THE ART OF DIALOGUE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 693, 18 December 1909, Page 9

THE ART OF DIALOGUE

-Speaking at tho autumn meeting' of '■'■ the Anglish.vAssociation at University Collego,.Mr. Anthony JJope, the, author .of tho "Dolly Dialogues, .said' that in formal deßnition dia;WS»o included any.conversation, any talk in which, tu-o-or more persons took part, while it I excluded a monologue which one delivered while others listened, and ft soliloquy which one delivered .when, there was nobody to'listen■tmloss, perchance, behind the arras. But some ■dialogues. wero_ much moro 'thoroughly' dialogic than others. The real essence of the matter was the. meeting of minds in talk, tho reciprocal exhibition of mind to mind. Unstinted liberty of interruption was essential to the full nature or dialogue, to give it its true character of reciprocity of. exchange and .often of combat Without thatit inclined toward an exposition by one: and away from a - contribution bv l.seycral.; Thus not all good talk could r. bo cited as a typical example of dialogue. Sam I'Wclwys talk Vwasi "designed for- the better I exhibition of Sam. The other party was, in the .slang, of.'the stage,'"feeding him," giving- him openings. ,rA quite - modern instance of the sumo kind was in,tho .conversations of- Mr; Dobley, wherein Hinnissy got no' ;chance, being merely a feeder.- The iwhole aim. was tho exhibition of-tho mind of Mr. Dooley.Let them contrast' with these the conversations in "Tristram Shandy," , to his mind some of the finest' and ; scientifically regarded, iinost perfect-dialogues' in English literature Every-contributor really contributed and was jnot a feeder or a foil. Good modern examples of: theso • dialogic , virtues .wero furnished by Mr. Anstey and Mr. Jacobs. .It was precisely tho power , inherent in dialogue of bringing into sharp vision tho conflict, of characters, and points of view, which favoured the in. modern novels. "We all recollect, he continued, "how in many old novels, even. in. thoso' of ..the, great l masters • of-the craft, jthe fashion : was ! to: catalogue the lady's charms' in .her first apnearance and scene There 'they all '.werc-the. raven locks,;tlie flashing eyes, the. short'curling upper lip.: According to my experience, you wercin no smalli danger of entirely forgetting what manner of ■•woman •_ she was'by: the time you , had : turned naif a dozen pages. But; if --you. , 'can seo her beauty .in .action, so to kpeak, -it is a. different thing. Merely, to stato that.she had beautiful ...blue; eyes -leaves- you : cold. But if -the hero;.by Bitexterous compliment,, gallant yet not,, obtrusive, ..can;:first.tell .you about tho eyes/;.secondly; exhibit.'toi,you the effect the ■■eyes--? are -having, on> him;: thirdly, get :■■ a - step forward in his relations with the lady; and, •fourtnly.t'aided by her reply to: the compli■ment, show you how she is disposed to" receive his advances,: the result is that the author rhas doiie'.moro; and has doneibetter."-';