1875 - 1876: The Raw Youth to The Dolliver Romance

Chronology of World, British and American Literature

Dostoevsky. Russian. 1875. Novel. The Raw Youth. Youth tries to find something solid in the chaos of the times; decides on wealth. His true father is a product of the acceptance of Western ideas; he is also a rival for his son’s love interest. Disillusioned, the youth accepts his nominal father’s quest for the love of all of God’s creation.

Mark Twain. American. 1876. Sketch. “1601.” Subtitled “Conversations As It Was by the Social Fireside in the Time of the Tudors.” Twain freely uses Anglo-Saxon vocabulary.

Henry James. American/British. 1876. Novel. Roderick Hudson. American sculptor studies in Rome and becomes discouraged and disillusioned.

Herman Melville. American. 1876. Poetry. Clarel; a Poem and a Pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Asks if civilization can survive after science has caused a loss of faith. Characters interact on a pilgrimage from Jerusalem to Gethsemane, the Dead Sea, and Bethlehem. Faith vs. doubt.

Nathaniel Hawthorne. American. 1876. Novel. The Dolliver Romance (Unfinished). Dr. Dolliver prepares elixir of life so that he might live to care for his granddaughter; selfish Dabney overdoses, dies.