ABSTRACT
On the surface, the different fates of the two plays are readily ex-plained by the opposite qualities I have mentioned; Mr. Wilde’s dexterity, his dancing rhythms, his orchestral brass; Mr. James’s maladroitness, his limping and lagging, his half-inaudible reed-notes. But we must go a little deeper into the matter than this. We must look at the relations of each of the two dramatists with his silent collaborator; for every dramatist has such a collaborator-his audience, known as ‘the great public’, ‘le vrai public’, and by other fine names indicating respectful consideration. Respectfully considered by the dramatist he has to be-otherwise, instead of aiding the joint work, he hinders it at every turn, limits its range, impoverishes it, sometimes even stultifies it. And the great difference between Mr. Wilde and Mr. James is that one is on good terms with his collaborator, while the other is not. Monsieur Tout-le-Monde confronts every dramatist with this rigorous alternative; be like me-or be damned. Mr. James, failing to offer the required resemblance, has beenmore or less-damned. Mr. Wilde is practically of the same mind as his audience, and gets his reward.
