The Power of Sympathy
Encyclopedia
The Power of Sympathy: or, The Triumph of Nature (1789) is an eighteenth-century American sentimental novel
written in epistolary
form by William Hill Brown
; it is widely considered to be the first American novel. Published by Isaiah Thomas in January 1789, The Power of Sympathy was Brown's first novel. The characters' struggles illustrate the dangers of seduction and the pitfalls of giving in to one's passions while advocating the moral education of women and the use of rational thinking as methods of preventing consequences of such actions.
A century after William Hill Brown’s death in 1793, Arthur Bayley, editor of The Bostonian published a serial publication of The Power of Sympathy, attributing the work to Sarah Wentworth Morton of Boston, a poetess. Through much of the nineteenth century, the author was believed to be female. Rebecca Vollentine Thompson, an old woman at the time, heard of the publication and contacted Bayley, correcting him as to the true author of the novel: her uncle, William Hill Brown. Bayley subsequently added the correction to The Bostonian, clearing up the question of The Power of Sympathy’s authorship. (this paragraph needs citation)
Myra Harrington, sister to Harrington
Harriot Fawcet, illegitimate sister to Harrington and Myra
Jack Worthy
Mrs. Eliza Holmes, common friend of Harrington, Harriot, and Myra
Mr. Harrington, Thomas and Myra's father
Maria, Mr. Harrington's mistress and Harriot's mother
Martin and Ophelia
Upon receiving the news of this family secret, Harriot and Harrington are devastated, as their relationship is incest
uous and thus forbidden. Harriot falls into a grief-stricken consumption from which she is unable to recover. Harrington spirals into a deep depression and commits suicide after learning of Harriot's death.
As the novel’s title indicates, sympathy
is the driving force behind several characters’ actions. The excesses of sympathetic thought lead to tragedy; it is implied that Harrington’s suicide, for example, is spurred on by an over identification with The Sorrows of Young Werther
, a copy of which is found alongside his body. These excesses are contrasted with the rational thinking of characters like Worthy, who strives to uphold normative social and moral ideals. While the overly sympathetic characters do not survive the course of the novel, the rational characters do survive, suggesting that at the very least, a balance of sympathy and rational thinking (or the use of reason to overcome passion) are necessary for a productive, successful member of society.
Another scholarly discussion surrounding the text is the question of its ability to serve as a didactic text for eighteenth century readers, with earlier critics unquestioningly discussing the novel's didactic intent; more recent scholars, however, have questioned the novel's ability to teach morality yet frankly discuss seduction and incest. The novel’s preface claims that it is “Intended to represent the specious causes, and to Expose the fatal CONSEQUENCES, of SEDUCTION; To inspire the Female Mind With a Principle of Self Complacency, and to Promote the Economy of Human Life.” Essentially, Brown claims that his text has the ability to teach young women how to avoid these scandalous errors. Ample discussions of seduction
and incest
are included (as Brown suggests) to illustrate these potential dangers to young men and women. However, scholars have questioned the inclusion of such topics, asserting that these issues overshadow the morality lesson they supposedly teach and arguing that eighteenth century readers read such novels for the thrill of taboo discussions—-not moral guidance.
As the literacy rates increased at this time, so did the supply and variety of publications and reading materials. Correspondence by mail became extremely popular, tying in with the style in which The Power of Sympathy was written in: letters.
While The Power of Sympathy was released in 1789, American novels were not a popular or common publication in the United States in the late 18th century -– this novel was considered the first American novel. The most common type of publication at that time was the newspaper.
With the boom of literacy and publication taking place, so did a sort of democratization of print. No longer were publications limited to the wealthy and well-educated: books, bibles, and newspapers were becoming available to the masses.
Sentimental novel
The sentimental novel or the novel of sensibility is an 18th century literary genre which celebrates the emotional and intellectual concepts of sentiment, sentimentalism, and sensibility...
written in epistolary
Epistolary novel
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use...
form by William Hill Brown
William Hill Brown
William Hill Brown was an American novelist, the author of what is usually considered the first American novel, The Power of Sympathy and "Harriot, Or The Domestick Reconciliation" as well as the serial essay "The Reformer" published in Isaiah Thomas' Massachusetts Magazine.In both, Brown proves an...
; it is widely considered to be the first American novel. Published by Isaiah Thomas in January 1789, The Power of Sympathy was Brown's first novel. The characters' struggles illustrate the dangers of seduction and the pitfalls of giving in to one's passions while advocating the moral education of women and the use of rational thinking as methods of preventing consequences of such actions.
Historical context
The novel mirrors a local New England scandal involving Brown's neighbor Perez Morton's incestuous seduction of Fanny Apthorp; Fanny was Morton's sister in law. Fanny became pregnant and committed suicide, but Morton was not legally punished. The scandal was widely known, so most readers were able to quickly identify the "real" story behind the fiction: "in every essential, Brown's story is an indictment of Morton and an exoneration of Fanny Apthorp," with "Martin" and "Ophelia" representing Morton and Fanny, respectively.A century after William Hill Brown’s death in 1793, Arthur Bayley, editor of The Bostonian published a serial publication of The Power of Sympathy, attributing the work to Sarah Wentworth Morton of Boston, a poetess. Through much of the nineteenth century, the author was believed to be female. Rebecca Vollentine Thompson, an old woman at the time, heard of the publication and contacted Bayley, correcting him as to the true author of the novel: her uncle, William Hill Brown. Bayley subsequently added the correction to The Bostonian, clearing up the question of The Power of Sympathy’s authorship. (this paragraph needs citation)
Characters
Thomas HarringtonMyra Harrington, sister to Harrington
Harriot Fawcet, illegitimate sister to Harrington and Myra
Jack Worthy
Mrs. Eliza Holmes, common friend of Harrington, Harriot, and Myra
Mr. Harrington, Thomas and Myra's father
Maria, Mr. Harrington's mistress and Harriot's mother
Martin and Ophelia
Plot summary
The opening letters between Harrington and Worthy reveal that Harrington has fallen for Harriot, despite the reservations of his father. Harriot resists Harrington's initial advances, as he intends to make her his mistress; readers also find that Worthy encourages Harrington to abandon his licentious motives in favor of properly courting Harriot. When Harrington and Harriot become engaged, however, Mrs. Holmes becomes alarmed and exposes a deep family secret to Myra: Harriot is in fact Harrington and Myra’s illegitimate sister. (Mr. Harrington's one time affair with Maria Fawcet resulted in Harriot's birth, which had to be kept a secret to maintain the family’s honor. Thus, Eliza’s mother-in-law, the late Mrs. Holmes, took Maria and Harriot into her home. After Maria’s death, Harriot was raised by a family friend, Mrs. Francis.)Upon receiving the news of this family secret, Harriot and Harrington are devastated, as their relationship is incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous and thus forbidden. Harriot falls into a grief-stricken consumption from which she is unable to recover. Harrington spirals into a deep depression and commits suicide after learning of Harriot's death.
Critical Discussions
The novel has ties to American politics and nationhood, just as many early American sentimental novels can be read as allegorical accounts of the nation's development. These critics have argued that these novels' use of moral education as a means to avoid seduction functions as a way to show readers the virtues and education most needed by the new American nation. Elizabeth Maddock Dillon complicates this standard reading by locating the novel within a global context marked by "forces of colonialism, mercantile capitalism, and imperialism." In this reading, the workings of the novel (incest and miscegenation specifically, Dillon argues) are read not necessarily as indicative of the formation of the American nation but as representative of the effects of colonialism in the New World.As the novel’s title indicates, sympathy
Sympathy
Sympathy is a social affinity in which one person stands with another person, closely understanding his or her feelings. Also known as empathic concern, it is the feeling of compassion or concern for another, the wish to see them better off or happier. Although empathy and sympathy are often used...
is the driving force behind several characters’ actions. The excesses of sympathetic thought lead to tragedy; it is implied that Harrington’s suicide, for example, is spurred on by an over identification with The Sorrows of Young Werther
Sorrows of Werther
Sorrows of Werther is a satirical poem by William Makepeace Thackeray written in response to the enormous success of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.WERTHER had a love for CharlotteSuch as words could never utter;...
, a copy of which is found alongside his body. These excesses are contrasted with the rational thinking of characters like Worthy, who strives to uphold normative social and moral ideals. While the overly sympathetic characters do not survive the course of the novel, the rational characters do survive, suggesting that at the very least, a balance of sympathy and rational thinking (or the use of reason to overcome passion) are necessary for a productive, successful member of society.
Another scholarly discussion surrounding the text is the question of its ability to serve as a didactic text for eighteenth century readers, with earlier critics unquestioningly discussing the novel's didactic intent; more recent scholars, however, have questioned the novel's ability to teach morality yet frankly discuss seduction and incest. The novel’s preface claims that it is “Intended to represent the specious causes, and to Expose the fatal CONSEQUENCES, of SEDUCTION; To inspire the Female Mind With a Principle of Self Complacency, and to Promote the Economy of Human Life.” Essentially, Brown claims that his text has the ability to teach young women how to avoid these scandalous errors. Ample discussions of seduction
Seduction
In social science, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage. The word seduction stems from Latin and means literally "to lead astray". As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation...
and incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
are included (as Brown suggests) to illustrate these potential dangers to young men and women. However, scholars have questioned the inclusion of such topics, asserting that these issues overshadow the morality lesson they supposedly teach and arguing that eighteenth century readers read such novels for the thrill of taboo discussions—-not moral guidance.
Overview of Early American Literacy and the Emergence of Print Culture
In the late 18th century to the early 19th century, America saw a rise in literacy as well as an emergence of a new popular print culture. In 1790, “approximately 85 percent of adult men in New England and 60 percent of those in Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake could read and write,” (Murrin). The literacy rate for women was also on the rise, though much lower than the male literacy rate at “about 45 percent in New England” (Murrin).As the literacy rates increased at this time, so did the supply and variety of publications and reading materials. Correspondence by mail became extremely popular, tying in with the style in which The Power of Sympathy was written in: letters.
While The Power of Sympathy was released in 1789, American novels were not a popular or common publication in the United States in the late 18th century -– this novel was considered the first American novel. The most common type of publication at that time was the newspaper.
With the boom of literacy and publication taking place, so did a sort of democratization of print. No longer were publications limited to the wealthy and well-educated: books, bibles, and newspapers were becoming available to the masses.