Studies In Classic American Literature

Lawrence treated his American subjects with a mixture of awe and critical suspicion. He characterizedBenjamin Franklinas a staunch, petty rationalist andMichel-Guillaume-Saint-Jean de Crèvecoeuras an emotional figure hiding behind the guise of false idealism, and he viewedEdgar Allan Poewith condescension. Lawrence's positiveassessmentof the work ofHerman Melvillehelped establish that author's reputation in the 1920s. He also examined the writings ofJames Fenimore Cooper,Nathaniel Hawthorne,Walt Whitman, andRichard Henry Dana.