AMERICAN
LITERARY MASTERS
BY LEON H. VINCENT
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 reviewedin this volume represent an important half-centuryof our national literary life. The starting-pointis the year 1809, the date of “A Historyof New York by Diedrich Knickerbocker.” Noauthor is included whose reputation does not rest, inpart, on some notable book published before 1860.
Readers of modern French criticism will notneed to be told that the plan of dividing the studiesinto short sections was taken from Faguet’s admirable“Dix-Septième Siècle.”
I am indebted for many helpful criticisms toMr. James R. Joy, to Miss Mary CharlottePriest, and especially to Mr. Lindsay Swift ofthe 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 | <|