P.'s Correspondence
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"P.'s Correspondence" is an 1845 sketch by the 19th century American writer
Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
. "P.'s Correspondence" is presented as an epistolary sketch featuring a lengthy letter dated February 29, 1845, and addressed to an unnamed friend who is publishing it. P. has possibly lost his sanity and, despite not leaving his room, has met a wide variety of famous 19th century figures whom he describes. Some of the people he meets were already dead and P. confuses past and present. Among those he encounters in his imagination or claims friendship with are
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...
,
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, John Greenleaf Whittier,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...
,
Charles Brockden Brown Charles Brockden Brown (January 17, 1771 – February 22, 1810) was an American novelist, historian, and editor of the Early National period. He is generally regarded by scholars as the most important American novelist before James Fenimore ...
, and
Joel Barlow Joel Barlow (March 24, 1754 – December 26, 1812) was an American poet, and diplomat, and politician. In politics, he supported the French Revolution and was an ardent Jeffersonian republican. He worked as an agent for American speculator Wil ...
. The sketch was first published in ''
The United States Magazine and Democratic Review ''The United States Magazine and Democratic Review'' was a periodical published from 1837 to 1859 by John L. O'Sullivan. Its motto, "The best government is that which governs least", was famously paraphrased by Henry David Thoreau in "Resistance ...
'' in April 1845 before being collected with other Hawthorne stories in ''
Mosses from an Old Manse ''Mosses from an Old Manse'' is a short story collection by Nathaniel Hawthorne, first published in 1846. Background and publication history The collection includes several previously published short stories, and was named in honor of The Old Mans ...
'' in 1846.Wright, Sarah Bird. ''Critical Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work''. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2007: 191.


References


External links


Gutenberg Project full text


{{Authority control 1845 short stories Short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne Alternate history short stories Works originally published in The United States Magazine and Democratic Review