like any
other sort of well-articulated pattern, is interesting in itself; and
certain novels and short-stories, like Wilkie Collins' "Moonstone" and
Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue," maintain their interest almost
through the element of plot alone. But since the purpose of fiction is
to represent reality, a story will fail of the highest effect unless
the people acting in its pattern of events produce upon the reader the
illusion of living human beings. We must therefore turn our attention
next to a study of the element of character.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. How may unity be best attained in narrative?

2. Distinguish between the analytic and synthetic methods of
construction.

3. Distinguish between positive and negative events.

4. Explain the pattern of picaresque romance.

5. What are the essential phases of a plot?

6. Explain the meaning of _nouement_ and _denouement_.

7. Must a story always follow the order of chronology?

8. At what point in the exposition of a plot is the major knot most
usually found? What is the logical reason for this usual position?

SUGGESTED READING

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON: "A Humble Remonstrance."

BLISS PERRY: "A Study of Prose Fiction"--Chapter VI, on "The Plot."

O. HENRY: "Roads of Destiny."--The plotting of this story illustrates
in practice most of the important points expounded in this chapter.

CHAPTER V

CHARACTERS

Characters Should Be Worth Knowing--The Personal Equation of the
Audience--The Universal Appeal of Great Fictitious Characters--Typical
Traits--Individual Traits--The Defect of Allegory--The Defect of
Caricature--Static and Kinetic Characters--Direct and Indirect
Delineation--Subdivisions of Both Methods--I. Direct Delineation: 1.
By Exposition; 2. By Description; [Gradual Portrayal]; 3. By
Psychological Analysis; 4. By Reports from other Characters--II.
Indirect Delineation: 1. By Speech; 2. By Action; 3. By Effect on
other Characters; 4. By Environment.

=Characters Should Be Worth Knowing.=--Before we proceed to study the
technical methods of delineating characters, we must ask ourselves
what constitutes a character worth delineating. A novelist is, to
speak figuratively, the social sponsor for his own fictitious
characters; and he is guilty of a social indiscretion, as it were, if
he asks his readers to meet fictitious people whom it is neither of
value nor of interest to know. Since he aims to make his rea