Hawthorne as Myth-Maker
The private non-rational pattern, the personal myth of an artist ''is in fact … the source of the coherence of his argument.'' (Northrop Frye) The critic must recognize that myth, or fail to understand fully the artist''s statement and method. This is the basic premise of Mr. McPherson''s study. He formulates the idea that Hawthorne''s work rises out of a personal mythology, a hidden life in which...
The private non-rational pattern, the personal myth of an artist ''is in fact … the source of the coherence of his argument.'' (Northrop Frye) The critic must recognize that myth, or fail to understand fully the artist''s statement and method. This is the basic premise of Mr. McPherson''s study. He formulates the idea that Hawthorne''s work rises out of a personal mythology, a hidden life in which...
