The most momentous circumstance in Melville's development of a deeply personal comprehension of Balzac was his interaction with Nathaniel Hawthorne, an apprentice of French-biased sensibilities. While it is apparent that many literary minded individuals were familiar with Balzac, few had really made a serious study of his methods or tried to crack the secret of his popularity as Hawthorne had. They were often satisfied to denigrate his deplorable morals without engaging seriously the implications of his literary achievements. Importantly, it was at this period in 1850 when the two met that he was particularly steeped in Romantic philosophy and theory, a favorite preoccupation of Melville from the year before with Professor Adler and his packet boat companions. In any conversation, Melville could contribute to the exchange from the German side, while Hawthorne was adept with the French.

Artistic Study

According to William Bysshe Stein, Balzac, whom Hawthorne read in the original, “fascinated him throughout his life; he had procured copies of the French master's work as soon as they appeared in print.” While no Balzac books can be found in Hawthorne's library preserved at Bowdoin, corroborating evidence does support his possession of such works around the time Melville was visiting him. Hawthorne probably acquired most of the volumes from friends or from a private bookseller. According to Austin Warren,

Since Peabody was a bookseller in Boston, it is likely that he would continue to order books through her, especially given that in 1842 he married her sister, Sophia. Concerning Hawthorne's application of Balzac's narrative innovations, Leon Chai writes, “Here I believe it is possible to speak not only of affinity but of an actual influence exerted by the great French author upon his American contemporary.”