The Southern Literary Messenger, Volume I., 1834-35Various
General
The Southern Literary Messenger, Volume I., 1834-35
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
Mr. Cooper's letter is partly private and controversial, and partly
political, and therefore any thing like an extended notice or review
of it does not fall within the range which has been prescribed for the
"Southern Literary Messenger." We cannot but express our regret,
however, that Mr. Cooper should have suffered himself to be seduced
into the arena of party politics. Upon that theatre he will meet with
many distinguished rivals--whereas he had none or few to contend with
on his favorite ground of romantic fiction. Is it possible that Mr.
Cooper will suffer himself to be driven from the field on which he has
earned so many enduring laurels, by the criticisms or even illnature
of a few newspaper editors? Why, if we had been fortunate enough to
write the "Red Rover," or even the "Bravo," we would have good
humoredly defied the whole fraternity from Maine to New Orleans. Mr.
Cooper forgets that there are thousands, who form their own opinions
of literary works, without ever once thinking to turn over the pages
of a daily or semiweekly instructor in order to learn its opinion.
What if some of his finest romances have been criticised? Is there any
human production which can be said to be perfect? Even Walter Scott
acknowledged that his "Monastery" and probably some of his other works
were total failures. We hope to spend many a long winter night yet in
reading some of Mr. Cooper's new novels.
DIARY OF AN ENNUYEE. _Boston: Lilly, Wait, Colman & Holden._ 1833.
We opened this book, we confess, with some reluctance. The reading
world has been so completely surfeited, especially in late years, by
works of the same description,--by the diaries and letters of
travellers and tourists,--and many of them have been so obviously
designed to encourage the art of _book making_, rather than to impart
solid instruction or intellectual pleasure, that we had almost
resolved to proscribe altogether that branch of literature. France,
Switzerland and Italy, have, moreover, been so often described, that
neither the theatre of Napoleon's glory, nor the {19} sublimities of
Alpine scenery--nor the classical antiquities of the "Eternal
City"--could impart any longer, it was supposed, the grace or
freshness of novelty to the sketches of a new adventurer. Fortunately
for us, however, we did not carry our resolution into effect, until we
looked into the charming volume whose title is at the head of this
article. For rich and powerful thought,--for glowing and beautiful
description,--for chaste composition and elegance of taste, we have
seldom or never seen it surpassed. It is, too, the production of a
lady,--an Englishwoman of rank and fortune, who seems to have visited
the sunny clime of Italy in order to restore a constitution wasted by
disease, and if possible, alleviate some secret misery which was
"feeding on her damask cheek" and withering her
heart.--Notwithstanding her efforts to conceal her wretchedness,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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