The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe - Edgar Allan Poe [1080]
“Abounds with legends,” would be better than “is filled with legends;” for it is clear that if the history were filled with legends, it would be all legend and no history. The word “of,” too, occurs, in the first sentence, with an unpleasant frequency. The “those” commencing the second sentence, grammatically refers to the noun “scenes,” immediately preceding, but is intended for “legends.” The adjective “distinctive” is vaguely and altogether improperly employed. Mr. C. we believe means to say, merely, that although the details of his legends may not be strictly true, facts similar to his leading ones have actually occurred. By use of the word “distinctive,” however, he has contrived to convey a meaning nearly converse. In saying that his legend is “distinctive” in many of the leading facts, he has said what he, clearly, did not wish to say — viz.: that his legend contained facts which distinguished it from all other legends — in other words, facts never before discussed in other legends, and belonging peculiarly to his own. That Mr. C. did mean what we suppose, is rendered evident by the third sentence — “The first alone is necessary to the legitimate objects of fiction.” This third sentence itself, however, is very badly constructed. “The first” can refer, grammatically, only to “facts;” but no such reference is intended. If we ask the question — what is meant by “the first?” — what “alone is necessary to the legitimate objects of fiction?” — the natural reply is, “that facts similar to the leading ones have actually happened.” This circumstance is alone to be cared for — this consideration “alone is necessary to the legitimate objects of fiction.”
“One of the misfortunes of a nation is to hear nothing besides its own praises.” This is the fourth sentence, and is by no means lucid. The design is to say that individuals composing a nation, and living altogether within the national bounds, hear from each other only praises of the nation, and that this is a misfortune to the individuals, since it mis-leads them in regard to the actual condition of the nation. Here it will be seen that, to convey the intended idea, we have been forced to make distinction between the nation and its individual members; for it is evident that a nation is considered as such only in reference to other nations; and thus, as a nation, it hears very much “besides its own praises;” that is to say, it hears the detractions of other rival nations. In endeavoring to compel his meaning within the compass of a brief sentence, Mr. Cooper has completely sacrificed its intelligibility.
The fifth sentence runs thus: — “Although the American Revolution was probably as just an effort as was ever made by a people to resist the first inroads of oppression, the cause had its evil aspects, as well as all other human struggles.”
The American Revolution is here improperly called an “effort.” The effort was the cause, of which the Revolution was the result. A rebellion is an “effort” to effect a revolution. An “inroad of oppression” involves an untrue metaphor; for “inroad” appertains to agg ression, to attack, to active assault. “The cause had its evil aspects, as well as all other human struggles,” implies that the cause had not only its evil aspects, but had, also, all other human struggles. If the words must be retained at all, they should be thus arranged — “The cause like [or as well as] all other human struggles, had its evil aspects;” or better thus — “The cause had its evil aspect, as have all human struggles.” “Other” is superfluous.
The sixth sentence is thus written: — “We have been so much accustomed to hear every thing extolled, of late years, that could be dragged into the remotest connection with that great event, and the principles which led to it, that there is danger of