North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-07-12
LITERARY NOTICE.

TtOiee told Tales and the House OF the Seven Cables by
+ Nathaniel HaaotlOrne. For Sale by Pomeroy. =
Twice told Tales, though published some years
ago. attracted little general attention until after the
appearance of the Scarlet Letter. which, by its great
originality and highwrought passion led the reading
public to seize with eagerness any work from the
same pen. New additions of old works were there
fore struck off, and the great wonder now 49, that such
unmistakeable genius as Hawthorne's should have
been so long unapp reciated. In none OF his works
does appear to SO much advantage as IN his Twice
told Tales" consisting of two volumes, remarkable
principally for their completeness of conception and
execution quiet thoughtfulness and great artistic fin
ish. Legends or the Province House will compare
with any production from the authors of the present
day. Their fe-like repose is their striking fea-
ture they bear the impress of great mind living
more in the past than the present. This rePose
is in great mea sure, characteristic of 50 the House
of Seven Cables quaint old house erected long
before the Revolution, is, by the au thors unrivaled
descript i've powers placed before US, it were in
the sleepy haze of an autumn day. With such vivid
distnctness is the picture drawn, that imag CINE
ourselves in the far off dreamy days of childhood,
playing hide and seek in its corners, pluck
ing Alice's poseys from the roof, gazing with
childish wonder the grim portrait of the old Col
onel
The house is in itself character. Its gables point
ed roof, and numerous windows, are features of the
whole, and nothing exceed the expression given
to the Shop window. The pathos and humor of the
work admirably blended while we smile at Miss
Pyncheons vain attempts to arrange her little stock
i'll trade to her satisfaction, and laugh outright the
little managerie devcurer, hearts touched by
the devotion of the fororn old maid to her imbece
BROTHER in spite of his childish adherence of her
near-sighted SC owl and ugly visage. We cannot but
admire her heroic struggles with her false PRIDE which
leads her to imagine it degradation to keep cent
shop for his support. Description, action, is the
charm of the book. We fancy Mr.. Hawthorne must
have been seated in Ciffords arm chair beneath the
painted gables of the old house, watching real Phoebe
fitting from the scarlet beans to the Pyncheor
chickens, standing in dreamy revery beside Maule's
WE'LL while he penned MS lfe-like sketches of them
Yet the book is not without its faults; it is toe
long the actions tire of descriptions though they
may be all graphic, and long for greater action The
first fifty pages are decidedly the best; the character
of Holgrave strikes failure. He may be q
thorough go-a-head Yankee, but still he is not the
Yankee phase that we would have given the useful
little hand of Phoebe to. Like her, we are often in
doubt whether he is friendly or inimicable to Miss
Hepzibah and her brother. There is no vitality, nc
pass ion in the single love scene, if such it can be
called, which takes place between them and were he
not the only character whom it is possible for hel
marry in order to end the book properly should
be in doubt whether at theend of the chapter she
would say yes OF . no. We cannot agree with
those critics who pronouncethis Mr.. Hawthorne
best work. 1t has the depth of thought subtle
fascination, striking popularity of the Scarlet Let
ter yet it produces dreamy quiet in the brain fa
more pleasing than the feverish excitement left by
perusal of the former.