CHAPTER XI. VIVACITY. § 238. DEFINITION OF VIVACITY. THE word vivacity is used by Dr. Campbell in a very extended sense, being selected by him to include all those qualities which are here represented by the general term persuasive ness. In a more restricted sense it may be defined as the exhibition of life and feeling, of vividness in portrayal, and perpetual variety in expression. The worst faults in composition are dulness in conception and monotony in expression. With other faults failure is not so inevitable, for there may be success of a certain kind. There are books which exhibit every variety of vice in stylethe obscure, the florid, the puerile, the vulgar, the flippant, the pretentious; yet in spite of such faults they reach a certain class of readers; but where there is dulness and monotony, even such success as this is unattainable, and there can be no result save utter failure. Vivacity is opposed to both of these. To dulness it opposes animation; to monotony it opposes perpetual variety. It rises from the lowest stage of liveliness to the highest enthusiasm ; and in expression it makes use of every conceivable device to vary perpetually the form of statement. Energy refers to strength of words and intensity of thought and feeling; vivacity connects itself rather with versatility in thought and statement. Energy belongs more exclusively to eloquence, and springs more directly from nature; vivacity associates itself readily with art, and is more entirely rhetorical. For this reason vivacity is connected with all the arts of embellishment; it brings to its aid all the figures of speech, and blends a profusion of imagery with affluence of expression. According to the definition above given, vivacity refers first to the thought, and secondly to the expression. In order to consider this topic fully, it will be necessary therefore to observe it according as it refers to either of these departments. § 239. VIVACITY AS IT REFERS TO THE THOUGHT. 1. Vivacity as it refers to the thought may exist in various gradations. Animation may be considered as the first ascent above the level of ordinary expression, and may be defined as that degree of feeling which is quite under control, and merely serves to give life and interest to composition. The term liveliness may be considered as almost synonymous with it, yet it is somewhat different, for it involves the exhibition of cheerfulness and pleasantry, with the addition in some cases of wit and humor. With liveliness sprightliness is almost interchangeable. Any author who writes with evident interest in his work is animated; but a lively writer is one who throws over his style a certain cheerful glow which is communicated to the reader. Rising beyond these we come to a feeling which is called abandon. The term is applied to those cases where the writer seems to abandon himself to his subject, or is carried away by it. In its lower grades it is like liveliness and animation, and amounts to little more than a kind of confidential manner or communicativeness. It is very common with Thackeray, and is illustrated in the following passage: "Would you not like to slip back into the past and be introduced to Mr. Addison?-not the Right Honorable Joseph Addison, Esq., George II.'s Secretary of State, but to the delightful painter of contemporary manners; the man who, when in good-humor himself, was the pleasantest companion in all England. I should like to go into Lockit's with him, and drink a bowl along with Sir Richard Steele, who has just been knighted by King George, and who does not happen to have any money to pay his share of the reckoning. I should not care to follow Mr. Addison to his secretary's office in Whitehall. There we get into politics. Our business is pleasure, and the town, and the coffee-house, and the theatre, and the Mall. Delightful Spectator! kind friend of leisure hours! happy companion! true Christian gentleman! How much greater, better you are than the king Mr. Secretary kneels to!" But in its higher manifestations this abandon leads to the most rapturous flights of the imagination, as in Shelley's ode on the Skylark: "Teach me half the gladness The world should listen then, as I am listening now." It was this total abandonment of himself to his theme that led to that sublime outburst of Demosthenes, in which he swears by those who fought at Marathon. But this brings us to that higher stage of feeling and expression known as eloquence, one of the modes in which vivacity may be manifested. Eloquence which is simple and natural may be regarded as belonging to a display of energy, but where it is ornate and elaborate it is connected rather with vivacity. Such a display is seen in the following passage from Erskine's speech on Stockdale. He is alluding to the trial of Warren Hastings: "There the most august and striking spectacle was daily exhibited which the world ever witnessed. A vast stage of justice was erected, awful from its high authority; splendid from its illustrious dignity; venerable from the learning and wisdom of its judges; captivating and affecting from the mighty concourse of all ranks and conditions which daily flocked into it as into a theatre of pleasure. There, where the whole public mind was at once awed and softened to the impression of every human affection, there appeared, day after day, one after another, men of the most powerful and exalted talents, eclipsing by their accusing eloquence the most boasted harangues of antiquity; rousing the pride of national resentment by the boldest invectives against broken faith and violated treaties; and shaking the bosom with alternate pity and horror by the most glowing pictures of insulted nature and humanity; ever animated and energetic from the love of fame which is the inherent passion of genius; firm and indefatigable from a strong prepossession of the justice of their cause." Beyond this there is a still higher elevation-enthusiasm, which may be defined as the sustained warmth and glow of intense personal feeling. This may be seen in Martineau's argument from a disaster at sea: "There were travellers from foreign lands, ready with pleased heart to tell at home the thousand marvels they had gathered on their way. There was a family of mourners, taking to their household graves their unburied dead. And there was one at least of rare truth and wisdom, of designs than which philanthropy knows nothing greater; of faith that all must venerate, and love that all must trust; of persuasive lips, from which a thoughtful genius and the simplest heart poured forth the true music of humanity. And does any one believe that this freight of transcendent worth-all this sorrow, and thought, and hope, and moral greatness, and pure affectionwas burned, and went out with flame and cotton-smoke? Sooner would I believe that fire consumed the less everlasting stars! Such a galaxy of spiritual light and order and beauty is spread above the elements and their power, and neither heat can scorch it nor cold water drown. The bleak wind that swept in the morning over the black and heaving wreck would moan in the ear of sympathy with the wail of a thousand survivors, but to the ear of wisdom and of faith would sound as the returning whisper and requiem of hope." The high enthusiasm that is perceptible in this passage transforms it from argument to poetry. § 240. VIVACITY AS IT REFERS TO THE EXPRESSION. 2. Vivacity as it refers to the expression is produced by various qualities which will be considered in order. The first of these is copiousness. § 241. COPIOUSNESS. Copiousness in its more general meaning is referred by Quintilian to thought as well as expression. "There is one kind," says he, "that is rich in thought, and another that abounds in flowers." Here, however, the latter only is meant, and indicates amplitude and fulness of diction, where there is a vocabulary of unusual richness and abundant imagery. This is the characteristic of the writings of Jeremy Taylor, Landor, and Ruskin. $242. VERSATILITY. Another quality that conduces to vivacity is versatility. Versatility is also called variety. This refers to an author's power to adapt his style to many different subjects. The most remarkable example of this in English literature is Shakespeare, who was great in tragedy, comedy, and lyric poetry. In French literature Voltaire is a striking instance of this, since his works consist of philosophical essays, tragedy, and epic poetry. Bulwer Lytton is a versatile author, since he produced two different classes of novels, epic poetry, dramatic works, and lyric poetry. Tennyson is another example, though of a different kind, for his poetry represents five distinct classes: 1st, The Romantic, or Arthurian Epic; 2d, Classical, as Ulysses, Tithonus; 3d, Domestic, as The Miller's Daughter, The May Queen; 4th, Emotional, as Maud, Locksley Hall; 5th, Songs. Sir Walter Scott wrote 90 volumes: 48 of novels, 21 of history and biography, 21 of poetry. § 243. BRILLIANCY. The next quality associated with vivacity is brilliancy. By this is meant a high degree of animation, a copious diction, and abundant imagery. With these wit and humor are some times blended. Among those who are most conspicuous for the display of this quality are Hazlitt, Lamb, Leigh Hunt, Sydney Smith, and Macaulay. The following is an example of a brilliant passage in oratory from Curran's speech on behalf of Rowan : "No matter in what language his doom may have been pronounced; no matter what complexion incompatible with freedom an Indian or an African sun may have burned upon him; no matter in what disastrous battle his liberty may have been cloven down; no matter with what solemnities he may have been devoted upon the altar of slavery; the first moment he touches the sacred soil of Britain, the altar and the god sink together in the dust; his soul walks abroad in her own majesty; his body swells beyond the measure of the chains that burst from around him; and he stands redeemed, regenerated, and disenthralled by the irresistible genius of Universal Emancipation." § 244. VIVIDNESS. Another quality which may be mentioned is vividness. This is the representation of facts or occurrences with unusual clearness and force of expression, so as to make the scene live before the mind. A familiar example is found in Byron's lines: "And there was mounting in hot haste: the steed, Roused up the soldier ere the morning star; While thronged the citizens with terror dumb, Or whispering, with white lips, "The foe! They come, they come!" $ 245. FELICITY OF STYLE. Another quality of great importance is that which is called felicity of style. |