A Virtuoso's Collection - Taschenbuch

l ir iuoso By lamaniel orne With an Introduction by J. CHRISTIAN BAY PRIVATELY PRINTED FOR THE FRIENDS OF THE TORCH PRESS CEDAR RAPIDS, IA., CHRISTMAS NINETEEN FORTY-NINE ur Cyuesi accompany this reprinting of one of Nathaniel Hawthornes romantic fancies. Apart from the consideration of cheerful en tertainment we had in mind for years to call attention to the pedagogical value of A Vir tuosos Collection. Time and again we have been trying to in duce venerable deans and professors of pro gresssive liberal arts departments to make use of this story. It furnishes an excellent theme wherewith to put senior students on their met tle, testing their cumulated knowledge in his tory and literature, antiquities and folk wis dom. We suggest it for Bachelors finals gen erally. A Virtuosos Collection also might serve for the review paper on general knowledge and in telligence in competitive examinations for ad mittance to the dignity of librarianship. The theme may be stated as follows Read carefully Nathaniel Hawthornes A Virtuosos Collection from copy furnished and write a comment on same, explaining the allu sions to persons, events, objects and episodes, following the sequel of the narrative. Re. Covering the same inquiry orally, in collo quia or seminar, of course would be more dra matic and in many ways more desirable, because vocal discussions and deliberations invariably are more enlightening than the dry rattle of paper. Oral examinations, on the whole, per mit a nice display of personal ingenuity in ask ing questions and in answering or dodging them and this acts as a source of inspiration not only at the examiners desk but also in the audi ence. In the case of written examinations the victims should be given needed time for reading and meditation as well as for the writing of the commentary. Hawthornes sketch is unique in our litera ture. The writing of it, its publication and in clusion as the last chapter in Mosses from an Old Manse, and its incidental stray interludes of true Concord philosophy, are matters of lit erary record easily located by anybody inter ested. It might have been written by any bright essayist and would grace any literary persons repertoire as a tour-de-force indicative of an exquisitely fanciful mind and a sound instinct for surprise and humorous effect. Its ingenious appreciation of historical, biographical, liter ary, antiquarian and artistic implication is ob vious. For this reason alone the reprinting of the little masterpiece in separate form, a short cen tury after the writing of it, seems justified, even if we look away from the above hinted academic availability. A Virtuosos Collection contains one hundred sixty-three allusions to objects, episodes, leg endary and historical persons and events, lo calities, and names...