SANITY OF TRUE GENIUS

SOfarfromthepositionholdingtrue,thatgreatwit(orgenius,inourmodernwayofspeaking),hasanecessaryalliancewithinsanity,thegreatestwits,onthecontrary,willeverbefoundtohethesanestwriters.ItisimpossibleforthemindtoconceiveofamadShakspeare.Thegreatnessofwit,bywhichthepoetictalentisherechieflytoheunderstood,manifestsitselfintheadmirablebalanceofallthefaculties.Madnessisthedisproportionatestrainingorexcessofanyoneofthem."Sostrongawit,"saysCowley,speakingofapoeticalfriend,

"——didNaturetohimframe,Asallthingsbuthisjudgmentovercame,

Hisjudgmentliketheheavenlymoondidshow,

Temperingthatmightyseabelow."

Thegroundofthemistakeis,thatmen,findingintherapturesofthehigherpoetryaconditionofexaltation,towhichtheyhavenoparallelintheirownexperience,besidesthespuriousresemblanceofitindreamsandfevers,imputeastateofdreaminessandfevertothepoet.Butthetruepoetdreamsbeingawake.Heisnotpossessedbyhissubject,buthasdominionoverit.InthegrovesofEdenhewalksfamiliarasinhisnativepaths.Heascendstheempyreanheaven,andisnotintoxicated.Hetreadstheburningmarlwithoutdismay;hewinshisflightwithoutself-lossthroughrealmsofchaos"andoldnight."Orif;abandoninghimselftothatsevererchaosofa"humanminduntuned,"heiscontentawhiletobemadwithLear,ortohatemankind(asortofmadness)withTimon,neitheristhatmadness,northismisanthropy,sounchecked,butthat,neverlettingthereinsofreasonwhollygo,whilemostheseemstodoso,——hehashisbettergeniusstillwhisperingathisear,withthegoodservantKentsuggestingsanercounsels,orwiththehoneststewardFlaviusremendingkindlierresolutions.Whereheseemsmosttorecedefromhumanity,hewillhefoundthetruesttoit.FrombeyondthescopeofNatureifhesummonpossibleexistences,hesubjugatesthemtothelawofherconsistency.Heisbeautifullyloyaltothatsovereigndirectress,evenwhenheappearsmosttobetrayanddeserther.Hisidealtribessubmittopolicy;hisverymonstersaretamedtohishand,evenasthatwildsea-brood,shepherdedbyProteus.Hetames,andheclothesthemwithattributesoffleshandblood,tilltheywonderatthemselves,likeIndianIslandersforcedtosubmittoEuropeanvesture.Caliban,theWitches,areastruetothelawsoftheirownnature(ourswithadifference),asOthello,Hamlet,andMacbeth.Hereinthegreatandthelittlewitsaredifferenced;thatifthelatterwandereversolittlefromnatureoractualexistence,theylosethemselves,andtheirreaders.Theirphantomsarelawless;theirvisionsnightmares.Theydonotcreate,whichimpliesshapingandconsistency.Theirimaginationsarenotactive——fortobeactiveistocallsomethingintoactandform——butpassive,asmeninsickdreams.Forthesuper-natural,orsomethingsuper-addedtowhatweknowofnature,theygiveyoutheplainlynon-natural.Andifthiswereall,andthatthesementalhallucinationswerediscoverableonlyinthetreatmentofsubjectsoutofnature,ortranscendingit,thejudgmentmightwithsomepleabepardonedifitranriot,andalittlewantonized:buteveninthedescribingofrealandeverydaylife,thatwhichisbeforetheireyes,oneoftheselesserwitsshallmoredeviatefromnature——showmoreofthatinconsequence,whichhasanaturalalliancewithfrenzy,thanagreatgeniusinhis"maddestfits,"asWitherssomewherecallsthem.WeappealtoanyonethatisacquaintedwiththemonrunofLanesnovels,——astheyexistedsometwentyorthirtyyearsback,——thosescantyintellectualviandsofthewholefemalereadingpublic,tillahappiergeniusarose,andexpelledforevertheinnutritiousphantoms,——whetherhehasnotfoundhisbrainmore"betossed,"hismemorymorepuzzled,hissenseofwhenandwheremoreconfounded,amongtheimprobableevents,theincoherentincidents,theinconsistentcharacters,orno-characters,ofsomethird-rateloveintriguewherethepersonsshallbeaLordGlendamourandaMissRivers,andthesceneonlyalternatebetweenBathandBond-streetsmorebewilderingdreaminessinduceduponhim,thanhehasfeltwanderingoverallthefairygroundsofSpenser.Intheproductionswereferto,nothingbutnamesandplacesisfamiliar;thepersonsareneitherofthisworldnorofanyotherconceivableone;anendlessstringofactivitieswithoutpurpose,ofpurposesdestituteofmotive:——wemeetphantomsinourknownwalks;fantasyonlychristened.Inthepoetwehavenameswhichannouncefiction;andwehaveabsolutelynoplaceatall,forthethingsandpersonsoftheFairyQueenpratenotoftheir"whereabout."Butintheirinnernature,andthelawoftheirspeechandactions,weareathomeanduponacquaintedground.Theoneturnslifeintoadream;theothertothewildestdreamsgivesthesobrietiesofeverydayoccurrences.Bywhatsubtileartoftracingthementalprocessesitiseffected,wearenotphilosophersenoughtoexplain,butinthatwonderfulepisodeofthecaveofMammon,inwhichtheMoneyGodappearsfirstinthelowestformofamiser,isthenaworkerofmetals,andbeesthegodofallthetreasuresoftheworld;andhasadaughter,Ambition,beforewhomalltheworldkneelsforfavours——withtheHesperianfruit,thewatersofTantalus,withPilatewashinghishandsvainly,butnotimpertinently,inthesamestream——thatweshouldbeatonemomentinthecaveofanoldhoarderoftreasures,atthenextattheforgeoftheCyclops,inapalaceandyetinhell,allatonce,withtheshiftingmutationsofthemostramblingdream,andourjudgmentyetallthetimeawake,andneitherablenorwillingtodetectthefallacy,isaproofofthathiddensanitywhichstillguidesthepoetinhiswidestseeming.aberrations.

Itisnotenoughtosaythatthewholeepisodeisacopyofthemindsconceptionsinsleep;itis,insomesort——butwhatacopy!Letthemostromanticofus,thathasbeenentertainedallnightwiththespectacleofsomewildandmagnificentvision,rebineitinthemorning,andtryitbyhiswakingjudgment.Thatwhichappearedsoshifting,andyetsocoherent,whilethatfacultywaspassive,whenitesundercoolexamination,shallappearsoreasonlessandsounlinked,thatweareashamedtohavebeensodeluded;andtohavetaken,thoughbutinsleep,amonsterforagod.Butthetransitionsinthisepisodeareeverywhitasviolentasinthemostextravagantdream,andyetthewakingjudgmentratifiesthem.