Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) [Illustration: portrait of the author] [Illustration: signature of the author] AMERICANISMS AND BRITICISMS _WITH OTHER ESSAYS ON OTHER ISMS_ BY BRANDER MATTHEWS [Illustration: colophon] NEW YORK HARPER AND BROTHERS MDCCCXCII Copyright, 1892, by HARPER & BROTHERS. _All rights reserved._ TO THOMAS R. LOUNSBURY YALE UNIVERSITY _My dear Lounsbury,--In reading over the proof-sheets of these pages, I have happened on your name more often than I thought I had written it, and yet not so often by once as I wish to write it. So I set it here, in the forefront of this little book, to bear witness that much of what may be good in these essaylets of mine is due to help given by you, either directly by word of mouth or indirectly by the printed page. And that is why I take pleasure now in subscribing myself as_ _Yours gratefully_, BRANDER MATTHEWS Columbia College _September, 1892_ CONTENTS Page AMERICANISMS AND BRITICISMS 1 AS TO "AMERICAN SPELLING" 32 THE LITERARY INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES 60 THE CENTENARY OF FENIMORE COOPER 89 IGNORANCE AND INSULARITY 103 THE WHOLE DUTY OF CRITICS 114 THREE AMERICAN ESSAYISTS 135 DISSOLVING VIEWS: I. OF MARK TWAIN'S BEST STORY 151 II. OF A NOVEL OF M. ZOLA'S 161 III. OF WOMEN'S NOVELS 169 IV. OF TWO LATTERDAY HUMORISTS 177 AMERICANISMS AND BRITICISMS