Hawthorne and Elizabeth Barstow Stoddard

Abstract

THE summer of 1862 was not an auspicious time for bringing out a first novel. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote in February of that year, It is my opinion that the book-trade, and everyone connected with it, is bound to fall below zero, before this war.. .come[s] to an end.' When confronted with the events of 1862-the Peninsular Campaign, Second Bull Run, Antietam, and the prospect of a long bloody conflict-few readers could be expected to devote themselves to a narrative of New England coastal life in the 1830's. Just such a narrative, The Morgesons, was published in June, 1862, by Elizabeth Barstow Stoddard, a little-known author from Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. Despite the circumstances, The Morgesons had a modest sale and favorable reviews. Hawthorne, who read the novel soon after it came out, sent a remarkable letter of encouragement to Mrs. Stoddard.