![PoetsandPoetry-TitlePage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/PoetsandPoetry-TitlePage.jpg)
''The Poets and Poetry of America'' was a popular
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of American poetry collected by American literary critic and editor
Rufus Wilmot Griswold
Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13, 1815 – August 27, 1857) was an American anthologist, editor, poet, and critic. Born in Vermont, Griswold left home when he was 15 years old. He worked as a journalist, editor, and critic in Philadelphia, New Y ...
. It was first published in 1842 and went into several editions throughout the 19th century.
Background
Rufus Griswold had begun work as a critic working for the ''
New York Tribune
The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...
''
[Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. New York: Harper-Perennial, 1991: 213. ] and Philadelphia's ''Daily Standard'' and earned his reputation as a vindictive and savage literary critic.
[Meyers, Jeffrey. ''Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy''. New York: Cooper Square Press, 1992: 126. ] He was also a proponent of American poetry. He claimed to have read every American poem published before 1850—an estimated 500 volumes. His nationalism was well known. Publisher
Evert Augustus Duyckinck
Evert Augustus Duyckinck (pronounced DIE-KINK) (November 23, 1816 – August 13, 1878) was an American publisher and biographer. He was associated with the literary side of the Young America movement in New York.
Biography
He was born on Novemb ...
noted that "the thought
f a national literatureseems to have entered and taken possession of
riswold'smind with the force of
monomania
In 19th-century psychiatry, monomania (from Greek , one, and , meaning "madness" or "frenzy") was a form of partial insanity conceived as single psychological obsession in an otherwise sound mind.
Types
Monomania may refer to:
* De Clerambaul ...
". His anthology was part of his ongoing efforts to promote distinctly American poetry.
Publication history
![Poets and Poetry of America frontispiece 1842](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Poets_and_Poetry_of_America_frontispiece_1842.jpg)
Philadelphia publishers
Carey & Hart
Carey & Hart was an American publishing company founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1829 by Edward L. Carey and Abraham Hart.
History
In early November 1829, Edward Carey withdrew his partnership from his Henry Charles Carey, brother's comp ...
wrote to Griswold in New York on April 18, 1842, "We have at last published the 'Poets & Poetry of America' & a handsome Book it is". The anthology was 476 pages
[ and collected poems from over 80 authors, including 17 by ]Lydia Sigourney
Lydia Huntley Sigourney (September 1, 1791 – June 10, 1865), ''née'' Lydia Howard Huntley, was an American poet, author, and publisher during the early and mid 19th century. She was commonly known as the "Sweet Singer of Hartford." She had a ...
, three by Edgar Allan 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 wide ...
, and 45 by Charles Fenno Hoffman
Charles Fenno Hoffman (February 7, 1806 – June 7, 1884) was an American author, poet and editor associated with the Knickerbocker Group in New York.
Biography
Hoffman was born in New York City on February 7, 1806. He was the son of New York ...
.[ It gave prominent space to some of the most popular poets of the day, including ]Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
and William Cullen Bryant
William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the ''New York Evening Post''. Born in Massachusetts, he started his career as a lawyer but showed an interest in poetry ...
.[ The collection was dedicated to ]Washington Allston
Washington Allston (November 5, 1779 – July 9, 1843) was an American painter and poet, born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina. Allston pioneered America's Romantic movement of landscape painting. He was well known during his lifetime for ...
.
The book proved popular enough that it went through three editions within only six months.[ A minor poet from Virginia named Daniel Bryan wrote of his disbelief at the rapidity with which the book went into new editions. "Is there not some of the 'trickery of trade' in this?—What was the am]unt
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...
of the 1st edition—and may not the 2nd ed. have been printed at the same time the 1st was?" After Griswold's death, Richard Henry Stoddard 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. His father, a sea-captain, was wrecked and lost on one of his voyages while R ...
revised the book and issued several new editions later in the 19th century.[Bayless, Joy. ''Rufus Wilmot Griswold: Poe's Literary Executor''. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 1943: 247.]
Critical response
''The Poets and Poetry of America'' was the most comprehensive of its kind up to that period.[ After its release, it was called "the most valuable publication of the season" in the April 23, 1842, issue of the '']Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
''. Critic Lewis Gaylord Clark
Lewis Gaylord Clark (October 5, 1808 – November 3, 1873) was an American magazine editor and publisher.
Biography
Clark was born in Otisco, New York in 1808.Miller, Perry. ''The Raven and the Whale: The War of Words and Wits in the Era of Poe ...
considered it important to "become incorporated into the permanent undying literature of our age and nation".
Some critics, however, did not agree with Griswold's selections. The Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
-based ''Poet's Magazine'' criticized the "undue prominence" granted to lesser poetaster
Poetaster , like rhymester or versifier, is a derogatory term applied to bad or inferior poets. Specifically, ''poetaster'' has implications of unwarranted pretensions to artistic value. The word was coined in Latin by Erasmus in 1521. It was fir ...
s, including Edgar Poe. Charles Fenno Hoffman, for example, was a friend of Griswold and, despite having little literary reputation, was granted twice as much space as any other poet. Responding to the idea that ''The Poets and Poetry of America'' represented the best that the United States had to offer, one British editor concluded, "with two or three exceptions, there is not a poet of mark in the whole Union". Modern scholars have dismissed the anthology as a "graveyard of poets" because many of the writers collected are now virtually unknown.[ Literary historian Fred Lewis Pattee called the book a "collection of poetic trash" and "voluminous worthlessness".
In his day, ''The Poets and Poetry of America'' propelled Griswold to a national spotlight in the 1840s and 1850s.][ His success led to future anthologies, including ''Gems from American Female Poets'' (1842), ''The Poets and Poetry of England in the Nineteenth Century'' (1844),][Bayless, Joy. ''Rufus Wilmot Griswold: Poe's Literary Executor''. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 1943: 85–86.] ''The Poets and Poetry of England'' (1845), ''Prose Writers of America'' (1847), and ''The Female Poets of America'' (1848).[Pattee, Fred Lewis. ''The First Century of American Literature: 1770–1870''. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1966: 390.]
References
External links
Griswold's American Poetry
by Edgar A. Poe from ''The Boston Miscellany
''The Boston Miscellany of Literature and Fashion'' was a monthly literary and fashion magazine published in Boston, Massachusetts from 1842 to 1843. It also published book reviews and music.
The initial issue of ''The Boston Miscellany'' was pu ...
'', November 1842
*Scanned books of original editions via Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
and Google Books
Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...
:
''The Poets and Poetry of America''
''The Poets and Poetry of England in the Nineteenth Century''
''Prose Writers of America''
''The Female Poets of America''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poets And Poetry Of America
Poetry anthologies
1842 books
American poetry collections