AMERICAN LITERATURE 1607-1885 BY CHARLES F. RICHARDSON COMPLETE IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I. THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN THOUGHT NEW YORK & LONDON The Knickerbocker Press 1893 AL 38.87.4 (1) HARVARD COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES F. RICHARDSON 1886 Press of G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS New York INTRODUCTION. THE PERSPECTIVE OF AMERICAN LITERATURE. No critical task is more difficult and delicate than that of estimating the rank and analyzing the achievements of American authors. The student of the classical literature of Greece and Rome finds himself, notwithstanding the controversies of scholars, on well-defined ground, with all of which he can familiarize himself, and on which he can work in accordance with clear laws of criticism, unhindered by contemporary prejudice and error. He who takes up the history of some of the living literatures of the world, such as French, or Spanish, or German, or English, or Italian, can consider, if he will, the literary records of past times alone, not venturing upon dangerous questions affecting living authors. The reader of Russian or Norwegian books, which have, indeed, fewer predecessors in past centuries, has the advantage to be derived from the study of works which are closely related to the life and character of somewhat peculiar and isolated peoples, whose output can advantageously be considered by any contemporary foreigner. In the case of our own literature the situation is different. In the first place, it may be noted that |