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Allegories of art, allegories of heart: Hawthorne's "Egotism" and "The Christmas Banquet." (Nathaniel Hawthorne)

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From: Studies in Short Fiction
Date: 19940622
Author:Wohlpart, A. James

Nathaniel Hawthorne's conception of the artist can be seen in the two types of artists he portrays in his short fiction. He is sympathetic to the artist who loves humanity and uses this love to inspire art. He critiques soundly the type of artist who attempts to rise above humanity and create in a God-like manner an art unaffected by human desire or faith. This latter view can be seen as Hawthorne's response to transcendentalism, which he had little faith in.

Hawthorne's artist tales of the 1840s separate into two distinct groups, depending on the type of artist described. In such tales ...

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