Fanshawe (novel)
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.png) Title page of Fanshawe (1st edition, 1828) | |
| Author | Nathaniel Hawthorne |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Romantic novel |
| Publisher | Marsh and Capen |
Publication date | 1828 |
| Publication place | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 141 |
| OCLC | 191253738 |
Fanshawe[1] is a novel written by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was his first published work, which he published anonymously in 1828.
Hawthorne had worked on a novel as early as his time as an undergraduate at Bowdoin College. Fanshawe, his first published novel, may or may not have been that book.[2] Fanshawe: A Tale appeared anonymously in October 1828 from the Boston publishers Marsh and Capen. Its printing was paid for at the author's own expense, costing him $100.[3] The book was based on Hawthorne's experiences as a Bowdoin College student in the early 1820s.
Fanshawe generally received positive reviews. In what may have been the first review, John Neal's magazine The Yankee referred to it as "powerful and pathetic" and said that the author "should be encouraged to persevering efforts by a fair prospect of future success."[4] Sarah Josepha Hale, then editor of the Ladies' Magazine, advised potential readers buy the book rather than rely on finding it at a circulating library.[5] As she wrote, "Purchase it, reader. There is but one volume, and trust me that it is worth placing in your library."[6] William Leggett saw further potential in the young author: "The mind that produced this little, interesting volume, is capable of making great and rich additions to our native literature."[6]
The book, however, did not sell well. After its commercial failure, Hawthorne burned the unsold copies.[7] Hawthorne felt compelled to abandon novels, instead focusing on short stories, many of which he published anonymously in The Token annual gift book between 1830 and 1838.[8] Fanshawe was so rare and Hawthorne was so secretive about his early attempt at a novel that after his death his wife, Sophia, insisted her husband had never written a novel with that title, despite being shown a copy.[9] Fanshawe was not republished until 1876,[10] when it was picked up by James R. Osgood.[7]
