New-York tribune., 1879-12-19
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
AMERICAN AUTHORS.

mn his brothers of the pen NAV not oe oec"eu
of equal value with the verdict Of a lury OF ones
pecrs but the Judgment Of fair-innded ana p"pu'
lar writer respecting his contemporaries in the
same line must be regarded as a matter OF literary
curiosity, we'll as test of critical justice IN
This volume Mr.. Higginson presents the fruits oi
b,s studies on SIX Of the most remarkable American
writer's including three who are still living. namely
Hawthoue Poe. Thorcau. HOwclls Helen Hunt
Jackson and the younger Henry James. His orin-
ions though briefly expressed, are marked 10y dees-
ion and force. They eNince no influence from either
favonlism prejudice; in some instances, they aie
as pungent and biting the acid of the etcher, Ill
Others, lavish of generous praise; but their general
tone Is that of acute discrimination and clear m
sight: IN every ease suggested by the merits OF the
writer not hv wanton personal fanCes. In the hne
chapter on Hawthorne Mr. lIigginsOn aptly Illus
tra,cs the habitusl reserve and reticence oil that
cOnsunlmate artist -
HAWTHORNE's ARTISTIC sECRETlVENFss.
One ci the characteristic 81 iawihoines literary
methods labiiua use ci guarded unGei staig nt
and veiled huts. II s net sign OF weakness but ul
conscious strength. when he surrounds each dclines9n
with sort Of penunble. taxes yen INTO his eounses'
offers hypothesis. "a, " May i not have heent or
shall We not rather say q and sometimes. Ike con.
inre, scs PARTICULARS upon Won The card he does hot
intend io accep lie secuS n@i g.,2y At TO nr"M wv
whether Arthur Dmmesd,ae really hsa merry scar on GU
his breast. or what finally became of MILAN ana ner
lover. RE will gladly share with yon any information
he possesses and indeed has several Sa..oiy nuns & ~
offer: that Is an The result is that you place Your
self I'll
gradually share wh him the conviction tha. they must
he real Then, when lac has Yea thus ID possession;
in the tale and YET gently that never think
Of the moral Ss Dcing obiri@iNe'
Next To Hawthorne, Edgar Poe wasSmone the
few literary persons who have left on the mud oi
the author a vivid impression Of the miracle OF gen
lus The only time that MI IliggInsOn saw the
erra;ic poet =, = in lS45. on the occasion of his
rccitlnc n poem before the Boston Lvceun. His
voice" SAYS Mr. Higgnson. seemed attcnuated to
the finest golden thread the audience became hushed
and as il were breathless there seemed no life in
the hail but his and cverv syllable was accentu-
atel with such drliCacy. and sustained with snch
sweetness, ~ never heard eqaalled by other lips
When the lyic ended il was like tie ceasng OF the
cypsys chant in llownine's Flight OF the Ouch
css': and | remember nothing more except that IA
walking back to Cambridge my comrades aud felt
that we had been under the spell OF some vizaid.
Indeed feel much the same in the retrospect, 80
this day" Mr. HirgiDson dwes with cauS'ic, out
wcltimcd severity. on poe's want OF literary prin'
ciple In comparing HIM with Hawthorne. he rc-
marks il is found that the cenius of the latter has
hands and feet well as Wings, SO that oil his W OK
j. solid as masonry. POs's work. on the contrary Is
disgured by all sorts of neQualitcs and limitations.
In bis utter lack of integrity, he does not hesitate
to disguise and flsify. to claim knowledge that he
did not possess TO invent quotations and references.
and even to manipulate and exaygerate puffs of
himself In poc's description of an unprncipled
man of genus, he porirays his own character Ills
critical unscrpulousncss is commented OH with just
Indignation -
FOF's MEANNEss As CRITIC.
1t in the malice and fury Of his own critical work
that hs low moral i0ic most neif"yr i.Se 10 at;nos
phere can be more b iitlug ia hat OF his New-1Ois
Lteraii" : II Is a mass OF vehement dognatisn and
prtty personalities Olhnonr ~@red 10y psSate feeling
and vsrya from pass to psk lie s seem ,n 10 Se es an
II Il true that There very de arywhere III Amer
ica during acrimonious days. when the most ho-
otahe head might De covered wiih Insult or neglect
while ppetcss who smiled swcetly on Zoe or
MUSES.. Poe compiacuted and rather pairunz d Haw-
but found him only peculiar and not original =;
saving him. lie has half the material Tor the ex
clusyeness Of literature that lac has for s unversaiy
Ssssr nrpsSr ha Sn aNRorne % had % borrowed fo Se
He returned again and again to the attack ON ongie-
bsnce between his Midnight Mass for the Diving Year"
and Tennysoa Death OF the 4d neST ,ar a. belong %
make this attack WAS as he boasted TO hIotte the
Fellow. thrs condescendiney with Hawthorne, he was
claiming foremost rsnS among American author. Tor
aud Esele Anne Lewis. No did more than Poe
20 tone OF literary criticism IN his country
and the g.esier his talent the greater the mischief
In presenting his critical estimate Of Poe MI. Hg-
ginson finds room for a brief episode in his charming
SARAH HELEN WHITMAN.
like best TO think OF Poe associated with his be-
trothe. saran Heller Whitman Whom saw somrtimes
in her ater year, THAT gittd woman haa ouivsa @ hr M
ersry fame SUCH rs a Was; she had certainly oltlved
her reeoenzsd ies With Poe and all ont DIS mcIory
ycuth Still ia her heart ad Ia her Voice. dn on tef Da
swSS. decSed here and there with scarlet; sat-
roled white, WITH her back always turned 10 TIE lSnt
ihongaffai aud noblo face she seemed person EN-
balucd while still alive; II was as II she might dwell
forever there proougng Into nn indennito future tie
Tradition OF n poets love and when We remembered
iSnra Le n & that she sti Believed ia him and
lis defender al criticism might well. for her sake b.
dssrnled, and her sslny lfe atone Tor s sioiJ ana
sac career.
In his chapter on HowellS the author presents
some ingenious, bal rather doubtful suggestions
on the effect OF his position editor OF great liter
nry Journal in shielding him from the hesthful dis
cusson which Is usually needed for the making of a
good auth0r- In this respect, Mr. HigGnson re-
marks Mr. Rowells exhibits striking contrast to
Mr. II. jane, jr. Their writings arc equally con-
spicnous befor. thu community; their merits and
6eneritS are equally marked; yet while each now
book Of Mr.. Howclls is received with monotony Of
praise as il it had peculiar points, every story by
Nr James is thorcu .hly debated. il it were .
fresh Waver!ey novel. Mr. Howells il is said, mnst
himself regret this result, for he is too genuine an
artist not TO appreciate the value Of honest and
faithful crticsin; and everybody knows that his
career as an author has been thoroughly modest and
free from all the arts OF selfpIase iIs style as
novelist i admirably described in the following
Mr. HOMELESS PROSE.
The peculiar OF his style has also, doubt
less mad effect IN disarming criticism lie rarely
falls 10 give pleasure b. the mere process OF wr'tns
aud this Is mnch u begin With; just az, when we are
lstenirg 10 conversation musical voice grstnes us
sluo-t more than viii or wisdom MI Howels Is with
ont equal In Amerlca-and therefore winout an
equal among his Englsb-sTeaking oontsmporsries-as
10 some Of the most attractive literary graees lie has
no rival haftnts in mo3uations IN subtle phrases
touch the edge of asserton and yet stop short OF
IT, ne Is slim Ss sss us Of eo eW Yards
Hiss Austen, tho novelist once described Fer ART a.