The First Two Paragraphs of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter"

Many of the free versions of "Rappaccini's Daughter" that appear on the Internet omit the first two paragraphs of the story as it was originally published in 1844 in the magazine The United States Magazine and Democratic Review.

Those that do include the paragraphs don't generally explain them-- and they need a good deal of explaining if even only because the second paragraph is full of French words and, alas, we don't all speak French or maybe we've just become a little rusty since French class.

In short, in these paragraphs, Hawthorne is taking on the persona of an editor or reviewer discussing Hawthorne's writing and mocking it. This editor refers to Hawthorne as "M.[onsieur] de l' Auberpine" which is French for Mr. Hawthorne. He makes a number of wisecracks about how indecipherable Hawthorne's work is. At one point, the editor contrasts Hawthorne's work to the popular French author Eugene Sue, suggesting that Hawthorne writes so much you'd think he was actually successful like Sue.

The French titles in the second paragraph refer to titles of works that Hawthorne had actually written, such as his collection of stories Twice-Told Tales (“Contes deux fois racontées”) and his story "The Celestial Railroad" ( “Le Voyage Céleste à Chemin de Fer”). The abbreviations after the names suggest that these are long works that come in "tom. [tomes]"-- meaning volumes, but in fact they are all short stories. So, again, he is mocking himself.

One question for the reader of "Rappaccini's Daughter" is why would Hawthorne create this fictitious, mocking prologue to the story. What purpose might it serve?

Without furhter ado, here then are the first two paragraphs of "Rappaccini's Daughter":

We do not remember to have seen any translated specimens of the productions of M. de l’Aubépine—a fact the less to be wondered at, as his very name is unknown to many of his own countrymen as well as to the student of foreign literature. As a writer, he seems to occupy an unfortunate position between the Transcendentalists (who, under one name or another, have their share in all the current literature of the world) and the great body of pen-and-ink men who address the intellect and sympathies of the multitude. If not too refined, at all events too remote, too shadowy, and unsubstantial in his modes of development to suit the taste of the latter class, and yet too popular to satisfy the spiritual or metaphysical requisitions of the former, he must necessarily find himself without an audience, except here and there an individual or possibly an isolated clique. His writings, to do them justice, are not altogether destitute of fancy and originality; they might have won him greater reputation but for an inveterate love of allegory, which is apt to invest his plots and characters with the aspect of scenery and people in the clouds, and to steal away the human warmth out of his conceptions. His fictions are sometimes historical, sometimes of the present day, and sometimes, so far as can be discovered, have little or no reference either to time or space. In any case, he generally contents himself with a very slight embroidery of outward manners,—the faintest possible counterfeit of real life,—and endeavors to create an interest by some less obvious peculiarity of the subject. Occasionally a breath of Nature, a raindrop of pathos and tenderness, or a gleam of humor, will find its way into the midst of his fantastic imagery, and make us feel as if, after all, we were yet within the limits of our native earth. We will only add to this very cursory notice that M. de l’Aubépine’s productions, if the reader chance to take them in precisely the proper point of view, may amuse a leisure hour as well as those of a brighter man; if otherwise, they can hardly fail to look excessively like nonsense.

Our author is voluminous; he continues to write and publish with as much praiseworthy and indefatigable prolixity as if his efforts were crowned with the brilliant success that so justly attends those of Eugene Sue. His first appearance was by a collection of stories in a long series of volumes entitled “Contes deux fois racontées.” The titles of some of his more recent works (we quote from memory) are as follows: “Le Voyage Céleste à Chemin de Fer,” 3 tom., 1838; “Le nouveau Père Adam et la nouvelle Mère Eve,” 2 tom., 1839; “Roderic; ou le Serpent à l’estomac,” 2 tom., 1840; “Le Culte du Feu,” a folio volume of ponderous research into the religion and ritual of the old Persian Ghebers, published in 1841; “La Soirée du Chateau en Espagne,” I tom., 8vo, 1842; and “L’Artiste du Beau; ou le Papillon Mécanique,” 5 tom., 4to, 1843. Our somewhat wearisome perusal of this startling catalogue of volumes has left behind it a certain personal affection and sympathy, though by no means admiration, for M. de l’Aubépine; and we would fain do the little in our power towards introducing him favorably to the American public. The ensuing tale is a translation of his “Beatrice; ou la Belle Empoisonneuse,” recently published in “La Revue AntiAristocratique.” This journal, edited by the Comte de Bearhaven, has for some years past led the defence of liberal principles and popular rights with a faithfulness and ability worthy of all praise.

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Click here for an annotated version of the remainder of the story.