Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-03-04
UNFINISHED NOVELS.
TALES THAT WERE STOPPED BY THE
HAND OF DEATH.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's Foreboding
About "The Dolliver Romance"
The Fragment That Stevenson Left
Thackeray's Last Work.
George Gissings "Varanilda" Is
masterpiece that Its author did not live
20 finish. One we'll known critic consid-
ers this tale of the Roman and the
Goth the deceased writer's finest work.
and, though many may question this
Judgment, there can exist but universal
regret that the romance must forever
remain incomplete.
a greater work by greater WRITER
OYER of Hermiston," by r. L. Steven
son. was left mere fragment, OF
which the lurid grandeur proved that
its creator was taken from us IN the
zenith Of his power. Another romance
"St Ives" by the same pen, was run
ming in monthly magazine at the time
of his premature death. Here, however,
readers were not baked Of sausracto-
~ denouement, for the story was
brought to a conclusion by Mr.. CUTLER
Couch. we'll known under the nom de
plume of 90"
Ell hardly know what to say 10 tne
public about this abortive romance,
though pretty well know what the
case will be. l shall never finish It,
wrote Nathaniel Hawthorne with rel
erence to The Dolliver Romance"
which he had undertaken to write LOT
the Atlantic Monthly. This foreboding
was but too soon verified, for the au-
thor had scarce time to do more than
Law the groundwork Of the story and
write the initial chapters ere death
struck him down.
At his funeral at Concord the scarce
commenced manuscript lay upon bis
coffin. Soon afterward the first chapter
eppeared In the Atlantic, and suisse
ouently the second chapter, which he
had been unable to revise, was publish
ed In the same periodical. Several years
elapsed when third fragment, revised
and copied by the novelists wife, was
placed In the publishers hands. The
original manuscript is now preserved IL
the Concord public library.
Wives and Daughters" was running
in the Cornhill when the authoress
Mrs. Gaskell died. Fortunately the
work was nearing its completion, sc
that although 1t was not actually mn
ished by the gifted writer. the plot was
sufficiently advanced to enable us Il
make more than a shrewd guess at The
intimate fate of the characters and K
take leave of the hero fully assured Of
his ultimate happiness.
Another serial that was being writer
for the same magazine when its author
laid down pen forever was Denis Du
val" Thackeray, indeed, was already
In his grave when its publication com
menced. Three parts and q portion o
q fourth were all that appeared, an(
"the story" wrote the editor, "break
off as his life ended-full Of vigor an(
blooming with new promise like tn
apple trees in this month of May.
With the fourth part was given set o
notes. taken from Thackeray's own pa
pers, elucidatory Of the subsequent de
yelopnent Of the plot
Thackeray's great contemporary
Charles Dickens, died. too, in harness
For long his health had been but in
different, but he stuck unfinchingly t
the work he had In hand. On June
1870, the end came The morning ant
part Of the afternoon Of that day wer
devoted to completing the sixth mum
Der of THE Mystery Of Edwin brood,
but scarcely had he finished work ant
sat down to dinner ere he was seize'
with a At. From this he never recov
cred, but after lingering some hours
without regaining consciousness, die
at 6 the next day.
II shall publish late in this year,
wrote Laurence Sterne "and the mex
I shall begin new work in four vol
umes, which, finished, l shall continu
srrzstram' with fresh spirit" This new
work here referred to Is the "Sentl
mental Journey" one volume alone o
which was ever given to the world, no
by reason of the authors death wa
the immortal "Tristram Shandy" eve
continued.
Arcadia" the pastoral romano
which Sir Philip Sidney composed a
Wilton House, was never completed an
ran no small danger Of being entirel
lost to future generations when 1t
author, before his death, gave order
for its destruction.
Only about 100 manuscript pages o
Benjamin Disraeli's last novel, whic
brought the story up to the first doze
lines Of chapter 10, was all that wa
written when the brilliant writer lai
aside his pen forever.