The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 5, April, 1836Various
General
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 5, April, 1836
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
The notices of Emilia Harrington; Lieutenant
Slidell's work, the _American in England_; _Conti_; the _Noble Deeds
of Women_; of _Roget's Physiology_, (one of the Bridgewater
Treatises) and of Mathew Carey's _Auto-Biography_--are all very
spirited articles, and are greatly superior to papers of the same
description in the very best monthly periodicals of our country. The
last article "Autography" is not exactly to my taste, though there
are doubtless many who would find in it food for merriment. The
writer of "Readings with My Pencil, No. 1,"--contests the generally
received maxim of Horace, that poets are born such; in other words,
he denies that there is an "original, inherent organization" of the
mind which leads to the "high Heaven of invention," or which,
according to the phrenologists, confers the faculty of "ideality."
It would require too much space to prove that Horace was right, and
that his assailant is altogether wrong. Mr. J. F. O. is greatly
behind the philosophy of the age. It is too late in the day to prove
that Shakespeare and Byron were created exactly equal with the
common mass of mankind, and that _circumstances_ made them superior.
Circumstances may excite and _develope_ mental power, but cannot
create it. Napoleon, although not born Emperor of the French, was
originally endowed with that great capacity which fitted him to
tread the paths of military glory and to cut out his way to supreme
power. Ordinary mortals could not have achieved what he did, with
circumstances equally favorable, or with an education far superior.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account