Aubrey
could not naturally discuss his late wife either with her successor or
with her daughter; while, as for Paula's past, all he wanted was to
avert his eyes from it. I do not say that these difficulties might not
have been overcome; for, in the vocabulary of the truly ingenious
dramatist there is no such word as impossible. But I do suggest that the
result would scarcely have been worth the trouble, and that it is
hyper-criticism which objects to an exposition so natural and probable
as that of _The Second Mrs. Tanqueray_, simply on the ground that
certain characters are introduced for the purpose of conveying certain
information. It would be foolish to expect of every work of art an
absolutely austere economy of means.
Sometimes, however, Sir Arthur Pinero injudiciously emphasizes the
artifices employed to bring about an exposition. In _The Thunderbolt_,
for instance, in order that the Mortimores' family solicitor may without
reproach ask for information on matters with which a family solicitor
ought to be fully conversant, it has to be explained that the senior
partner of the firm, who had the Mortimore business specially in hand,
has been called away to London, and that a junior partner has taken his
place.
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