From  these  various  considerations  it  is  clear  that  in
the  very  constituents  of  narration,  —  setting,  charac-
terization, and  plot,  —  the  purely  scientific  aspect  of
history  is  not  sufficient.  The  personal  side,  apparent
in  originality  of  method,  in  intelligent  ordering  of  ma-
terial, and  in  selection  of  contributive  detail  is  con-
stantly in  evidence.  And  this  fact,  in  conjunction  with
the  subjective  quality  that  we  call  style,  combines  to
lift  history  from  the  dead  level  of  mere  informatory
exposition  and  give  to  it  the  dignity  of  literature.
Biography

Biographical  narrative,  including  the  autobiography
and  the  memoir,  is  a  variety  of  history  modified  by  con-
ditions peculiar  to  itself.  The  fundamental  requisites  of
historical  narrative  still  remain:  the  biographer  must,
like  the  historian,  exercise  industry  in  the  effort  to  col-
late all  possible  material,  so  that  his  work  shall  not
be  untrue  because  of  inadequate  information;  he  must
also  possess  the  clearness  of  observation  and  the  judi-
cial acuteness  that  characterize  the  historian,  otherwise
his  record  will  have  little  value  to  the  seeker  after  truth;
and,  finally,  if  the  biography  is  to  take  rank  as  literature,


FORMS  OF  NARRATIVE  LITERATURE      251

it  must  be  composed  with  due  regard  for  "  proper  words
in  proper  places,"    —  that  is,  for  style.
