The Portland daily press., 1874-10-28


HAWTHORNE AND GEORGE ELIOT
There are points of interesting resemblance
and contrast, both literary and ethical. be-
tween George Eliot and Hawthorne. The
style of each is exquisite. Both depend for
the interest of their novels on other elements
than narrative and plot. Both are compare
lively weak in invention and construction.
Both are profoundly and, in their several
ways, painfully psychological. Is it Haw-
thorne, or is it George Eliot, that exposes to
us the motive and method of his work when
we read as follows in ''Twice-tale Tales'' {:
''Then might exemplify how an influence,
beyond our control, lays its strong hand on
every deed which we do, and weaves its con-
quences into an iron tissue of necessity"
Arthur Dimmesdale and Mr.. Bulstrode are
evident moral congeners. These specifica-
tions perhaps exhaust their points of mutual
resemblance. The points Of contrast be-
tween them are curious and striking. Haw-
thorne is perhaps no more subjective than
George Eliot; but he is far less objective than
she. George Eliot, accordingly, would seem
to be the more amply endowed, the more
evenly balanced nature of the two. Haw-
thorne is not so learned as George Eliot, nor
so familiarly conversant with contemporary
thought. Hawthorne is vastly less dramatic,
less versatile in dialogue, than George Eliot.
Hawthorne's attitude toward the supernatur-
al is in most suggestive and stimulating con-
trast to George Eliot's. You feel all the
time in reading Hawthorne that you are un-
der the spell of wizard whoHpossesses a
strange power of imposing upou your imagi-
nation with the effect of a supernaturalism
in which he does not believe himself. You
are kept constantly ON the wavering border
that joins the world Of sense with world of
supersttious faucy felt to be almost equally
real. The conjurer that plays this trick upon
your own imagination, you seem to be aware,
has himself an imagination proof by skepti-
cism against the reflex influence of his own
woven measures and waving hands. On the
contrary, George Eliot is a severe exorcist of
superstition. Her world is world of pure
naturalism. Weird is a word always on your
lips to characterize Hawthorn's quality. The
word is never so much as once suggested in
speaking of George Eliot. A bluff breeze
blows her books clear clinging mists-a broad
light, equally diffused, dissipates all haunting
supernatural shadows. At the same time,
you cannot help suspectipg that toward the
real supernatural, of which there is none in
her books, George Eliot turns more believ-
ing heart than did Hawthorne toward the
mock supernaturalism, suggested rather than
October Scribner. ..
SUMNER N BURKE.-OVer the mantel hung
three engravings of Edmund Burke at the
respective ages Of ten, forty, and sixty years
The one representing Burke as boy is in
colOrs, and was given the Senator by Lord
Brougham while he was the latter's guest.
The other two are from portraits by Sir
Joshua Reynolds, and were engraved, the
one by Beindetts and the other by j. Watson.
The one representing Burke at forty is often
seen. The other picture had striking re-
semblance to Mr.. Sumner, so much so as to
excite remark. On one occasion caller said,
on seeing this, ssWhy, Senator, didn't know
of that engraving of you; when was il
made?' "When DR.. johnson, Oliver Gold
smith and 1 dropped in on Sir Joshua once
at the Mitre Tavern" was the humorous
reply. The portraits were so dissimilar that
they would hardly be taken for likenesses Of
the same man. An artist who had heard oil
/ the resemblance, asked to see the pictures,
and taking the later picture for veritable
likeness Of the Senator, and knowing the
other to be the popular likeness of Burke al
| forty, comparing the two, said, 81 don't see
| how such mistake could have been made
This is passable likeness Of you; but can't
perceive in it any resemblance to the Burke. u
ID, B. johnson, in Scribner's for Norem
bers