William Maginn (10 July 1794 – 21 August 1842) was an Irish journalist and writer.
About
Born at
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
he became a contributor to ''
Blackwood's Magazine
''Blackwood's Magazine'' was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by the publisher William Blackwood and was originally called the ''Edinburgh Monthly Magazine''. The first number appeared in April 1817 ...
'', and after moving to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1824 became for a few months in 1826 the
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
correspondent to ''
The Representative'', a paper started by
John Murray, the publisher. When its short career was run, he helped to found in 1827 the ultra
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
''Standard,'' a newspaper that he edited along with a fellow graduate of
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
,
Stanley Lees Giffard
Stanley Lees Giffard (1788 – November 1858) was founder and first editor of a London newspaper, '' The Standard''.
Biography
Born in Dublin, Stanley Lees Giffard was the son of John Giffard and Sarah Morton of Dromartin Castle. His brother ...
; he also wrote for the more scandalous Sunday paper, ''The Age''. In 1830 he instigated and became one of the leading supporters of ''
Fraser's Magazine
''Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country'' was a general and literary journal published in London from 1830 to 1882, which initially took a strong Tory line in politics. It was founded by Hugh Fraser and William Maginn in 1830 and loosely directe ...
''. His ''Homeric Ballads'', much praised by contemporary critics,
[E.g., ]Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lite ...
, ''On Translating Homer
''On Translating Homer'', published in January 1861, was a printed version of the series of public lectures given by Matthew Arnold as Professor of Poetry at Oxford from 3 November 1860 to 18 December 1860.
Arnold's purpose was to discuss how h ...
''. were published in ''Fraser's'' between 1839 and 1842. In 1837, ''Bentley's Miscellany'' was launched, with Charles Dickens as editor, and Maginn wrote the prologue and contributed over the next several years a series of "Shakespeare Papers" that examined characters in counter-intuitive fashion (e.g., the key to Falstaff is his melancholy). From "The Man in the Bell" (''Blackwood's'', 1821) through "Welch Rabbits" (''Bentley's'', 1842) he was an occasional though skilful writer of short fiction and tales. His only novel, "Whitehall" (1827) pretends to be an historical novel set in 1820s England written in the year 2227; it is a droll spoof of the vogue for historical novels as well as the contemporary political scene. He also wrote "The Military Sketch-Book". Reminiscences of Seventeen Years Service Abroad and At Home. By An Officer of the Line (anonymously) published in two volumes by Henry Colburn in 1827. Partly set in Australia and involving the capture of a notorious gang of Bushrangers. In 1836, he fought a duel with
Grantley Berkeley
The Honourable George Charles Grantley FitzHardinge Berkeley (10 February 1800 – 20 February 1881), known as Grantley Berkeley, was a British politician, writer and sportsman.
Background and education
Berkeley was the sixth son of Frederick Be ...
, a member of Parliament. Three rounds of shots were fired, but no one was struck. Berkeley had brutally assaulted magazine publisher James Fraser over a review Maginn wrote of Berkeley's novel ''Berkeley Castle'', and Maginn had called him out.
One of the most brilliant periodical writers of his time, Maginn left little permanent work behind him. In his later years, 1842, his intemperate habits landed him in
debtor's prison
A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe.Cory, Lucinda"A Historic ...
, and when he emerged through the grace of the
Insolvent Debtor's Act he was in an advanced stage of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
. He wrote until the end, including in the first volume of ''
Punch
Punch commonly refers to:
* Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist
* Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice
Punch may also refer to:
Places
* Pun ...
'', but he died in extreme poverty in
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...
in August 1842, survived by his wife Ellen, and daughters Annie and Ellen, and son John. His nephew
Francis Maginn
Francis Maginn (1861–1918) was a Church of Ireland missionary who worked to improve living standards for the deaf community by promoting sign language and was one of the co-founders of the British Deaf Association.
Early life and education
...
, who was deaf, was a co-founder of the British Deaf and Dumb Association, now called the
British Deaf Association
The British Deaf Association (BDA) is a deaf-led British charity that campaigns and advocates for deaf people who use British Sign Language.
History
It was preceded by the National Association for the Deaf and Dumb (NADD), which had been founded ...
(BDA).
Notes
Further reading
* ''The Shakespeare Papers''; R. Bentley, 1859 (reissued by
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
, 2009; )
* ''William Maginn and the British Press'', by David Latané (Ashgate, 2013)
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maginn, William
Irish journalists
1794 births
1842 deaths
People from County Cork