Apple-Tree Table, and Other Sketches Story 2 - Hawthorne and his Mosses Part 1

Apple-Tree Table, and Other Sketches Story 2 - Hawthorne and his Mosses part 2

In which the author muses upon the vibrant originality and latent greatness of American literature, urging the nation to cherish and support its native authors rather than imitate foreign models. He then offers a heartfelt appreciation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work as a profound and uniquely American voice, advocating for recognition of his genius in the very generation that beholds it.

Apple-Tree Table, and Other Sketches Story 2 - Hawthorne and his Mosses Part 1

In which a secluded farmhouse amid northern hills serves as the contemplative setting for a reflective and reverent meditation on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s character and writings, particularly his profound blend of gentle humour and deep, sometimes sombre, intellect. Amid musings on the nature of genius and comparisons with Shakespeare, the narrative unfolds with a tender appreciation of Hawthorne’s unique spirit and the mystical shadows that lend his work its enduring power.

Apple-Tree Table, and Other Sketches Story 1 - The Apple Tree Table Part 2

In which the narrator recounts an eerie nocturnal ticking emanating from an antique apple-tree table, which upon investigation reveals a most curious creature struggling to emerge from the wood itself. The tale unfolds with a blend of scientific inquiry and domestic superstition, culminating in a reflection on the marvelous mysteries hidden within the commonplace things of life.

Apple-Tree Table, and Other Sketches Story 1 - The Apple Tree Table Part 1

In which a peculiar old apple-tree table, discovered in a long-forgotten garret reputed to be haunted, is brought into the family’s daily life amid curious tickings and uneasy suspicions. The narrator’s contemplation of a dusty tome and the eerie sounds emanating from the humble table provoke a mixture of scientific wonder and supernatural dread within the quiet domestic sphere.

Redburn Chapters LX - LXII

In which the weary voyagers at last behold the longed-for shores of America, undergoing the rites and rituals of arrival with a mixture of joy, weariness, and the stern necessities imposed by quarantine and custom. And in the bustling harbours and streets of New York, the freshness of freedom is mingled with the sober reckonings of wage and friendship, as one comrade fades into the wider currents of a strange city and an uncertain fate.