and as an
insight into the world. We cannot heartily identify ourselves with
Hamlet or Othello, yet we should be sorry to have those figures erased
from our memories; they mean something, they epitomize world-facts
that compel our attention.

The appeal of art is partly emotional.

A very great work of art, the Apollo Belvedere or the Sistine Madonna,
when you suddenly come upon it in walking through a gallery, may move
you almost or quite to tears. Beautiful music, and not necessarily sad
music either, has the same effect. Why this particular emotion should
be aroused is certainly an enigma. "Crying because you are so happy"
is similar {514} but itself rather inexplicable. In many other cases,
the emotional appeal of art is easily analyzed. The pathetic appeals
straightforwardly to the grief impulse, the humorous to the laughter
impulse, the tragic to fear and escape. The sex motive is frequently
utilized in painting and sculpture as well as in literature.

Art makes also an intellectual appeal.

It is satisfying partly because of this appeal, as is clear when we
rememb