“It seems to me,” said Henry, “that in some way Poe was as great as Shakespeare.”
“Yes,” I said, “in some ways; and that is a very good example. Poe’s power of expression may have been as great in some ways as Shakespeare’s. But just think how immeasurably greater was Shakespeare’s genius, his understanding, and grasp of life!”
“Poe, for instance,” said Henry, “was a great mathematician, and used his deductions in his stories.”
The others told Henry this had nothing to do with his genius. They had a long talk on the relative genius—that is, understanding of life—of Poe and Hawthorne, and brought up many instances.
Marian said: “Was Milton a great genius?”
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I suppose he was,” she said, “but I don’t think he had a great understanding of human life.”
“Have you read ‘Paradise Lost’?” I asked her.
“Yes,” she answered.
“Then you must have noticed his wonderful sympathy with, and understanding of, the devil himself. He saw the tremendous contrasts of life, and understood them.”