Rappaccini's Daughter

           WedonotremembertohaveseenanytranslatedspecimensoftheproductionsofM.del’Aubepine—afactthelesstobewonderedat,ashisverynameisunknowntomanyofhisowncountrymenaswellastothestudentofforeignliterature.Asawriter,heseemstooccupyanunfortunatepositionbetweentheTranscendentalists(who,underonenameoranother,havetheirshareinallthecurrentliteratureoftheworld)andthegreatbodyofpen-and-inkmenwhoaddresstheintellectandsympathiesofthemultitude.Ifnottoorefined,atalleventstooremote,tooshadowy,andunsubstantialinhismodesofdevelopmenttosuitthetasteofthelatterclass,andyettoopopulartosatisfythespiritualormetaphysicalrequisitionsoftheformer,hemustnecessarilyfindhimselfwithoutanaudience,excepthereandthereanindividualorpossiblyanisolatedclique.Hiswritings,todothemjustice,arenotaltogetherdestituteoffancyandoriginality;theymighthavewonhimgreaterreputationbutforaninveterateloveofallegory,whichisapttoinvesthisplotsandcharacterswiththeaspectofsceneryandpeopleintheclouds,andtostealawaythehumanwarmthoutofhisconceptions.Hisfictionsaresometimeshistorical,sometimesofthepresentday,andsometimes,sofarascanbediscovered,havelittleornoreferenceeithertotimeorspace.Inanycase,hegenerallycontentshimselfwithaveryslightembroideryofoutwardmanners,—thefaintestpossiblecounterfeitofreallife,—andendeavorstocreateaninterestbysomelessobviouspeculiarityofthesubject.