Paul Hamilton Hayne, Augusta, Georgia, to Edward Spencer, 1872

Extent:

16 p.

Scope and content:

[Says he found his recent letters thought-provoking and pithy; comments on violets and how flowers affected the temperaments of Oliver Wendell Holmesand John Keats; compliments him on his critical and intellectual abilities; discusses his life at Copse Hill; feels he has benefited greatly from his withdrawal from society; comments on his daily observation of nature; thanks Spencer for criticism of his work; considers Southern Magazinethe only "trustworthy" critical magazine; feel The Atlanticand The New York Nationare imperfect; responds in detail to Spencer's evaluation of his poems, including " Daphles: An Argative Story, " " Renewed, " " The Wife of Brittany, " " Krishna and his Three Handmaidens, " " Under the Pine (To the Memory of Henry Timrod), " and " The Dream of the South Winds, " " The Bonny Brown Hand, " and " Fire Picture"; discusses the creation of " The Wife of Brittany" which involved a modernization of Chaucer mixed with the influence of Dryden and Keats.]

Names:

Paul Hamilton Hayne
Edward Spencer
Oliver Wendell Holmes
John Keats

Access and use