Regionalism

An annoying noise woke her from her sound sleep. It was 6:15 am, and the cold draft and loud alarm awoke her. Maggie, a college student dreaded this hour, she pushed snooze to get her fifteen more minutes of sleep she could not live with out. When the alarm went off for a second time she thought she’d better get up before she was late.
She found her cloths and then looked out her window to see if the winter weather had brought more snow than what was previously there the night before. As always, it did, and as always her lazy town had not plowed her road again.
She began getting ready, while becoming worried if she could make the long adventure to class. She bundled up as much as she could to not look ridiculous, and started out the door. As Maggie walked to her car she quickly covered her head with her hood and ran, in hope of not becoming totally covered in snow, since the wind was quickly throwing it in her face.
She began driving very slowly due to living in a very wooded and secluded area, where not many cars had previously gone to make a path for her. The snow caused her to slow her car frequently as she watched large drifts stream across the road, while she though “ is this even possible?”
Maggie looked all around her as to wonder if maybe there were things she’d never seen before while driving in this area. Of course not thinking it is possibly the worst time to ever find new things while driving in a snow storm! But never the less she did. As she passed the farms near her she noticed how the animals, mostly horses, were cuddled together in hopes to stay warm. She also saw dogs hiding under porches to keep the snow off of them, but to still hold their guard. As she looked on deeper into the woods she noticed the trees branches hanging low from all the weight that was put upon them, and how the sides of the roads were piled high with mounds of snow. The mounds so high it almost would cover her car to the top.
The snow slightly lets up, and she begins to think the long drive just might turn out ok, but it is not the luck of a western New Yorker. As she becomes closer to the lake the snow becomes heavier, and almost making it impossible to see in front of the car. She sees children off to the side shivering while they wait for that buss that can’t come soon enough even though they had hoped for a snow day all night. Half way to college she thought of turning back wondering if she could really make it any further, but she kept going with hope of being able to make it all the way. The heavily sanded roads did not even stop cars from spinning out of control and landing in strangers yards. But she just reduced her speed and knew she was a good driver.
When she finally arrived at the college she found that the paths were formed where the side walks should be, but it had snowed so much they could not keep them clear. She trudged her way to class while watching the squirls that are always there to great people in the morning, fluttering up the tree as normal. Her adventure was finally complete, and her worry was over. She, unlike most made it all the way to class, while others gave up before even starting. Maggie felt proud of herself, and knew that made her a better student, and used to the snow belt that she did live in.

Henry James "The Art of Fiction" Edith Wharton- "Souls Belated"

Henry James - " The Art of Fiction" Edith Wharton-" Souls Belated"

Through out reading "The Art of Fiction" I had difficulty figuring out every direction James turned. In his essay he spoke a lot about Mr. Walter Besant. He took Besant’s views and altered them with his own. As James states on page 554 “ a novel is a novel”. In his eyes he finds writing an art. James uses this comparison to art very thoroughly through out his essay. He compares the art of writing to painting. This is used to show how a painters lines have to be defined to tell the story of what happened or what is going to capture the moment. He compares this to writing because he believes a writer expresses what happened in great detail to appeal to the readers, and to tell the complete story. James believes this great art is revealed and expressed through experiment, curiosity and points.
James expresses how in England most felt fiction to be “wicked”, but that belief has since died. Besant also expressed that if someone were to write about fiction they should some how apologize in their writing for it. James very much disagrees with this statement it seemed. He does although agree with Besant at some point about how although an article may be fiction, it should feel some what real, as in characters should seem life like, as well as area’s during time.
. Along with one can speak best from ones own taste, as long as they show reality which James finds to be the supreme virtue of a novel.
Along with all of the other facts that James states and determines if he agree with Besant or disagrees he states that a good fiction should contain facts, or look for something. For example it should have a question that in return has an answer at the end. He also feels that criticism of material is a main result of writing. All novels will be criticized by readers, and set as either good or bad, but it is each persons interests that sets them apart.
Now to the question of how the two articles are related. “The Art of Fiction” , and “Souls Belated” actually do have quite a bit in common. As James stated through out most of his essay he felt that a good fictional story should be real like, and humanistic. Wharton expresses this through out her entire story. There were no mysterious creatures lurking from odd places. It was set in real places, and it showed the real life feeling of people, real people.
Oddly I found they both also made reference to a needle and thread. James’s version of a needle and thread expressed how a good fiction is written with both a needle and thread, it cannot be with out one of the two, because it strings things together. (or at least that’s how I took it ) Wharton used this sort of reference in her story written out. Through out Wharton’s story, many things related well with James’s views of a good fiction because for another reason, there was a question through out ,( or well I should say many questions) and eventually as the characters searched they found answers to them.
In conclusion in many other ways other than the ones I have stated, James and Wharton share the same views, although Whartons’ aren’t stated from her point of view, you may see through her writing this is how she believes a fiction should be written. To me the story did not even seem fiction, but that is exactly how James felt it should be with the art of fiction. Through this he may classify Wharton as a great artist of its kind.