Love Letters of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Volume 2 (of 2)
Love Letters of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Volume 2 (of 2)
Love Letters of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Volume 2 is a collection of personal correspondence written by the American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne in the early 19th century. Primarily addressed to his wife, Sophia A. Peabody, these letters reveal Hawthorne's deep affection, reflections on love, and insights into his domestic life. The letters detail his experiences at Brook Farm, expressing his longing for Sophia and sharing anecdotes about farm life, illustrating the emotional depth of their relationship during a time when such expressions were vital in communication.
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“Thou are my only reality-- all other people are but shadows to me: all events and actions, in which thou dost not mingle, are but dreams.””
— Nathaniel Hawthorne
“I used to think that I could imagine all passions, all feelings, all states of the heart and mind; but how little did I know what it is to be mingled with another's being! Thou only hast taught me that I have a heart – thou only hast thrown a light deep downward, and upward, into my soul. Thou only hast revealed me to myself; for without thy aid, my best knowledge of myself would have been merely to know my own shadow – to watch it flickering on the wall, and mistake its fantasies for my own real actions. Indeed, we are but shadows – we are not endowed with real life, and all that seems most real about us is but the thinnest substance of a dream – till the heart is touched. That touch creates us – then we begin to be – thereby we are beings of reality, and inheritors of eternity. Now, dearest, dost thou comprehend what thou hast done for me?””
— Nathaniel Hawthorne
