Article #334-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Episodes in Van Bibber's Life, by Richard Harding Davis

Van Bibber put his cigar into a tumbler and stepped out into the wings.
They were crowded on both sides of the stage with the members of the
company; the girls were tiptoeing, with their hands on the shoulders of
the men, and making futile little leaps into the air to get a better
view, and others were resting on one knee that those behind might see
over their shoulders. There were over a dozen children before the
footlights, with the prima donna in the centre. She was singing the
verses of a song, and they were following her movements, and joining in
the chorus with high piping voices. They seemed entirely too much at
home and too self-conscious: to please Van Bibber; but there was one
exception. The one exception was the smallest of them, a very, very
little girl, with long auburn hair and black eyes; such a very little
girl that every one in the house looked at her first, and then looked
at no one else. She was apparently as unconcerned to all about her,
excepting the pretty prima donna, as though she were by a piano at home
practising a singing lesson. She seemed to think it was some new sort
of a game. When the prima donna raised her arms, the child raised
hers; when the prima donna courtesied, she stumbled into one, and
straightened herself just in time to get the curls out of her eyes, and
to see that the prima donna was laughing at her, and to smile
cheerfully back as if to say, "WE are doing our best anyway, aren't
we?" She had big, gentle eyes and two wonderful dimples, and in the
excitement of the dancing and the singing her eyes laughed and flashed,
and the dimples deepened and disappeared and reappeared again. She was
as happy and innocent looking as though it were nine in the morning and
she were playing school at a kindergarten. From all over the house the
women were murmuring their delight, and the men were laughing and
pulling their mustaches and nudging each other to "look at the littlest
one."

The girls in the wings were rapturous in their enthusiasm, and were
calling her absurdly extravagant titles of endearment, and making so
much noise that Kripps stopped grinning at her from the entrance, and
looked back over his shoulder as he looked when he threatened fines and
calls for early rehearsal. And when she had finished finally, and the
prima donna and the children ran off together, there was a roar from
the house that went to Lester's head like wine, and seemed to leap
clear across the footlights and drag the children back again.

"That settles it!" cried Lester, in a suppressed roar of triumph. "I
knew that child would catch them."

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Episodes in Van Bibber’s Life by Richard Harding Davis**

Context of the Source

Episodes in Van Bibber’s Life (1894) is a collection of short stories by Richard Harding Davis, an American journalist and writer known for his witty, observational style and depictions of high society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The protagonist, Van Bibber, is a wealthy, sophisticated bachelor who navigates social circles with charm and detachment. This excerpt likely comes from a story involving theater or performance, where Van Bibber observes a stage scene featuring a group of children and a prima donna (leading female singer).

Davis’s work often explores themes of performance, social dynamics, and the contrast between artifice and authenticity. This passage, in particular, focuses on a moment of spontaneous charm in an otherwise staged environment, highlighting how genuine innocence can captivate an audience more than polished skill.

Themes in the Excerpt

Authenticity vs. Performance
- The passage contrasts the self-conscious, rehearsed behavior of most of the child performers with the natural, unselfconscious joy of the smallest girl.
- The other children are described as "entirely too much at home and too self-conscious," suggesting they are performing rather than truly engaging. The littlest girl, however, treats the performance like a "new sort of game", making her stand out as genuine in a manufactured setting.
The Power of Innocence and Childlike Joy
- The girl’s unaffected happiness ("as happy and innocent looking as though it were nine in the morning and she were playing school at a kindergarten") enchants the audience.
- Her physical expressiveness—her dimples, her stumbling curtsy, her laughing eyes—creates an emotional connection that polished technique cannot replicate.
Audience Reaction and Collective Delight
- The passage emphasizes how the girl unites the audience in shared delight. Women murmur, men laugh and nudge each other, and even the stagehands (like Kripps) are distracted from their usual stern demeanor.
- This suggests that authentic emotion transcends social barriers, appealing to both highbrow and lowbrow observers.
Theatrical Illusion vs. Reality
- The prima donna is part of the staged performance, but the little girl blurs the line between act and reality. When she smiles at the prima donna as if to say, "We are doing our best anyway, aren’t we?", she breaks the fourth wall emotionally, making the audience feel like participants rather than spectators.
The Business of Entertainment (Lester’s Perspective)
- Lester’s exclamation—"That settles it! I knew that child would catch them."—reveals the commercial aspect of performance.
- The girl’s charm is not just artistic but marketable, suggesting that even genuine moments can be commodified in show business.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Imagery & Sensory Detail
- Visual Imagery: Davis paints a vivid picture of the scene—children tiptoeing, the prima donna’s movements, the girl’s "long auburn hair and black eyes" and "wonderful dimples."
- Kinesthetic Imagery: The girl’s stumbling curtsy, the piping voices of the children, and the roar of the audience make the scene feel dynamic.
Contrast & Juxtaposition
- The self-conscious children vs. the natural little girl.
- The structured performance vs. the spontaneous game-like joy of the girl.
- The stern stage manager (Kripps) vs. the rapturous audience.
Personification & Metaphor
- The audience’s applause is described as something that "leap[s] clear across the footlights and drag[s] the children back again"—giving the sound physical agency, as if it has a will of its own.
- The girl’s dimples "deepened and disappeared and reappeared" like living things, reinforcing her vitality.
Free Indirect Discourse (FID)
- The line "WE are doing our best anyway, aren’t we?" is not directly spoken but represents the unspoken sentiment the girl seems to convey, blending her perspective with the narrator’s.
Hyperbole & Exaggeration
- The audience’s reaction is amplified for effect: women are "murmuring their delight," men are "laughing and pulling their mustaches," and the girls in the wings use "absurdly extravagant titles of endearment."
- This heightens the emotional impact of the moment.
Symbolism
- The little girl symbolizes purity, spontaneity, and unfiltered joy in a world of performance and pretense.
- The prima donna represents artistic skill, but the girl’s natural charm overshadows her, suggesting that authenticity is more powerful than technique.

Significance of the Passage

A Moment of Pure Delight in a Cynical World
- Van Bibber, a world-weary socialite, is likely accustomed to artifice. This scene offers a refreshing contrast—a reminder of unscripted beauty in a world of performances.
The Universality of Childlike Wonder
- The passage suggests that innocence and joy are universally appealing, cutting across class and gender lines (both men and women in the audience are enchanted).
The Illusion of Theater vs. Real Emotion
- The girl doesn’t realize she’s performing, which makes her more compelling than the professionals. This raises questions about what makes art truly moving—skill or sincerity?
The Commercialization of Authenticity
- Lester’s reaction ("That settles it!") implies that even genuine moments can be exploited for success, reflecting the business side of entertainment.
A Microcosm of Society’s Hunger for Realness
- The audience’s overwhelming response suggests a cultural craving for authenticity in an era (the Gilded Age) known for superficiality and social posturing.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Resonates

This excerpt is a masterclass in capturing a fleeting, magical moment—one where a small, unselfconscious child steals the show not through skill, but through pure, infectious joy. Davis uses rich imagery, contrast, and emotional precision to highlight the power of authenticity in a world of performances.

For Van Bibber (and the reader), this scene is a brief escape from cynicism, a reminder that real emotion cannot be manufactured. Yet, the presence of Lester—who sees the girl’s charm as a marketable asset—also serves as a gentle critique of how even the purest moments can be commodified.

Ultimately, the passage celebrates the unexpected beauty of spontaneity while acknowledging the complex relationship between art, business, and human connection.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of the little girl’s performance most fundamentally serves to:

A. critique the superficiality of theatrical conventions by exposing the artificiality of child actors.
B. illustrate how unselfconscious authenticity can transcend technical skill in captivating an audience.
C. emphasize the prima donna’s maternal instinct as the catalyst for the child’s emotional engagement.
D. satirize the audience’s sentimentalism by portraying their exaggerated reactions as naive and credulous.
E. argue that commercial success in the arts depends primarily on exploiting vulnerable performers.

Question 2

The narrator’s description of the little girl’s dimples and eyes functions primarily to:

A. establish her physical beauty as the sole reason for the audience’s fascination.
B. contrast her youthful features with the aged, jaded expressions of the adult performers.
C. symbolize the fleeting nature of childhood innocence in a corrupt entertainment industry.
D. foreshadow her future career as a stage performer by highlighting her expressive potential.
E. embody the visceral, dynamic quality of her joy as it fluctuates with the performance.

Question 3

The line “WE are doing our best anyway, aren’t we?” (implied by the girl’s smile) is most effectively interpreted as:

A. a subversive critique of the prima donna’s condescension toward amateur performers.
B. an unconscious revelation of the child’s collaborative, unguarded engagement with the moment.
C. a calculated attempt by the girl to ingratiate herself with the audience through false modesty.
D. evidence of the prima donna’s manipulative direction to feign spontaneity in the children.
E. a meta-theatrical commentary on the inherent absurdity of adult expectations in child performances.

Question 4

The audience’s reaction to the little girl is portrayed in a way that most strongly suggests:

A. their response is a performative mimicry of the prima donna’s cues, revealing their own lack of originality.
B. their delight is a temporary distraction from the underlying tedium of the theatrical experience.
C. their enthusiasm is a collective hallucination, projected onto the girl as a blank canvas for idealization.
D. their captivation stems from recognizing an unmediated emotional truth rarely seen in staged performances.
E. their amusement is tinged with pity for the girl’s naivety in a predatory entertainment environment.

Question 5

Lester’s exclamation “That settles it! I knew that child would catch them” primarily underscores the:

A. inevitability of artistic success when performers adhere to traditional technical standards.
B. moral corruption of the entertainment industry in its exploitation of child labor.
C. audience’s predictable preference for spectacle over substantive dramatic content.
D. prima donna’s strategic decision to center the performance around the most photogenic child.
E. tension between the commercial value of authenticity and its spontaneous, uncontrived nature.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The passage centers on the contrast between the self-conscious, rehearsed performances of the other children and the little girl’s unselfconscious, joyful engagement. The narrator emphasizes how her authenticity—her treatment of the performance as a "game," her spontaneous reactions—transcends technical skill and captivates the audience more than the polished prima donna or the other children. This aligns with B’s focus on authenticity over technique.