The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-23
Recording American Literature

OF Ire CdmorIdge History CT Am<rsedH
Literature, at the risk Of prepounding a
paradox, that they are thoroughgoing so
far as they 60. However, In spite of the
manifest virtues of this important work
it does not 60 far enough, Surely
standard history of this sort ought not to
be limited In scope: each writer should be
allowed ample space to- develop his sub
ject. A result of this compression the
results are not altogether satisfying. Take,
for instance, the chapter on Poe. This is
not the final sort Of estimate at which it
can be said: "At last Here it all is"
DR.. Kills Campbell has in all proba-
bility done as well in his fifteen pages as
any one who is not Lamb or Sainte-
Bouve could be expected to dc, so far as a
mere record of facts is concerned, but why
eonfne him to fifteen pagesf Particu-
larly when Lanier is accorded exactly the
same number7 Of these fifteen pages
over half the space is devored to biog-
raphy Barely five are allowed for criti-
cal estimate of Poe's achievements, while
Ills 10 III
words! Poe's influence ON European lit
~erature is so we'll known, at least outside
America, that one might think the writer
had said to himself: 81 shan't waste time
telling about it" Well, in that case, why
write about Poe at allf
Ny point is not so much that Poe's in
huence is given 80 little space: but that it
was not deemed Of sufficient importance
to allow the critic to dwell upon it. What
DR.. Campbell says is true enough, that
"As romaneer he has probably welded a
larger influence than any Ell ;hsh writer
since Scott" By "romancer" presume he
means romantic" or "writer of ro-
NANCE" and by "any English writer"
"any writer in English" or Gin the English
language"
American literature is respected
throughout the world by reason of a very
small group Of writers, chief among them
Edgar Allan Poe What must the world
think Of Poe's countrymen WHO, in a his
tory of the literature Of which he is one Of
the browning glories, allow him less space
than is accorded to second, third and
fourth rate versifers, obsolete orators and
dull divinesf What can the world think,
except that the writer of such an account
is one of those Americans who erect mon
uments to prohibitionists and generals in
his Hall of Fame and keep pure their
sacred precincts from the contamination Of
dissolute poetsf Poor Poe paid dear for
his sins in this land of negative virtues.
Had the prohibition amendment been
passed before Poe reached manhood who
knows but that he might have enjoyed the
popularity Of Whittier or Eugene
Feld-if he had written at MI
Granted the limitations I have perhaps
petulantly indicated, The Cambridge His
tory Of American Literature is a very
useful compilation. II is necessary, 1
suppose, to. include publicists and ora
tors, journalists and divines, in any such
work, and on the whole the work of en-
balming these worthy writer's is well done.
There are whole chapters dealing even
with dull subjects that are admirably writ
ten. Brander Matthew's chapter on
Writers Of Familidr Verse and C. Al
phonso Smiths of Dialect Writers are
particularly attractive. The Short Story
is necessarily disappointing, as the time
has not yet come when o. Henry and the
more recent writers of short stories can be
justly estimated, particularly in relation
to the literature of the past.
About $50 pages of this volume contain
photographers Of the utmost value. In
deed the chief value of the A american Lit
erature is in these photographers.
THE CAMBRIDGE H1sroF OF AMER