Page:The Cambridge History of American Literature, v3.djvu/306

 288 The Drama, 1860-1918 Major's When Knighthood was in Flower; George W. Cable's The Cavalier; John Fox's Trail of the Lonesome Pine; Richard Harding Davis's Soldiers of Fortune — the list might be stretched to interminable length. Out of this type of playivriting the theatre gained certain striking successes. After the popularity of Monsieur Beaucaire, Booth Tarkington entered the dramatic ranks with his The Man from Home (in collaboration, Astor Theatre, 17 August, 1908), Cameo Kirby (Hackett Theatre, 20 December, 1909), Your Humble Servant (Garrick Theatre, 3 January, 1909), The Country Cousin (Gaiety Theatre, 3 September, 1917), Penrod (Globe Theatre, 2 September, 1918). Richard Harding Davis came from novel-writing to an occa- sional theatre piece like The Galloper (Garden Theatre, 22 February, 1906) and The Yankee Consul (Broadway Theatre, 22 February, 1904). Lorimer Stoddard, with his Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Miner's Fifth Avenue Theatre, 2 March, 1897) and Langdon Mitchell with his Becky Sharp likewise came into the theatre fold. Many American writers rushed in because it ' was a lucrative venture when successful; and coming in thus crudely and without preparation, they learned their technique at the expense of a theatre-going public. It is a nondescript position taken by the novelist in his attitude towards the theatre. Rex Beach has had his novels turned into plays by others, and has written moving-picture scenarios. Alice Hegan Rice met with as great success in the dramatization of Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (3 September, 1904) as she did when the story ran into its million circulation as a book. Mrs. Kate Douglas Wiggin Riggs has tried time and time again to enter the magic realm, and did so with Re- becca of Sunnybrook Farm (Republic Theatre, 3 October, 1910). But the literary life of America has never, thus far, considered the theatre as anything more than a by-product of the novelist's art. Writers have, to use George Ade's phrase, "butted in" too easily, and they have had no appreciable influence on the craft. Then, later on, the reverse process began. Though plays were being published and widely read by an audience trained in the special ability required — through a visualizing itnagina- tion — to get the most from the play form, it has been a long and arduous road to persuade American playwrights to publish