Part IV

Other Aspects of the New England Mind

I. The Reign of the Genteel

I. Brahminism and the genteel in letters--a refined ethicism. Dislike of realistic methods. Lowell’s position 435

II. Brahminism and history: The New England school: Ticknor, Jared Sparks--methods of the latter. Bancroft’s _History of the United States_--an attempt at a democratic interpretation. Prescott, Motley, Parkman--followers of the romantic school. Parkman considered 437

III. Longfellow: Influence of Germany. A poet of the library--his aloofness--his translations. The slavery poems. Characteristics 439

II. Nathaniel Hawthorne--Skeptic: A temperament detached, rationalistic, unhopeful, skeptical about Utopias. Neither transcendental nor Unitarian in philosophy, but curious concerning evil. Intellectually unlocalized--his aloofness from romantic Salem. Like Jonathan Edwards in probing the psychology of sin. Tendency to symbolism and allegory. His intellectual poverty--revealed in _American Notes_. Brook Farm and _The Blithedale Romance_--reasons for his interpretation of Hollingsworth and Margaret Fuller. The sterility of his later years 442

III. The Authentic Brahmin

I. Oliver Wendell Holmes--Beacon Street Wit: Decline of his reputation. Holmes and Paine as wits. A child of the eighteenth century turned romantic. A rationalist--hatred of Calvinism. Defense of Boston--a Brahmin rebel defending free thought. Attack on equalitarianism--dislike of the plutocracy--indifferent to proletarian problems. His heroes respectable. An amateur--a minor figure 451

II. James Russell Lowell--Cambridge Brahmin: Of the true Brahmin line. His intellectual confusions. Influence of his Tory heritage--the Lowells. His course determined by environment and certain dominant personalities. Three periods of his intellectual life: the Maria White period and his immersion in current radicalisms--reflections in his verse and prose; the professorial period--immersion in scholarship--his shortcomings as a critic--as a political writer; the ambassadorial period--influence of Godkin--resurgence of Brahmin conservatism--fear of democracy--of agrarian and proletarian movements--concern at political corruption--failure to understand its causes--faith in civil service reform. His escape to London--the final Lowell an English liberal 460

Conclusion: Effects of the Civil War on earlier romanticisms--destruction of the slave economy; strengthening of the rival agrarian and capitalistic economies. Certain anachronisms--eighteenth-century liberalism--local home rule--submerged by movement of consolidation. Romantic literary schools became obsolete. The sovereignty of the middle class and the emergence of realistic criticism 473

Bibliography 475

Index 483