The Development of the American Short Story: An Historical Survey |
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Adventure American annuals appeared Atlantic atmosphere became become began beginning Boston called Century characters collection color completely criticism decade distinctive early editor effect element England English fact fiction field final followed French gave German Graham's Magazine hand Harper's Harte Hawthorne Henry humor influence Irving issued Italy James lack Lady later Legend letter light literary literature lived Magazine manner March material Miss Monthly moral Mountain native nature never Night novel once opening original perhaps period picture pieces popular present published reader realism record Review romance Scribner's seemed sentiment short story single sketches soul style tale tales thing touch truth turned volume Western whole wild Willis writers written wrote York young
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Page 137 - ... full of prejudice are the usual animadversions against those tales of effect many fine examples of which were found in the earlier numbers of Blackwood. The impressions produced were wrought in a legitimate sphere of action, and constituted a legitimate although sometimes an exaggerated interest. They were relished by every man of genius: although there were found many men of genius who condemned them without just ground. The true critic will but demand that the design intended be accomplished,...
Page 10 - A pleasing land of drowsy -head it was, Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye ; And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, For ever flushing round a summer sky...
Page 136 - A skilful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise, he has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with deliberate care, a certain unique or single effect to be wrought out, he then invents such incidents — he then combines such events as may best aid him in establishing this preconceived effect.
Page 135 - All high excitements are necessarily transient. Thus a long poem is a paradox. And without unity of impression the deepest effects cannot be brought about. Epics were the offspring of an imperfect sense of art, and their reign is no more.
Page 127 - If in many of my productions terror has been the thesis, I maintain that terror is not of Germany, but of the soul — that I have deduced this terror only from its legitimate sources, and urged it only to its legitimate results.
Page 24 - For my part I consider a story merely as a frame on which to stretch my materials. It is the play of thought, and sentiment and language; the weaving in of characters, lightly yet expressively delineated; the familiar and faithful exhibition of scenes in common life; and the half concealed vein of humour that is often playing through the whole — these are among what I aim at, and upon which I felicitate myself in proportion as I think I succeed.
Page 136 - Thus the field of this species of composition, if not in so elevated a region on the mountain of Mind, is a table-land of far vaster extent than the domain of the mere poem. Its products are never so rich, but infinitely more numerous, and more appreciable by the mass of mankind.
Page 137 - Of Mr. Hawthorne's tales we would say, emphatically, that they belong to the highest region of art, an art subservient to genius of a very lofty order. We had supposed, with good reason for so supposing, that he had been thrust into his present position by one of the impudent cliques which beset our literature, and whose pretensions it is our full purpose to expose at the earliest opportunity; but we have been most agreeably mistaken. We know of few compositions which the critic can more honestly...
Page 94 - There is a grossness in the conceptions of my countrymen ; they will not be convinced that any good thing may consist with what they call idleness; they can anticipate nothing but evil of a young man who neither studies physic, law, nor gospel, nor opens a store, nor takes to farming but manifests an incomprehensible disposition to be satisfied with what his father left him.
Page 149 - America is now wholly given over to add mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash — and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed.