New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-09-10
The Intellectual History, Condition, and Puspees
Of the Country. No. VI.
TALE WRITERS.


authors Of the Costa Rom aaorxp. ; and many hinge
In our country have tended to increase the taes
popularity Partly in consequence Of the demand
perhaps our productions Of this sort have been ex
ceedingly numerous and wi,hou, the imprinatur Of
BI.cxwoop. BENTLEY. or FRAsKR, they have been
rad IL has been almost a. astonishing ncverthe
hess as has been disgusting the sershty OF habit
and opinion manifested In regard TO such works
when erroneousiy attributed TO foreigners The
leading American literary magazines contain every
month tales not inferior TO thosc IN the best foreign
periodicals. and have known several instances o,
stories As well as of essays and poems r-cei'ed
In silence or damned with faint praise by our news
paper critics their first appearance nerel oSiss
stolen by British publishers, returned to us ss py
British authors and then sent with eSra'sssn'
laudstiols throsh half the gazettos OF the Mon
read as sreediy by the Intelligent snsrreIs
American literature, IL they had been suthenucs
ted new revelations Of the will Of God
Admitting very readily, tina, II requires more ap-
plicaton-more time and to-,o prodsce q 'hree
volume novel il must not be supposed that the pro
dpction of the tale il very easy business. On tho
contrary there il scarcely any thing more dimcu'
or demanding the exercise OF inner genus III 'ho
whole domain OF prose composition
The writers to whom shall particularly refer
are IRvISG, DANA, HAWTHORNE, WILLIS hoff-
MAN Por. and Mrs. SEB> SMITH. PAuLpi>s; Lte-
crr and Mesdames CHILD. ENBuRr and MIX
LAND. and other names. Will recur 10 the rcaner'
but 10 some shall slluie in different, connexions
and others | may tail to notice only because whi,e
posse ssing powers OF high order there |" but 'te
IL any thing in their works sufficiently peeunar 10
merit attention In - brief . review.
WARRINGTON IRVING, is a name OF which tho
country is very reasonably proud. His rich humor
| his fine sentiment. his delicate perception oil mo
beautiful his taste, are apparent In almost every
thing he has written He has given us but little ot
tender or romantic kind indeed aud less perhaps
| 10 show the possession of the inventive faculty.
TIN, Wife The Broken Heart. the Widow and her
Son. and The Pride of the Village. prove however
that he could SUMMON tears from their fountains -
easily As he has Weakened smiles SPEAK Oh MN
thus briefly here, because II Is not as writer o'
such works as arr now under ooseNSNon "~' NV
| chiefly distinguished. -
| Nextto IRVING, and perhaps before nm Ia Po'n'o,
time. was RIcH ARD Ii DANA HE stories. published
originally in The Idle Man, are among the most re-
markable works of their class IN modern literature
Paul Felton, is a history OF Wild passion, IN when
the characters are portrayed with q masters skiii,
and there runs through II strain OF lofty and vigo
| ruus thou sht and knowledge OF humanity, when
place il in the first rank OF ethical notions ia
, ward and Mary. and The Son. are OF more senue,
pleasing and touching nature. In these, and indeed
| in all that this admirable author has produced, We
| see the feelings Of childhood combined with the
. | wisdom OF manhood power with gcntleness AMI
simplicity with grandeur.
| NArHASIEL HAwTHoRNr, Is quite eqaal IN every
thing but careful finish to lRviso. His stories
have from time to time been published In the maya.
zines until there are enough OF them, with what !
NAV be permitted to call romantic essays, 10 I'LL
, some halt dozen stout duodecimos they are va
rious and they all bear the marks OF their author
peculiar and happy genius. q, m
, He ia /" most musical most melancholy" tie
controls his reader the capricious AR does inc
harp The handkerchief raised toward the eye To
wipe away the binding moisture there, Is checked
| at the lips to suppress a laugh Weakened by some
stroke OF resistless humor. The indoent reader
4 a., of
sumbcrous brain 10 in danger OF being startled
. by some sudden and powerful appeal u the virtue
and humanity in his heart.
UAwrHoRNE has wandered among the gone years.
lie has had chambers at the old Province House
, He went with the pilgrims IN search OF the dreat
= Carbuncle With stern old Endcott. he invaded
. the Merry Mount He was in the famous expedI
ton 10 Louisburg And he knew all the secrets re
counted by the gossipping matrons and venerable
. maids OF the colonial age in New England which no
has impaired in quaint and curious iegenus' Nv 70
markabe and as fecitcus as the best Dutch stories
! of Diedrich Knickerbocker. He has ln,ent'on1
Imagination. fancy, humor. pathos--controiieh' Ia
| every case by the incest taste. Bat how many arc
familiar with his works. how many oil our draw
ing room critics acquainted even With his name
, His Wedding Knell was almost unknown IN Ameri-
20 ca until il came back from England as the produc-
| ton of some author there who had chosen 10 mako
), our country the scene Of his creations His Celes
q tial Railroad-the most exquisite allegory since the
!, Review and received hardly passing notice from
!. our newspaper critics until by the juster apprecia
!, ton in Europe its claims were recognized IL was
{ rcpubshed in nnmbcrless editions IN England, and
translated In few weeks into the principal Ian
, puagrs of the continent The copy before me while
this il written il one of the standard series OF this
London Religious Tract Society, which adopted II
+ before the American readers u Bentieys Msceddny
n | and the Metropolitan knew OF It's existence
. Any person who has read the stories have al
!. luded to. ar Wakefield, or the Gentle Boy or In"
l. Hollow Tree OF the Three Hills or The Gray Cham
!. piop, or Tales ID The Province House, will agree
A with me that 1t would be difficult to praise Ma
| rHASiEL HAWTHORNE cvermuch
The characteristics OF Mr.. WILLS, are likewise
very striking Of their sort his tales are equal Ia
any produced in this age But they are such AZ al
| Engsbman of equal genius would have written
as readily as an American His style 10 exceedingly
fccitous His language s varied and rich. his fancy
1, exuberant and brilliant, and his wit Of the finest
| quality No author has described contemporary
A society with SO much vivacity and doubt whether
Il in certain of It's phases any have surpassed him IN
= truthfulness Of delineation.
4 HoYVMAS, in his shorter tales, has given us Tn
>. ditons Of the French dominion Ia the Niagara re
gion, sketches Of life in the West, and traits and
stories Of the Aboreines. In reading his works
one might fancy him all indoeni sportsman, who had
become secretary 10 club Of boaman and saga
nor~s and reused him occasionally while writing
! down Their legends and adventures TO tell his strange
. CON, aaions tales Of the metropolitan society he had
:, deserted for the woods
c The taies Of EDGAR A. Poe, are unlike any
c have ueniionsd and in some respects are different
from any others with which am acquainted. he
, belongs to the first class Of tale writers who have
!. appeared since the nave lloying Arabian hrst at
n tempted fabulous hists-y He has great deal o
imagination and fancy aud his mind Ia the h'ghes
J. degree analytical He is dehcen, in humor, bu
= humor is quality Of different sort Of minds and
IA s,,, ence were to him slight disadvantage, bu
D for hc occasional forgetfulness that he does no.
possess T.
, The r.sa5er of Mr. PoE's tales is compelled slmos
Al the ootsss 10 surrender his mind to his author,
! control. As he ,oes forward, impslpsble shadow
are constantly daring upon tbs confines Of hi
{ thought Unlike tina: Of the greater nuI.her y
suggcst.re authovs his narratiye is most minute
and unlike mos, who attend carefully 10 detail he
! has nothing ssperhuous--nothing which does moi
tend to the cornpon centre-nothing which is moi
absolutely necessary 70 the production Of the desired