American Literary CentersWord格式文档下载.docx

American Literary CentersWord格式文档下载.docx

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or,ifanyoneisdisposedtodenythis,thenIsay,wehaveadozenfireplaces;

whichisquiteasbad,sofarasthenotionofaliterarycentreisconcerned,ifitisnotworse.

IonceprovedthisfacttomyownsatisfactioninsomepaperswhichI

wroteseveralyearsago;

butitappears,fromaquestionwhichhaslatelycometomefromEngland,thatIdidnotcarryconvictionquitesofarasthatisland;

andIstillhavemyworkallbeforeme,ifIunderstandtheLondonfriendwhowishes"

acomparativeviewofthecentresofliteraryproduction"

amongus;

"

howandwhytheychange;

howtheystandatpresent;

andwhatistherelation,forinstance,ofBostontoothersuchcentres."

I.

Here,ifIcutmycoataccordingtomycloth,tshouldhaveagarmentwhichthiswholevolumewouldhardlystuffoutwithitsform;

andIhaveafancythatifIbeginbyanswering,asIhavesometimesrathertoosuccinctlydone,thatwehavenomoreasingleliterarycentrethanItalyorthanGermanyhas（orhadbeforetheirunification）,Ishallnotbetakenatmyword.Ishallberight,allthesame,andifIamtoldthatinthosecountriesthereisnowatendencytosuchacentre,Icanonlysaythatthereisnoneinthis,andthat,sofarasIcansee,wegetfurthereverydayfromhavingsuchacentre.Thefault,ifitisafault,growsuponus,forthewholepresenttendencyofAmericanlifeiscentrifugal,andjustsofarasliteratureisthelanguageofourlife,itsharesthistendency.Idonotattempttosayhowitwillbewhen,inordertospreadourselvesovertheearth,andconvincinglytopreachtheblessingsofourdeeplyincorporatedcivilizationbythemouthsofoureight-inchguns,themindofthenationshallbepoliticallycentredatsomecapital;

thatisthefunctionofprophecy,andIamonlywritingliteraryhistory,onaverysmallscale,withasomewhatcrushingsenseoflimits.

Once,twice,thricetherewasapparentlyanAmericanliterarycentre:

atPhiladelphia,fromthetimeFranklinwenttolivethereuntilthedeathofCharlesBrockdenBrown,ourfirstromancer;

thenatNewYork,duringtheperiodwhichmayberoughlydescribedasthatofIrving,Poe,Willis,andBryant;

thenatBoston,forthethirtyorfortyyearsilluminedbythepresenceofLongfellow,Lowell,Whittier,Hawthorne,Emerson,Holmes,Prescott,Parkman,andmanylesserlights.Theseareallstillgreatpublishingcentres.IfitwerenotthatthehousewiththelargestlistofAmericanauthorswasstillatBoston,IshouldsayNewYorkwasnowthechiefpublishingcentre;

butinthesensethatLondonandParis,orevenMadridandPetersburg,areliterarycentres,withacontrollinginfluencethroughoutEnglandandFrance,SpainandRussia,neitherNewYorknorBostonisnowourliterarycentre,whatevertheymayoncehavebeen.NottotakePhiladelphiatooseriously,ImaynotethatwhenNewYorkseemedourliterarycentreIrvingaloneamongthosewhogaveitlustrewasaNew-Yorker,andhemainlylivedabroad;

Bryant,whowasaNewEnglander,wasaloneconstanttothecityofhisadoption;

Willis,aBostonian,andPoe,aMarylander,wentandcameastheirpovertyortheirprosperitycompelledorinvited;

neitherdwelthereunbrokenly,andPoedidnotevendiehere,thoughheoftencamenearstarving.OnecannotthenstrictlyspeakofanyearlyAmericanliterarycentreexceptBoston,andBoston,strictlyspeaking,wastheNewEnglandliterarycentre.

However,wehadreallynouseforanAmericanliterarycentrebeforetheCivilWar,foritwasonlyaftertheCivilWarthatwereallybegantohaveanAmericanliterature.UptothattimewehadaColonialliterature,aKnickerbockerliterature,andaNewEnglandliterature.

Butassoonasthecountrybegantofeelitslifeineverylimbwiththecomingofpeace,itbegantospeakinthevaryingaccentsofallthedifferentsections--North,East,South,West,andFarthestWest;

butnotbeforethattime.

II.

Perhapsthefirstnoteofthisnationalconcord,ordiscord,wassoundedfromCalifornia,inthevoicesofMr.BretHarte,ofMarkTwain,ofMr.

CharlesWarrenStoddard（IamsorryforthosewhodonotknowhisbeautifulIdylsoftheSouthSeas）,andothersoftheremarkablegroupofpoetsandhumoristswhomthesenamesmuststa