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Richard Henry Stoddard (July 2, 1825May 12, 1903) was an American critic and poet.


Biography

Richard Henry Stoddard was born on July 2, 1825, in
Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, t ...
. His father, a sea-captain, was wrecked and lost on one of his voyages while Richard was a child, and the lad went in 1835 to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
with his mother, who had married again. He attended the public schools of that city. He became a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
and later an
iron moulder A moldmaker (mouldmaker in English-speaking countries other than the US) or molder is a skilled tradesperson who fabricates moulds for use in casting metal products. Moldmakers are generally employed in foundries, where molds are used to cast p ...
, reading much poetry at the same time. His talents brought him into contact with young men interested in literature, notably with
Bayard Taylor Bayard Taylor (January 11, 1825December 19, 1878) was an American poet, literary critic, translator, travel author, and diplomat. As a poet, he was very popular, with a crowd of more than 4,000 attending a poetry reading once, which was a record ...
, who had just published his ''Views Afoot''. In 1849 he gave up his industrial trades and began to write for a living. He contributed to the ''Union Magazine'', the '' Knickerbocker Magazine'', ''Putnam's Monthly Magazine'' and the ''New York Evening Post''.He married Elizabeth Drew Barstow in 1852; she was also a novelist and poet. The next year,
Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
helped him to secure the appointment of inspector of customs of the Port of New York. He kept this job until 1870. From 1870 to 1873, he was confidential clerk to
George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...
in the New York dock department, and from 1874 to 1875 city librarian of New York. He was literary reviewer for the ''New York World'' (1860–1870); one of the editors of ''
Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...
''; editor of ''
The Aldine ''The Aldine'' was a monthly arts magazine published in New York in the 1800s. History ''The Aldine'' was published by Sutton Browne & Company starting in 1868 as ''The Aldine Press'', which was shortened in 1871. Subtitles included ''A typograp ...
'' (1869–1879), and literary editor of the ''Mail'' and the ''Mail and Express'' (1880–1903). He died in New York on May 12, 1903.


Critical response and legacy

In his parody of contemporary writers, ''The Echo Club (1876)'', Bayard Taylor placed Stoddard as one of the most important critics of the day, alongside
James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell (; February 22, 1819 – August 12, 1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the fireside poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets that r ...
and
George Ripley George Ripley may refer to: * George Ripley (alchemist) (died 1490), English author and alchemist *George Ripley (transcendentalist) George Ripley (October 3, 1802 – July 4, 1880) was an American social reformer, Unitarian minister, and journ ...
. More important than his critical was his poetical work, which at its best is sincere, original and marked by delicate fancy, and felicity of form; and his songs have given him a high and permanent place among American lyric poets. Stoddard’s 1856 poem "Roses and Thorns", in a Russian translation by
Aleksey Pleshcheyev Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Никола́евич Плеще́ев; 8 October 1893) was a radical Russian poet of the 19th century, once a member of the Petrashevsky Circle. Pleshcheyev's first book of ...
, was set for voice and piano by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
as "
Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
", No. 5 from "Sixteen Songs for Children", Op. 54. The song, in turn, was the basis of
Anton Arensky Anton Stepanovich Arensky (russian: Анто́н Степа́нович Аре́нский; – ) was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music. Biography Arensky was born into an affluent, music-loving ...
's Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a, for string orchestra. Composer Addie Anderson Wilson set Stoddard’s poem “Under the Rose” to music for voice and piano in 1920.


Bibliography


As editor

*''The Loves and Heroines of the Poets'' (1861) *''Melodies and Madrigals, Mostly from the old English Poets'' (1865) *''The Late English Poets'' (1865), selections * Griswold's ''
The Poets and Poetry of America ''The Poets and Poetry of America'' was a popular anthology of American poetry collected by American literary critic and editor Rufus Wilmot Griswold. It was first published in 1842 and went into several editions throughout the 19th century. Back ...
'' (1872) *''Female Poets of America'' (1874) *''The Bric-a-Brac Series'', in 10 vols (1874–1876) *''English Verse'', in 5 vols edited with W.J. Linton (1883) *Four editions of
Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widel ...
's works, with a memoir (1872–1894)


As poet

*''Footprints'' (1849), privately printed and afterwards suppressed by the author *''Poems'' (1852) *''Adventures in Fairyland'' (1853) *''Town and Country'' (1857) *''The Story of
Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Bro ...
'' (1864) *''Songs of Summer'' (1857) *''The King's Bell'' (1862), one of his most popular narrative poems *''
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
: A Horatian Ode'' (1865) *''The Book of the East'' (1867) *''Poems'' (1880), a collective edition *''The Lion's Cub, with Other Verse'' (1890)


Prose

*''Life, Travels and Books of
Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister ...
'' (1860) *''Under the Evening Lamp'' (1892), essays dealing mainly with the modern English poets *''Recollections Personal and Literary'' (1903), edited by Ripley Hitchcock


Notes


References

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stoddard, Richard Henry 19th-century American poets American male poets 1825 births 1903 deaths American blacksmiths Moldmakers 19th-century American male writers United States Customs Service personnel