V

PHILARETE  CHASLES

THE  year  that  saw  the  publication  of  the
first  part  of  Tocqueville's  "Democratic  en
Ame'rique"  produced  another  work,  shorter  and
of  another  order  of  merit,  but  more  closely
related  than  Tocqueville's  considerations  upon
the  political  aspects  of  democracy  to  the  sub
ject  in  hand  —  to  literature.  The  work  re
ferred  to  is  Philarete  Chasles'  article  in  the
"Revue  des  deux  Mondes."1  "De  la  Litte*ra-
ture  dans  l'Ame*rique  du  Nord,"  an  essay  that
was  to  be  followed  very  frequently  by  others
upon  the  same  subject  during  practically  the
whole  life  of  the  author.  His  last  work,  "De  la
Psychologic  sociale  des  nouveaux  peuples,"  was
published  in  1875,  two  years  after  his  death.
It  would  be  unfair  to  both,  and  it  is  unneces
sary,  to  compare  Chasles  with  Tocqueville.
And  indeed  it  is  of  only  incidental  concern
here  to  determine  their  relative  permanent
worth;  what  is  more  immediately  important
is  to  learn  their  influence  in  directing  contem
porary  thought  upon  American  literature.  And

1  4e  s4rie,  vol.  3,  1835,  pp.  169-202.
118


FRENCH   CRITICISM   OF  AMERICAN   LITERATURE      119

it  may  be  said  at  once  that  the  question  is  one
of  the  most  complicated,  and,  on  account  of
lack  of  documents,  not  possible  to  determine
fully.  Such  questions  are  never  very  tangible,
but  in  this  case  what  appears  a  surprising  lack
of  criticism  upon  Tocqueville,  and  the  fact  that
Chasles'  work  generally  appeared  in  reviews,  is
a  circumstance  that  leaves  the  matter  insoluble
except  in  connection  with  a  general  outline  of
what  afterward  developed  in  this  particular  field
of  criticism.
