I just finished The Blithedale Romance and I'm full of mixed impressions. I have read enough Hawthorne to admire his ambition - the scope of the things he tries to say within what he says is 'only Romance.' Hawthorne's descriptions can also be incredibly vivid and insightful, especially with respect to the psychological (although this is more so in his Twice Told Tales). He brought to mind Poe's aesthetic and maybe, to a lessor extent, I hear an echo of Blake's concerns. (Which reminds me that I must read more of Blake's poetry - Kara you might like him.)

But mostly I read his books for his incredible self-conciousness as a writer. I see most clearly that his writing is about writing, and his imaginated stories are about imagination and stories. But beyond that his 'little' Romances have a definitely - though subtle - satirical end.

That said, he is a bit overblown and his descriptions, as often as not, seem irrelevant and boring. Neither a nod to realism nor an imaginary landscape. I'm starting to read Frye in hopes that he can shed some light on the conventions that Hawthorne seems caught in and responding against. So far so good - Frye is immensely interesting.

So far not so good? My essay is non-existant.