The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-02-15
XXI TERATURE.

Poets, Novclists, Essayists, Historians.
Humorists, Observation-Disclosures for the
Young.
America has not yet produced trans
cendent literary genius; but she has the
right to be proud of a national literature
which includes poets, historians, novel
lists, essayists and critics of a superior
order.
The Athenaum acknowledged, short
while ago, that the best criticism on the
English poets of the Victorian era was
that written by Mr. Edmund Clarence
Stedman.
In poetry, the bright lights are Will
lam Cullen Bryant and Henry Wads-
worth Longfellow, both pure and noble,
and as much appreciated by the English
as by their own compatriOts; Edgar Al
Ian Poe, James Russell Lowell, Oliver
Wendell Holmes, Edmund Clarence Sted-
man, Bayard Taylor, John Greenleaf
Whittier, Walt Whitman, Richard Wat
son Glider, Edgar Fawcett, William
Winter the celebrated dramatic critic,
Maria Brooks and a galaxy of women,
who form graceful garland in this gar
den of poets. In the Western dialect, a
poet, Mr.. James Whitcomb Riley, knows
how to draw tears through the smiles
which his humor provokes.
Who has not read in his youth the nov
els of Fenimore Cooper? Who has not
thrilled over the weird tales of Poe?
Among the most famous names in fiction
are also Washington Irving, n. Parker
Willis, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver
Wendell Holmes Marion Crawford,
Frank Stockton, George w. Cable,
Frances HOdgson Burnett, Henry James,
w. D. Howells, Julian Hawthorne,
Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Charles Dudley
Warner, Bret Harte, who is also a poet,
Edward Eggleston, j. Brander Matthews.
All these names are household words
wherever the English language is spoken
| The greatest success of the century has
been attained by an American novel di-
rected against slavery and instrumental
in its destruction. Its author, Mrs. Har-
riet Beecher Stowe, is sister of the cele-
brated Henry Ward Beecher.
In the philosophical essay, Ralph
Waldo Emerson and Robert Inrersou
are unapproachable in their different
styles
In literary criticism must be named
George William Curtis, as well as Sted-
tnan and Winter, already named among
the poets.
History is, perhaps, of all the branches
of American literature, that which has
found its highest expression Washing
ton Irving, Prescott, Bancroft, Hiidreth,
Sparks and others have produced a ma
tional history from the discovery Of their
country down TO our own days.
Kenmore Cooper is the only great
scene painter produced by the immensi-
ties OF the great western continent
Humorists swarm in the United States.
Artenus Ward and Mark Twain are two
pseudonyms Justly famous at home and
Ebroad. Bill Nye has tie same droll wav
is Mark Twain OF droning out irresistible
c0mlcalltles with that solemn sang-froid
which Is not met with outside Yankee
land When he mounts the platform the
audience prepares to be dislocated with
laughter
Although the names of Charles A.
Dana, Whitelaw Reid, Park Goodwin and
many other are well known, it is in the
large reviews and not in the newspapers
that really literary articles are to be found
1t is safe to affirm that there is DO
country where children are SO well
written for. Mrs. Hodgson Burnett, the
late Louisa Alcott. Mrs. Lippincott, bet
ter known as 'Grace Greenwood" and
Fanny Fern, will for ages to come fas-
clnate the Whole of the English speaking
juvenile world.