His meaning is never
left to conjecture, but is stated in pure, exact English. He not only
expresses his ideas perfectly, but he seems to achieve this result without
premeditation. This apparent artlessness is a great charm. He has left
America a new form of prose, which bears the stamp of pure literature, and
which is distinguished not so much for philosophy and depth as for grace,
versatility, refined humor, bright intellectual flashes, and artistic
finish.
THE HISTORIANS
Three natives of Massachusetts and graduates of Harvard, William H.
Prescott, John Lothrop Motley, and Francis Parkman, wrote history in such a
way as to entitle it to be mentioned in our literature. We cannot class as
literature those historical writings which are not enlivened with
imagination, invested with at least an occasional poetic touch, and
expressed in rare style. Unfortunately the very qualities that render
history attractive as literature often tend to raise doubts about the
scientific method and accuracy of the historian. For this reason few
histories keep for a great length of time a place in literature, unless,
like Irving's _Knickerbocker's History of New York_, they aim to give
merely an imaginative interpretation of a past epoch.
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