THEsituationofAmericanliteratureisanomalous。Ithasnocentre，or，ifithave，itislikethatofthesphereofHermes。Itis，dividedintomanysystems，eachrevolvingrounditsseveralsuns，andoftenpresentingtotherestonlythefaintglimmerofamilk-and-waterway。Ourcapitalcity，unlikeLondonorParis，isnotagreatcentralheartfromwhichlifeandvigorradiatetotheextremities，butresemblesmoreanisolatedumbilicusstuckdownasnearasmaybetothecentreoftheland，andseemingrathertotellalegendofformerusefulnessthantoserveanypresentneed。Boston，NewYork，Philadelphia，eachhasitsliteraturealmostmoredistinctthanthoseofthedifferentdialectsofGermany；andtheYoungQueenoftheWesthasalsooneofherown，ofwhichsomearticulaterumorbarelyhasreachedusdwellersbytheAtlantic。
　　Perhapsthereisnotaskmoredifficultthanthejustcriticismofcontemporaryliterature。Itisevenmoregratefultogivepraisewhereitisneededthanwhereitisdeserved，andfriendshipsooftenseducestheironstylusofjusticeintoavagueflourish，thatshewriteswhatseemsratherlikeanepitaphthanacriticism。Yetifpraisebegivenasanalms，wecouldnotdropsopoisonousaoneintoanyman’shat。Thecritic’sinkmaysufferequallyfromtoolargeaninfusionofnutgallsorofsugar。Butitiseasiertobegenerousthantobejust，andwemightreadilyputfaithinthatfabulousdirectiontothehidingplaceoftruth，didwejudgefromtheamountofwaterwhichweusuallyfindmixedwithit。
　　Remarkableexperiencesareusuallyconfinedtotheinnerlifeofimaginativemen，butMr。Poe’sbiographydisplaysavicissitudeandpeculiarityofinterestsuchasisrarelymetwith。Theoffspringofaromanticmarriage，andleftanorphanatanearlyage，hewasadoptedbyMr。Allan，awealthyVirginian，whosebarrenmarriage-bedseemedthewarrantyofalargeestatetotheyoungpoet。
　　HavingreceivedaclassicaleducationinEngland，hereturnedhomeandenteredtheUniversityofVirginia，where，afteranextravagantcourse，followedbyreformationatthelastextremity，hewasgraduatedwiththehighesthonorsofhisclass。ThencameaboyishattempttojointhefortunesoftheinsurgentGreeks，whichendedatSt。Petersburg，wherehegotintodifficultiesthroughwantofapassport，fromwhichhewasrescuedbytheAmericanconsulandsenthome。HenowenteredthemilitaryacademyatWestPoint，fromwhichheobtainedadismissalonhearingofthebirthofasontohisadoptedfather，byasecondmarriage，aneventwhichcutoffhisexpectationsasanheir。ThedeathofMr。Allan，inwhosewillhisnamewasnotmentioned，soonafterrelievedhimofalldoubtinthisregard，andhecommittedhimselfatoncetoauthorshipforasupport。
　　Previouslytothis，however，hehadpublishedin1827asmallvolumeofpoems，whichsoonranthroughthreeeditions，andexcitedhighexpectationsofitsauthor’sfuturedistinctioninthemindsofmanycompetentjudges。
　　Thatnocertainaugurycanbedrawnfromapoet’searliestlispingsthereareinstancesenoughtoprove。Shakespeare’sfirstpoems，thoughbrimfulofvigorandyouthandpicturesqueness，givebutaveryfaintpromiseofthedirectness，condensationandoverflowingmoralofhismaturerworks。Perhaps，however，Shakespeareishardlyacaseinpoint，his“VenusandAdonis“havingbeenpublished，webelieve，inhistwenty-sixthyear。Milton’sLatinversesshowtenderness，afineeyefornature，andadelicateappreciationofclassicmodels，butgivenohintoftheauthorofanewstyleinpoetry。Pope’syouthfulpieceshaveallthesing-song，whollyunrelievedbytheglitteringmalignityandeloquentirreligionofhislaterproductions。Collins’callownamby-pambydiedandgavenosignofthevigorousandoriginalgeniuswhichheafterwarddisplayed。Wehaveneverthoughtthattheworldlostmoreinthe“marvellousboy。”
　　Chatterton，thanaveryingeniousimitatorofobscureandantiquateddulness。Wherehebecomesoriginalasitiscalled，theinterestofingenuityceasesandhebecomesstupid。KirkeWhite’spromiseswereindorsedbytherespectablenameofMr。Southey，butsurelywithnoauthorityfromApollo。Theyhavethemeritofatraditionalpiety，whichtoourmind，ifutteredatall，hadbeenlessobjectionableintheretiredclosetofadiary，andinthesoberraimentofprose。
　　TheydonotclutchholdofthememorywiththedrowningpertinacityofWatts；neitherhavetheytheinterestofhisoccasionalsimple，luckybeauty。Bumshavingfortunatelybeenrescuedbyhishumblestationfromthecontaminatingsocietyofthe“Bestmodels。”wrotewellandnaturallyfromthefirst。Hadhebeenunfortunateenoughtohavehadaneducatedtaste，weshouldhavehadaseriesofpoemsfromwhich，asfromhisletters，wecouldsifthereandthereakernelfromthemassofchaff。Coleridge’syouthfuleffortsgivenopromisewhateverofthatpoeticalgeniuswhichproducedatoncethewildest，tenderest，mostoriginalandmostpurelyimaginativepoemsofmodemtimes。Byron’s“HoursofIdleness“
　　wouldneverfindareaderexceptfromanintrepidandindefatigablecuriosity。InWordsworth’sfirstpreludingsthereisbutadimforebodingofthecreatorofanera。FromSouthey’searlypoems，asaferaugurymighthavebeendrawn。Theyshowthepatientinvestigator，theclosestudentofhistory，andtheunweariedexplorerofthebeautiesofpredecessors，buttheygivenoassurancesofamanwhoshouldaddaughttostockofhouseholdwords，ortotherarerandmoresacreddelightsofthefiresideorthearbor。TheearliestspecimensofShelley’spoeticmindalready，also，givetokensofthatetherealsublimationinwhichthespiritseemstosoarabovetheregionsofwords，butleavesitsbody，theverse，tobeentombed，withouthopeofresurrection，inamassofthem。Cowleyisgenerallyinstancedasawonderofprecocity。Buthisearlyinsipiditiesshowonlyacapacityforrhymingandforthemetricalarrangementofcertainconventionalcombinationsofwords，acapacitywhollydependentonadelicatephysicalorganization，andanunhappymemory。Anearlypoemisonlyremarkablewhenitdisplaysaneffortof_reason，_andtherudestversesinwhichwecantracesomeconceptionoftheendsofpoetry，areworthallthemiraclesofsmoothjuvenileversification。Aschool-boy，onewouldsay，mightacquiretheregularsee-sawofPopemerelybyanassociationwiththemotionoftheplay-groundtilt。
　　Mr。Poe’searlyproductionsshowthathecouldseethroughtheversetothespiritbeneath，andthathealreadyhadafeelingthatallthelifeandgraceoftheonemustdependonandbemodulatedbythewilloftheother。Wecallthemthemostremarkableboyishpoemsthatwehaveeverread。Weknowofnonethatcancomparewiththemformaturityofpurpose，andaniceunderstandingoftheeffectsoflanguageandmetre。Suchpiecesareonlyvaluablewhentheydisplaywhatwecanonlyexpressbythecontradictoryphraseof_innateexperience。_Wecopyoneoftheshorterpoems，writtenwhentheauthorwasonlyfourteen。Thereisalittledimnessinthefillingup，butthegraceandsymmetryoftheoutlinearesuchasfewpoetseverattain。Thereisasmackofambrosiaaboutit。
　　TOHELEN
　　Helen，thybeautyistomeLikethoseNiceanbarksofyore，Thatgently，o’eraperfumedsea，Theweary，way-wornwandererboreTohisownnativeshore。
　　Ondesperateseaslongwonttoroam，Thyhyacinthhair，thyclassicface，ThyNaiadairshavebroughtmehomeTotheglorythatwasGreeceAndthegrandeurthatwasRome。
　　Lo！inyonbrilliantwindow-nicheHowstatue-likeIseetheestand！
　　Theagatelampwithinthyhand，Ah！Psyche，fromtheregionswhichAreHolyLand！
　　Itisthetendencyof__theyoungpoetthatimpressesus。Hereisno“witheringscorn。”noheart“blighted“ereithassafelygotintoitsteens，noneofthedrawing-roomsansculottismwhichByronhadbroughtintovogue。Allislimpidandserene，withapleasantdashoftheGreekHeliconinit。Themelodyofthewhole，too，isremarkable。Itisnotofthatkindwhichcanbedemonstratedarithmeticallyuponthetipsofthefingers。Itisofthatfinersortwhichtheinnerearalone_can_estimate。Itseemssimple，likeaGreekcolumn，becauseofitsperfection。Inapoemnamed“Ligeia。”underwhichtitleheintendedtopersonifythemusicofnature，，ourboy-poetgivesusthefollowingexquisitepicture：
　　Ligeia！Ligeia！
　　Mybeautifulone，WhoseharshestideaWilltomelodyrun，Say，isitthywill，Onthebreezestotoss，Or，capriciouslystill，Likethelonealbatross，Incumbentonnight，Assheontheair，TokeepwatchwithdelightOntheharmonythere？
　　JohnNeal，himselfamanofgenius，andwhoselyrehasbeentoolongcapriciouslysilent，appreciatedthehighmeritoftheseandsimilarpassages，anddrewaproudhoroscopefortheirauthor。
　　Mr。Poehadthatindescribablesomethingwhichmenhaveagreedtocall_genius。_Nomancouldevertelluspreciselywhatitis，andyetthereisnonewhoisnotinevitablyawareofitspresenceanditspower。Lettalentwritheandcontortitselfasitmay，ithasnosuchmagnetism。Largerofboneandsinewitmaybe，butthewingsarewanting。Talentsticksfasttoearth，anditsmostperfectworkshavestillone-footofclay。GeniusclaimskindredwiththeveryworkingsofNatureherself，sothatasunsetshallseemlikeaquotationfromDante，andifShakespearebereadintheverypresenceoftheseaitself，hisversesshallbutseemnoblerforthesublimecriticismofocean。Talentmaymakefriendsforitself，butonlygeniuscangivetoitscreationsthedivinepowerofwinningloveandveneration。
　　Enthusiasmcannotclingtowhatitselfisunenthusiastic，norwillheeverhavediscipleswhohasnothimselfimpulsivezealenoughtobeadisciple。Greatwitsarealliedtomadnessonlyinasmuchastheyarepossessedandcarriedawaybytheirdemon，Whiletalentkeepshim，asParacelsusdid，securelyprisonedinthepommelofhissword。Totheeyeofgenius，theveilofthespiritualworldiseverrentasunderthatitmayperceivetheministersofgoodandevilwhothrongcontinuallyaroundit。Nomanofmeretalenteverflunghisinkstandatthedevil。
　　WhenwesaythatMr。Poehadgenius，wedonotmeantosaythathehasproducedevidenceofthehighest。Buttosaythathepossessesitatallistosaythatheneedsonlyzeal，industry，andareverenceforthetrustreposedinhim，toachievetheproudesttriumphsandthegreenestlaurels。IfwemaybelievetheLonginuses；andAristotlesofournewspapers，wehavequitetoomanygeniusesoftheloftiestordertorenderaplaceamongthematalldesirable，whetherforitshardnessofattainmentoritsseclusion。ThehighestpeakofourParnassusis，accordingtothesegentlemen，byfarthemostthicklysettledportionofthecountry，acircumstancewhichmustmakeitanuncomfortableresidenceforindividualsofapoeticaltemperament，ifloveofsolitudebe，asimmemorialtraditionasserts，anecessarypartoftheiridiosyncrasy。
　　Mr。Poehastwooftheprimequalitiesofgenius，afacultyofvigorousyetminuteanalysis，andawonderfulfecundityofimagination。Thefirstofthesefacultiesisasneedfultotheartistinwords，asaknowledgeofanatomyistotheartistincolorsorinstone。Thisenableshimtoconceivetruly，tomaintainaproperrelationofparts，andtodrawacorrectoutline，whilethesecondgroups，fillsupandcolors。BothoftheseMr。Poehasdisplayedwithsingulardistinctnessinhisproseworks，thelastpredominatinginhisearliertales，andthefirstinhislaterones。Injudgingofthemeritofanauthor，andassigninghimhisnicheamongourhouseholdgods，wehavearighttoregardhimfromourownpointofview，andtomeasurehimbyourownstandard。But，inestimatingtheamountofpowerdisplayedinhisworks，wemustbegovernedbyhisowndesign，andplacingthembythesideofhisownideal，findhowmuchiswanting。WedifferfromMr。Poeinhisopinionsoftheobjectsofart。HeesteemsthatobjecttobethecreationofBeauty，andperhapsitisonlyinthedefinitionofthatwordthatwedisagreewithhim。
　　Butinwhatweshallsayofhiswritings，weshalltakehisownstandardasourguide。Thetempleofthegodofsongisequally。
　　accessiblefromeveryside，andthereisroomenoughinitforallwhobringofferings，orseekinoracle。
　　Inhistales，Mr。Poehaschosentoexhibithispowerchieflyinthatdimregionwhichstretchesfromtheveryutmostlimitsoftheprobableintotheweirdconfinesofsuperstitionandunreality。Hecombinesinaveryremarkablemannertwofacultieswhichareseldomfoundunited；apowerofinfluencingthemindofthereaderbytheimpalpableshadowsofmystery，andaminutenessofdetailwhichdoesnotleaveapinorabuttonunnoticed。Bothare，intruth，thenaturalresultsofthepredominatingqualityofhismind，towhichwehavebeforealluded，analysis。Itisthiswhichdistinguishestheartist。Hismindatoncereachesforwardtotheeffecttobeproduced。Havingresolvedtobringaboutcertainemotionsinthereader，hemakesallsubordinatepartstendstrictlytothecommoncentre。Evenhismysteryismathematicaltohisownmind。TohimXisaknownquantityallalong。Inanypicturethathepaintsheunderstandsthechemicalpropertiesofallhiscolors。Howevervaguesomeofhisfiguresmayseem，howeverformlesstheshadows，tohimtheoutlineisasclearanddistinctasthatofageometricaldiagram。ForthisreasonMr。PoehasnosympathywithMysticism。TheMysticdwellsinthemystery，isenvelopedwithit；itcolorsallhisthoughts；itaffectshisopticnerveespecially，andthecommonestthingsgetarainbowedgingfromit。Mr。Poe，ontheotherhand，isaspectator_abextra。_Heanalyzes，hedissects，hewatches“withaneyeserene，Theverypulseofthemachine。”
　　forsuchitpracticallyistohim，withwheelsandcogsandpiston-rods，allworkingtoproduceacertainend。
　　Thisanalyzingtendencyofhismindbalancesthepoetical，andbygivinghimthepatiencetobeminute，enableshimtothrowawonderfulrealityintohismostunrealfancies。Amonomaniahepaintswithgreatpower。Helovestodissectoneofthesecancersofthemind，andtotraceallthesubtleramificationsofitsroots。Inraisingimagesofhorror，also，hehasstrangesuccess，conveyingtoussometimesbyaduskyhintsometerrible_doubt_whichisthesecretofallhorror。Heleavestoimaginationthetaskoffinishingthepicture，atasktowhichonlysheiscompetent。