Page:Fitzgerald - Pickwickian manners and customs (1897).djvu/101



It is an interesting question what should be the relation of illustration to the story, and of the artist to the story-teller; and what are the limitations of their respective provinces. Both should work independently of each other; that is, the artist should tell the story from his own point of view—he is not merely to servilely translate the situations into "black and white." He should be, in fact, what the actor is to a drama. When EugeneEugène [sic] Delacroix's illustrations to Goethe's "Faust" were shown to the great author, he expressed admiration of their truth and spirit; and on his secretary saying that they would lead to a better understanding of his poem, said: "With that we have naught to do; on the contrary, the more complete imagination of such an artist compels us to