Transcriber’s Note: Italic text is enclosed in _underscores_; boldface text is enclosed in =equals signs=. AMERICAN LITERARY MASTERS BY LEON H. VINCENT [Illustration] BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge COPYRIGHT 1906 BY LEON H. VINCENT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED _Published March 1906_ TO GEORGE EDWARD WOODBERRY PREFACE _The nineteen men of letters whose work is reviewed in this volume represent an important half-century of our national literary life. The starting-point is the year 1809, the date of “A History of New York by Diedrich Knickerbocker.” No author is included whose reputation does not rest, in part, on some notable book published before 1860._ _Readers of modern French criticism will not need to be told that the plan of dividing the studies into short sections was taken from Faguet’s admirable “Dix-Septième Siècle.”_ _I am indebted for many helpful criticisms to Mr. James R. Joy, to Miss Mary Charlotte Priest, and especially to Mr. Lindsay Swift of the Boston Public Library._ _L. H. V._ _January 23, 1906._ _Contents_ WASHINGTON IRVING I. _His Life_ 3 II. _His Character_ 10 III. _The Writer_ 13 IV. _Early Work: Knickerbocker’s History, Sketch Book, Bracebridge Hall, Tales of a Traveller_ 14 V. _Historical Writings: Columbus, Conquest of Granada, Mahomet_ 20 VI. _Spanish Romance: The Alhambra, Legends of the Conquest of Spain_ 24 VII. _American History and Travel: A Tour on the Prairies, Astoria, Life of Washington_ 27 WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT I. _His Life_ 35 II. _His Character_ 44 III. _The Literary Craftsman_ 46 IV. _The Poet_ 50 V. _Latest Poetical Work: The Iliad and the Odyssey_ 58 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER I. _His Life_ 65 II. _His Character_ 72 III. _The Writer_ 74 IV. _Romances of the American Revolution: The Spy, Lionel Lincoln_ 75 V. _The Leather-Stocking Tales and Other Indian Stories_ 77