![Wallace Ben-Hur cover](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Wallace_Ben-Hur_cover.jpg)
The Golden Age of Indiana Literature is a period between 1880 and 1920, when many nationally and internationally acclaimed literary works were created by natives of the state of
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. During this time, many of the United States' most popular authors came from Indiana.
Maurice Thompson
James Maurice Thompson (September 9, 1844 – February 15, 1901) was an American novelist, poet, essayist, archer and naturalist.
Biography
James Maurice Thompson was born in 1844 in the former town of Fairfield, Indiana, located in Union Co ...
,
George Ade
George Ade (February 9, 1866 – May 16, 1944) was an American writer, syndicated newspaper columnist, and playwright who gained national notoriety at the turn of the 20th century with his "Stories of the Streets and of the Town", a column that ...
,
Booth Tarkington
Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels '' The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitz ...
,
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (; August 27, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm mora ...
,
Edward Eggleston
Edward Eggleston (December 10, 1837 – September 3, 1902) was an American historian and novelist.
Biography
Eggleston was born in Vevay, Indiana, to Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. The author George Cary Eggleston was his brother. A ...
,
Frank McKinney Hubbard,
George Barr McCutcheon
George Barr McCutcheon (July 26, 1866 – October 23, 1928) was an American popular novelist and playwright. His best known works include a series of novels set in Graustark, a fictional East European country, and the novel ''Brewster's Millio ...
,
Meredith Nicholson
Meredith Nicholson (December 9, 1866 – December 21, 1947) was a best-selling author from Indiana, United States, a politician, and a diplomat.
Biography
Nicholson was born on December 9, 1866, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, to Edward Willis Nic ...
,
Gene Stratton Porter,
Lew Wallace
Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...
, and
James Whitcomb Riley
James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...
were foremost among the
Hoosier
Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem " ...
authors.
[
Wallace's '' Ben Hur: A Tale of Christ'' became the best selling book of the 19th century, and Riley became the most prominent poet of the age, writing poems that included "]Little Orphant Annie
"Little Orphant Annie" is an 1885 poem written by James Whitcomb Riley and published by the Bowen-Merrill Company. First titled "The Elf Child", the name was changed by Riley to "Little Orphant Allie" at its third printing; however, a typesetti ...
". Tarkington, Thompson, and Nicholson each authored several best selling novels, including ''The Gentleman from Indiana'' (Tarkington), ''Alice of Old Vincennes'' (Thompson), and ''The House of a Thousand Candles'' (Nicholson). Dreiser, an open communist, lived the longest out of the group and wrote many works of fiction and non-fiction focusing on topics of importance to society. He was unique among the group in that he was greatly disliked by citizens of his own state.[
Ade, a ]writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
, syndicated newspaper columnist, and playwright, is best known for his use of street language and slang to describe urban life in "Stories of the Streets and of the Town," his newspaper column for the ''Chicago Record'', and his fables in slang, humorous stories that featured vernacular speech and the liberal use of capitalization. Ade's fables were published in his syndicated newspaper column, in magazines, and as a series of books, which earned him the nickname of the "Aesop of Indiana." Ade also wrote several plays produced for the Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
stage between 1900 and 1910, including ' The County Chairman'' (1903) and '' The College Widow'' (1904), his best-known theatrical works, which were also adapted into motion pictures. He also wrote other film scripts and one-act plays.
Stratton-Porter was a best-selling novelist and author of nature studies, poetry, short stories, and children's books. '' A Girl of the Limberlost'' (1909) remains her best-known work. Stratton-Porter was also a columnist for national magazines such as ''McCall's
''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-f ...
'' and ''Good Housekeeping
''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Hous ...
''. Eight of her novels have been adapted into motion pictures.[ See also: Gugin and St. Clair, eds., pp. 333–35.]
The period corresponded to growth in other cultural areas including the creation of the Hoosier Group
The Hoosier Group was a group of Indiana Impressionist painters working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Artists considered members of the Group include T. C. Steele, Richard Gruelle, William Forsyth, J. Ottis Adams, and Otto Stark. To ...
of landscape painters, and prominence of Indiana music composers like Paul Dresser
Paul Dresser (born Johann Paul Dreiser Jr.; April 22, 1857 – January 30, 1906) was an American singer, songwriter, and comedic actor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dresser performed in traveling minstrel and medicine-wa ...
. During the decades of the age, Indiana ranked second among states in the production of best selling books.
References
{{Indiana history
1880s in Indiana
1890s in Indiana
1900s in Indiana
1910s in Indiana
1920s in Indiana
1880s in literature
1890s in literature
1900s in literature
1910s in literature
1920s in literature
Indiana culture
History of Indiana
American literature by state
Indiana Literature
History of literature in the United States