ABSTRACT
Itisanoddreflectionthatthefutureliteraryhistorianwhoseeksthe greatestAmericanwriteroftheendofthenineteenthcenturywill prettysurelyhavetochoosebetweenMarkTwainandHenryJames. Noneoftheircontemporaries,wefeel,hassofullyrealizedhisnative gift.MarkTwainandHenryJameshaveapparentlygoneasfarasitis possibletogoindiametricallyoppositedirections.Yetthereisapoint atwhichtheirtalentsmeet.Bothareessentiallyfrontiersmen.Mark Twainisthechroniclerparexcellenceofthepalpablefrontierofrobust America;HenryJamesisthescrupulousanalystofthatspiritualfrontierwhichunrobustandnostalgicAmericaestablishedintheold country.Eachhasbroughttohischosenmaterialasingularexpertness andfidelity.IfMarkTwainhasstretchedhismusclesandspenthis sympathyfromtheMississippitotheSierras,HenryJameshasnoless livedstrenuouslytluoughthemoresombrespiritualadventureofthe AmericaninEurope.
