Citizendia

Nathaniel Parker Willis

Circa mid 1850s, portrait by Mathew Brady studios
Born January 20, 1806 (1806-01-20)
Portland, Maine
Died January 20, 1867 (aged 61)
Occupation Editor
Literary critic
Poet
Nationality American

Nathaniel Parker Willis, also known as N. Note that Mathew B Brady spelled his first name with only one "t" Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Portland is the largest city in the US state of Maine and the County seat of Cumberland County. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Editing Language, Images or Sound through correction condensation organization and other modifications in various media Literary criticism is the study discussion evaluation and interpretation of Literature. A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The United States of America —commonly referred to as the P. Willis,[1] (January 20, 1806 – January 20, 1867) was an American author, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Editing Language, Images or Sound through correction condensation organization and other modifications in various media Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27 1807 &ndash March 24 1882 was an American educator and Poet whose works include " Paul Revere's Ride " For a time, he was the employer of Harriet Jacobs. Harriet Ann Jacobs ( 1813 - March 7, 1897) was an American Abolitionist and writer His brother was Richard Storr Willis and his sister wrote under the name Fanny Fern. Richard Storrs Willis (1819 - 1900 was an American composer notably of Hymn music Fanny Fern (July 9 1811 - October 10 1872 was the pseudonym of Sara Willis Parton.

Born in Portland, Maine, Willis came from a family of publishers. Portland is the largest city in the US state of Maine and the County seat of Cumberland County. His grandfather owned newspapers in Massachusetts and Virginia, and his father was the founder of Youth's Companion, the first newspaper specifically for children. The Youth's Companion (1827-1929 was an American Children's magazine. Willis developed an interest in literature while attending Yale College and began publishing poetry. Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887 After graduation, he worked as an overseas correspondent for the New York Mirror. The New-York Mirror was a Newspaper published in New York City under many variant titles including The Evening Mirror from 1844 to 1898 He eventually moved to New York and began to build his literary reputation. Working with multiple publications, he soon became the highest-paid magazine writer in America, earning about US$100 per article and between $5,000[2] and $10,000 per year. [3] In 1846, he started his own publication, the Home Journal, which is still published today as Town & Country. Town & Country, formerly the Home Journal and The National Press, is a monthly American Lifestyle Magazine Shortly after, Willis moved to a home on the Hudson River where he lived a semi-retired life until his death in 1867. The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami

Willis embedded his own personality into his writing and addressed his readers personally, specifically in his travel writings, so that his reputation was built in part because of his character. Travel writing is a broad category of Writing concerned with various aspects of Travel. Critics, including his sister in her novel Ruth Hall, occasionally noted him for being effeminate and Europeanized. Ruth Hall a Domestic Tale of the Present Time is a Roman à clef by Fanny Fern (pen name of Sara Payson Willis a popular 19th-century newspaper writer Willis also published several poems, tales, and a play. Despite his intense popularity for a time, at his death Willis was nearly forgotten.

Contents

Life and career

A young Nathaniel Parker Willis
A young Nathaniel Parker Willis

Early life and family

Nathaniel Parker Willis was born January 20, 1806 in Portland, Maine. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [4] His father Nathaniel Willis was a newspaper proprietor there and his grandfather owned newspapers in Boston, Massachusetts and western Virginia. [5] A more distant ancestor, George Willis, was a Puritan who arrived in New England about 1630 and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. Willis's younger sister was Sara Willis Parton, who would later become a writer under the pseudonym Fanny Fern. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) Fanny Fern (July 9 1811 - October 10 1872 was the pseudonym of Sara Willis Parton. His brother, Richard Storr Willis, became a musician and music journalist known for writing the melody for "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear". Richard Storrs Willis (1819 - 1900 was an American composer notably of Hymn music " It Came Upon the Midnight Clear " is a poem and Christmas carol written by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Weston [6]

In 1816, the family moved to Boston, where Willis's father established the Boston Recorder and, nine years later, the Youth's Companion,[7] the world's first newspaper for children. The Youth's Companion (1827-1929 was an American Children's magazine. [8] The elder Willis's emphasis on religious themes earned him the nickname "Deacon" Willis. [1] After attending Boston grammar school and Phillips Academy at Andover, Nathaniel Parker Willis entered Yale College in October 1823[9] where he roomed with Horace Bushnell. Phillips Academy (also known as Phillips Andover or PA or simply Andover) is a co-educational University preparatory school for boarding Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887 Horace Bushnell ( April 14, 1802 – February 17, 1876) was an American Congregational clergyman and Theologian [10] Willis credited Bushnell with teaching him the proper technique for sharpening a razor by "drawing it from heel to point both ways . . . the two cross frictions correct each other". [11] At Yale, he further developed an interest in literature, often neglecting his other studies. [7] He graduated in 1827[12] and began publishing poetry in his father's Boston Periodical, often using one of two literary personalities under the pen names "Roy" (for religious subjects) and "Cassius" (for more secular topics). A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a Pseudonym adopted by an Author or their publishers to conceal their identity [9] The same year, Willis published a volume of poetical Sketches. [4]

Literary career

American Scenery by N. P. Willis with illustration by William Henry Bartlett, 1840
American Scenery by N. P. Willis with illustration by William Henry Bartlett, 1840

Willis began contributing more frequently to magazines and periodicals. William Henry Bartlett (born March 26 1809 &ndash September 13 1854) was a British Artist, best known for his numerous In 1829 he founded the American Monthly Magazine,[9] which was continued from April of that year to August 1831 when it was discontinued. [4] Dismayed by the "tight purses of Boston culture",[12] he went to Europe as foreign editor and correspondent of the New York Mirror. The New-York Mirror was a Newspaper published in New York City under many variant titles including The Evening Mirror from 1844 to 1898 [4] Between 1832 and 1836, he contributed a series of letters for the Mirror, about half of which were later collected as Pencillings by the Way, printed in London in 1835. [13] The romantic descriptions of scenes and modes of life in Europe sold well despite the high price tag of $7 a copy. The work became popular and boosted Willis's literary reputation enough that an American edition was soon issued. [14]

Despite this popularity, he was censured by some critics for indiscretion in reporting private conversations. At one point he fought a bloodless duel with Captain Frederick Marryat, then editor of the Metropolitan Magazine, after Willis sent a private letter of Marryat's to George Pope Morris, who had it printed. Captain Frederick Marryat ( July 10, 1792 &ndash August 9, 1848) was an English Novelist a contemporary and acquaintance [15] Still, in 1835 Willis was popular enough to introduce Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to important literary figures in England, including Ada Byron, daughter of Lord Byron. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27 1807 &ndash March 24 1882 was an American educator and Poet whose works include " Paul Revere's Ride " Augusta Ada King Countess of Lovelace (10 December 1815 London England &ndash 27 November 1852 Marylebone, London England born Augusta Ada Byron, was the only [16]

While abroad, Willis wrote to a friend, "I should like to marry in England. "[17] He soon married Mary Stace, daughter of General William Stace of Woolwich, on October 1, 1835, after a month-long engagement. Woolwich (ˈwʊlɪtʃ or /ˈwʊlɪdʒ/ is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1835 ( MDCCCXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common [18] The couple took a two-week honeymoon in Paris. A honeymoon is the traditional holiday taken by newlyweds to celebrate their marriage in intimacy and seclusion Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city [17] While in London in 1836, he met Charles Dickens, who was working for the Morning Chronicle at the time. [19]

In 1837, Willis and his wife returned to the United States[20] and settled at a small estate on Owego Creek in New York, just above its junction with the Susquehanna River. Owego is a Town in Tioga County, New York, USA. The population was New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Susquehanna River (originally "Sasquesahanough" per the 1612 John Smith map is a River located in the northeastern United States. He named the home Glenmary and the rural setting inspired him to write Letters from under a Bridge. [21] On October 20, 1838, Willis began a series of articles called "A New Series of Letters from London", one of which suggested an illicit relationship between writer Letitia Elizabeth Landon and editor William Jordan. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Letitia Elizabeth Landon ( August 14, 1802 - October 15, 1838) English Poet and Novelist, better known by her The article caused some scandal, for which Willis's publisher had to apologize. [22]

On June 20, 1839, Willis's play Tortesa, the Usurer premiered in Philadelphia at the Walnut Street Theatre. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1839 ( MDCCCXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common [23] Edgar Allan Poe called it "by far the best play from the pen of an American author. Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic, "[24] During a short visit to England in 1839–1840 Willis published Two Ways of Dying for a Husband. His personal life was touched with grief when his first child was stillborn on December 4, 1840. A stillbirth occurs when a Fetus which has died in the Uterus or during labor or delivery exits a Woman 's body "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 1840 ( MDCCCXL) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year He and Stace had a second daughter, Imogen, who was born June 20, 1842. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1842 ( MDCCCXLII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common [25] Shortly thereafter, he attended a ball in honor of Charles Dickens in New York. After dancing with Dickens's wife, Willis and Dickens went out for "rum toddy and broiled oysters". [19] His fame grew enough that he was often invited to lecture and recite poetry, including his presentation to the Linonian Society at Yale on August 17, 1841. Linonia is a literary and debating society founded in 1753 at Yale University Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link [26] Willis was invited to submit a weekly column to the Brother Johnathan, a weekly publication from New York with 20,000 subscribers, which he did until September 1841. [27] By 1842, Willis was earning the unusually-high salary of $4,800 a year. As a later journalist remarked, this made Willis "the first magazine writer who was tolerably well paid. "[28]

In 1842, Willis employed Harriet Jacobs, an escaped slave from North Carolina, as a house servant and nanny. Harriet Ann Jacobs ( 1813 - March 7, 1897) was an American Abolitionist and writer North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States When her owners sought to have her returned to their plantation, Willis bought her freedom. [29] Nearly two decades later, Jacobs would write in her fictionalized autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl that she "was convinced that . Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is a book that was published in 1861 by Harriet Jacobs, using the Pen name "Linda Brent" . . Nathaniel Parker Willis was proslavery. "[30] In the book, Willis is depicted as "Mr. Bruce", an unattractive Southern sympathizer. [31]

Evening Mirror

Returning to New York City, Willis reorganized, along with George Pope Morris, the weekly New York Mirror as the daily Evening Mirror[20] in 1844 with a weekly supplement called the Weekly Mirror, in part due to the rising cost of postage. The City of New York Mail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects wherein written Documents typically enclosed in Envelopes and also [32] By this time, Willis was a popular writer (a joke was that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was Germany's version of N. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer P. Willis) and one of the first commercially-successful magazine writers in America. [33] In the fall of that year, he also became the first editor of the annual gift book The Opal founded by Rufus Wilmot Griswold. Gift books, or literary annuals, first appeared in England The Forget Me Not, subtitled a Christmas and New Year’s Present for 1823, was published in The Opal A Pure Gift for the Holy Days, was an annual gift book, founded by Rufus Wilmot Griswold and published in New York by John C Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13 1812 – August 27 1857 was an American anthologist, editor, Poet, and Critic. [34] During this time, he became the highest-paid magazine writer in America, earning about $100 per article and $5,000 per year,[33] a number which would soon double. Even the popular poet Longfellow admitted his jealousy of Willis's salary. [3] As a critic, Willis did not believe in including discussions of personalities of writers when reviewing their works. He also believed that, though publications should discuss political topics, they should not express party opinions or choose sides. [35]

While Willis was editor of the Evening Mirror, it was the first to publish Poe's magnum opus poem "The Raven" in its January 29, 1845, issue. " The Raven " is a narrative poem by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845 Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. The year 1845 in literature involved some significant new books In his introduction, Willis called it "unsurpassed in English poetry for subtle conception, masterly ingenuity of versification, and consistent, sustaining of imaginative lift . . . It will stick to the memory of everybody who reads it. "[36] Willis and Poe were close friends, and Willis helped Poe financially after his wife Virginia became ill and Poe was suing Thomas Dunn English for libel. Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe (born Virginia Eliza Clemm) (August 22 1822 &ndash January 30 1847 was the wife of Edgar Allan Poe. Thomas Dunn English (June 29 1819 - April 1 1902 was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who represented the state's 6th congressional [37] Willis often tried to persuade Poe to be less destructive in his criticism and concentrate on his own poetry. [38] Even so, Willis published many pieces of what would later be referred to as "The Longfellow War", a literary battle between Poe and the supporters of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who Poe called overrated and guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work [39] Willis also introduced Poe to Fanny Osgood; the two would later carry out a very public literary flirtation. Frances Sargent Osgood ( Née Locke (June 18 1811 – May 12 1850 was an American poet and one of the most popular women writers during her time [40]

The Mirror flourished at a time when many publications were discontinuing. Its success was due to the shrewd management of Willis and Morris and the two demonstrated that the American public could support literary endeavors. [41] Willis was becoming an expert in American literature and so, in 1845, Willis and Morris issued an anthology, The Prose and Poetry of America. ANThology is the first Major label album by Alien Ant Farm released on March 6, 2001 in the USA and March 19 [42] Willis's wife Mary Stace died in childbirth on March 25, 1845. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Their daughter, Blanche, died as well and Willis wrote in his notebook that she was "an angel without fault or foible". [43] In October 1846, he married Cornelia Grinnell, a wealthy Quaker from New Bedford[44] and the adopted daughter of a local Congressman. [45]

Home Journal

In 1846, Willis and Morris left the Evening Mirror and attempted to edit a new weekly, the National Press, which was renamed to the Home Journal after eight months. [46] Their prospectus for the new publication, published November 21, 1846, announced their intentions to create a magazine "to circle around the family table". Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. For the game see 1846 (board game. Year 1846 ( MDCCCXLVI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display [47] Willis intended the magazine for middle and lower classes and had the message of upward social mobility, using himself as an example, often describing in detail his personal possessions. [48] When discussing his own social climbing, however, he emphasized his frustrations rather than his successes, endearing him to his audience. [49] He edited the Home Journal until his death in 1867. It was renamed Town & Country in 1901, and it is still published today. Town & Country, formerly the Home Journal and The National Press, is a monthly American Lifestyle Magazine During Willis's time at the journal, he especially promoted women poets, including Frances Sargent Osgood, Anne Lynch Botta, Grace Greenwood, Julia Ward Howe and others. Frances Sargent Osgood ( Née Locke (June 18 1811 – May 12 1850 was an American poet and one of the most popular women writers during her time Anne Charlotte Lynch Botta ( November 11 1815 - March 23 1891) was an American poet, Writer, Teacher Sara Jane Lippincott (1823-1904 was better known by the pseudonym Grace Greenwood. Julia Ward Howe (May 27 1819 &ndash October 17 1910 was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and Poet most famous as [50] Willis and his editors favorably reviewed many works now considered important today, including Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance. Walden (first published as Walden or Life in the Woods) by Henry David Thoreau is one of the best-known Non-fiction books written Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne; July 4 1804 – May 19 1864 was an American novelist and Short story writer The Blithedale Romance ( 1852) is Nathaniel Hawthorne's third major romance [51]

Daguerreotype of Willis, circa 1857
Daguerreotype of Willis, circa 1857

Idlewild

In 1846, Willis settled near the banks of Canterbury Creek near the Hudson River in New York and named his new home Idlewild. The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami [52] When Willis first visited the property, the owners said it had little value and that it was "an idle wild of which nothing could ever be made". [53] Because of failing health he spent the remainder of his life chiefly in retirement. His wife Cornelia was also recovering from a difficult illness after the birth of their first child together,[44] a son named Grinnell, who was born April 28, 1848. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap They had four other children: Lilian (born April 27, 1850),[54] Edith (born September 28, 1853), Bailey (born May 31, 1857), and a daughter that died only a few minutes after her birth on October 31, 1860. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated For the game see 1850 (board game. 1850 ( MDCCCL) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1853 ( MDCCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Click here for Indian Rebellion of 1857 Year 1857 ( MDCCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting [55]

During these last years at Idlewild, Willis continued contributing a weekly letter to the Home Journal. [55] In 1850 he assisted Rufus Wilmot Griswold in preparing an anthology of the works of Poe, who had died mysteriously the year before. Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13 1812 – August 27 1857 was an American anthologist, editor, Poet, and Critic. See also Edgar Allan Poe The death of Edgar Allan Poe on October 7 1849 has remained mysterious the circumstances leading up to it are uncertain and the cause of death Griswold also wrote the first biography of Poe in which he purposely set out to ruin the dead author's reputation. Willis was one of the most vocal of Poe's defenders, writing at one point: "The indictment (for it deserves no other name) is not true. It is full of cruel misrepresentations. It deepens the shadows unto unnatural darkness, and shuts out the rays of sunshines that ought to relieve them. "[56]

Willis was involved in the 1850 divorce suit between the actor Edwin Forrest and his wife Catherine. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage. Edwin Forrest ( March 9, 1806 - December 12, 1872) was an American Actor. [51] In January 1849, Forrest had found a love letter to his wife from fellow actor George W. Jamieson. Love Letter is a 1995 Japanese film directed by Shunji Iwai, and starring Miho Nakayama. George W Jamieson (1810-1868 was an American actor and Lapidary, born in Varick Street New York. [57] As a result, he and Catherine separated in April 1849. He moved to Philadelphia and filed for divorce in February 1850 though the Pennsylvania legislature denied his application. [58] Catharine went to live with the family of Parke Godwin and the separation became a public affair, with newspapers throughout New York reporting on supposed infidelities and other gossip. Parke Godwin ( 28 January 1929 -) is an American writer known for his lyrical yet precise prose style and sardonic humor [59]

Willis defended Catharine, who maintained her innocence, in the Home Journal and suggested that Forrest was merely jealous of her intellectual superiority. [60] On June 17, 1850, shortly after Forrest had filed for divorce in the New York Supreme Court,[61] Forrest beat Willis with a gutta-percha whip in New York's Washington Square, shouting "this man is the seducer of my wife". Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat For the game see 1850 (board game. 1850 ( MDCCCL) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link Gutta-percha ( Palaquium) is a genus of tropical Trees native to Southeast Asia and northern Australasia, from Taiwan south to The word whip describes two basic types of tools A long stick-like device usually slightly flexible with a small bit of leather or cord called a "popper" on the See Washington Square Park (disambiguation Washington Square Park is one of the best-known of New York City 's 1700 public [62] Willis, who was recovering from a rheumatic fever at the time, was unable to fight back. Rheumatic fever is an Autoimmune inflammatory Disease which may develop two to three weeks after a Group A streptococcal infection (such as He later sued Forrest for assault and, by March 1852, was awarded $2,500 plus court costs. [63]

Ruth Hall

Willis arbitrarily refused to print the work of his sister Sara Willis ("Fanny Fern") after 1854. [50] Acknowledging her restlessness, he once made her the subject of his poem "To My Wild Sis". [64] As Fanny Fern, she had published Fern Leaves, which sold over 100,000 copies the year before. [65] Willis, however, was not encouraging of his sister's writings. "You overstrain the pathetic, and your humor runs into dreadful vulgarity sometimes . . . I am sorry that any editor knows that a sister of mine wrote some of these which you sent me", he wrote. [66] In 1854 she published Ruth Hall, a Domestic Tale of the Present Time,[67] a barely concealed semi-autobiographical account of her own difficulties in the literary world. Ruth Hall a Domestic Tale of the Present Time is a Roman à clef by Fanny Fern (pen name of Sara Payson Willis a popular 19th-century newspaper writer Nathaniel Willis was represented as "Hyacinth Ellet", an effeminate, self-serving editor who schemes to ruin his sister's prospects as a writer. [68] Willis did not publicly protest but in private he asserted that, despite his fictitious equivalent, he had done his best to support his sister during her difficult times, especially after the death of her first husband. [69]

Among his later works were Hurry-Graphs (1851), Outdoors at Idlewild (1854), and Ragbag (1855). Willis had complained that his magazine writing prevented him from writing a longer work. He finally had the time in 1856, and he wrote his novel Paul Fane which was published a year later. [70] His final work was The Convalescent (1859), which included a chapter on his time spent with Washington Irving at Sunnyside. Washington Irving (April 3 1783 – November 28 1859 was an American Author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th Sunnyside is a Historic house on 10 acres (4 ha of grounds alongside the Hudson River in Tarrytown New York. [71]

Final years and death

Grave of Nathaniel Parker Willis
Grave of Nathaniel Parker Willis

In July 1860, Willis took his last major trip. Along with his wife, he stopped in Chicago and Yellow Springs, Ohio, as far west as Madison, Wisconsin, and also took a steamboat down the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri, and returned through Cincinnati, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Yellow Springs is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the home of Antioch College. Madison is the capital of the US state of Wisconsin and the County seat of Dane County. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to [72] In 1851, Willis allowed the Home Journal to break its pledge to avoid taking sides in political discussions when the Confederate States of America was established, calling the move a purposeful act to bring on war. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 [73] On May 28, 1861, Willis was part of a committee of literary figures—including William Cullen Bryant, Charles Anderson Dana, and Horace Greeley—to invite Edward Everett to speak in New York on behalf of maintaining the Union. Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 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. Charles Anderson Dana ( August 8, 1819 &ndash October 17, 1897) was an American Journalist, author and government official Horace Greeley ( February 3, 1811 &ndash November 29, 1872) was an American editor of a leading newspaper, a founder Edward Everett ( April 11, 1794 January 15, 1865) was a Whig Party politician from Massachusetts. [74] The Home Journal lost many subscribers during the American Civil War, Morris died in 1864, and the Willis family had to take in boarders and for a time turned Idlewild into a girls' school for income. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South [75]

Willis died on his sixty-first birthday, January 20, 1867, and was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery" or the first " Rural cemetery " Mount Auburn Cemetery is an Elysium where traditionally [76] Four days later, the day of his funeral, all bookstores in the city were closed as a token of respect. [76] His pallbearers included Longfellow, James Russell Lowell, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Samuel Gridley Howe, and James Thomas Fields. James Russell Lowell (February 22 1819 – August 12 1891 was an American Romantic poet critic editor and Diplomat. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, (August 29 1809 &ndash October 7 1894 was a Physician by profession but achieved fame as a Writer; he was one of the best Samuel Gridley Howe (November 10 1801 - January 9 1876 was a prominent 19th century United States Physician, Abolitionist, and an advocate of education for James Thomas Fields (December 31 1817 – April 24 1881 was an American publisher and author [77]

Reputation

Willis was well-liked and known for his good nature amongst friends. Well-traveled and clever, he had a striking appearance at six feet tall and was typically dressed elegantly. Many, however, remarked that Willis was effeminate, Europeanized, and guilty of "Miss Nancyism. " One editor called him "an impersonal passive verb—a pronoun of the feminine gender. "[78] A contemporary caricature depicted him wearing a fashionable beaver hat and tightly closed coat and carrying a cane, reflecting Willis's wide reputation as a "dandy". A caricature is either a Portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness or in literature a description A dandy (also known as a beau gallant or flamboyant person is a man who places particular importance upon Physical appearance, refined language and leisurely hobbies [79] As Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. once said, Willis was "something between a remembrance of Count D'Orsay and an anticipation of Oscar Wilde". Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, (August 29 1809 &ndash October 7 1894 was a Physician by profession but achieved fame as a Writer; he was one of the best Alfred Guillaume Gabriel Count D'Orsay ( September 4, 1801 &ndash August 4, 1852) was a French amateur artist dandy and man of fashion Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of [80] Publisher Charles Frederick Briggs once wrote that "Willis was too Willisy". Biography Briggs had been a Sailor in Nantucket Massachusetts then a wholesale Grocer. [81] He described his writings as the "novelty and gossip of the hour" and was not necessarily concerned about facts but with the "material of conversation and speculation, which may be mere rumor, may be the truth". [82]

Willis built up his reputation in the public at a time when readers were interested in the personal lives of writers. [83] In his writings, he described the "high life" of the "Upper Ten Thousand", a phrase he coined. Upper Ten Thousand was a term used in the late 19th century to denote Britain's ruling Elite; those Rich and landed persons and families titled and untitled [80] His travel writings in particular were popular for this reason[84] as Willis was actually living the life he was describing and recommending to readers. [85] Even so, he manufactured a humble and modest persona, who questioned his own literary merit, and purposely used titles, such as Pencillings by the Way and Dashes at Life With Free Pencil, which downplayed their own quality. [49] His informally-toned editorials, which covered a variety of topics, were also very successful. [84] In these he addressed his readers personally, as if having a private conversation with them. As he once wrote: "We would have you . . . indulge us in our innocent egotism as if it were all whispered in your private ear and over our iced Margaux". Margaux is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. [86]

In the publishing world, Willis was known as a shrewd magazinist and an innovator who focused on appealing to readers' special interest while still recognizing new talent. [87] In fact, Willis became the standard by which other magazinists were judged. According to writer George William Curtis, "His gayety [sic] and his graceful fluency made him the first of our proper 'magazinists'". George William Curtis (February 24 1824 - August 31 1892 was an American writer and public speaker born in Providence Rhode Island, of old New England [88] For a time, it was said that Willis was the "most-talked-about author" in the United States. [31] Poe questioned Willis's fame, however. "Willis is no genius–a graceful trifler–no more", he wrote in a letter to James Russell Lowell. "In me, at least, he never excites an emotion. "[89] Minor Southern writer Joseph Beckham Cobb wrote: "No sane person, we are persuaded, can read his poetry". [90] Future senator Charles Sumner reported: "I find Willis is much laughed at for his sketches". Charles Sumner (January 6 1811 &ndash March 11 1874 was an American politician and statesman from Massachusetts. [91] Even so, most contemporaries recognized how prolific he was as a writer and how much time he put into all of his writings. James Parton said of him:

Of all the literary men whom I have ever known, N. James Parton ( February 9, 1822 &ndash October 17, 1891) was an England-born American biographer P. Willis was the one who took the most pains with his work. It was no very uncommon thing for him to toil over a sentence for an hour; and I knew him one evening to write and rewrite a sentence for two hours before he had got it to his mind. [92]

By 1850, with the publication of Hurry-Graphs, Willis was becoming a forgotten celebrity. In August 1853, future President James A. Garfield discussed Willis's declining popularity in his diary: "Willis is said to be a licentious man, although an unrivaled poet. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by James Abram Garfield (November 19 1831 September 19 1881 was the twentieth President of the United States. How strange that such men should go to ruin, when they might soar perpetually in the heaven of heavens. "[93] After Willis's death, obituaries reported that he had outlived his fame. [94] One remarked, "the man who withdraws from the whirling currents of active life is speedily forgotten. "[75] This obituary also stated that Americans "will ever remember and cherish Nathaniel P. Willis as one worthy to stand with Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving". James Fenimore Cooper (September 15 1789 &ndash September 14 1851 was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century [95] In 1946, the centennial issue of Town & Country reported that Willis "led a generation of Americans through a gate where weeds gave way to horticulture". [80] More modern scholars have dismissed Willis's work as "sentimental prattle" or refer to him only as an obstacle in the progress of his more talented sister as well as Harriet Jacobs. [96] As biographer Thomas N. Baker wrote, Willis is today only referred to as a footnote in relation to other authors. [31]

List of works

Prose

Plays

Poetry

References

  1. ^ a b Baker, 3
  2. ^ Beers, 262
  3. ^ a b Baker, 88
  4. ^ a b c d "Old New Haven", Juliet Lapidos, The Advocate, March 17, 2005. The Advocate ( is a US -based LGBT -related biweekly Newsmagazine. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Accessed June 5, 2008
  5. ^ Auser, 19
  6. ^ Baker, 160
  7. ^ a b Auser, 20
  8. ^ Phillips, 909
  9. ^ a b c Auser, 21
  10. ^ Pattee, 500
  11. ^ Lewis, R. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common W. B. The American Adam: Innocence, Tragedy, and Tradition in the Nineteenth Century. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1955: 68.
  12. ^ a b Phillips, 910
  13. ^ Pattee, 515
  14. ^ Baker, 84
  15. ^ Auser, 46
  16. ^ Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004. ISBN 0807070262. p. 98
  17. ^ a b Baker, 76
  18. ^ Beers, 170–171
  19. ^ a b Beers, 264
  20. ^ a b Phillips, 911
  21. ^ Baker, 86
  22. ^ Auser, 47–48
  23. ^ Quinn, 284
  24. ^ Meyers, 152
  25. ^ Beers, 263–264
  26. ^ Beers, 271
  27. ^ Beers, 259–260
  28. ^ Beers, 260–261
  29. ^ Beers, 284–285
  30. ^ Introduction, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harvard University Press, 1987) xvii.
  31. ^ a b c Baker, 4
  32. ^ Quinn, 434
  33. ^ a b Silverman, 223
  34. ^ Bayless, 83
  35. ^ Auser, 23
  36. ^ Silverman, 237
  37. ^ Meyers, 202
  38. ^ Meyers, 184
  39. ^ Silverman, 234–235
  40. ^ Meyers, 174
  41. ^ Auser, 51–52
  42. ^ Auser, 118
  43. ^ Beers, 276
  44. ^ a b Baker, 122
  45. ^ Beers, 287
  46. ^ Auser, 125
  47. ^ Auser, 125–126
  48. ^ Tomc, 785–786
  49. ^ a b Tomc, 794
  50. ^ a b Auser, 130
  51. ^ a b Auser, 132
  52. ^ Auser, 142
  53. ^ Beers, 328
  54. ^ Beers, 294
  55. ^ a b Beers, 329
  56. ^ Quinn, 666–667
  57. ^ Baker, 116
  58. ^ Beers, 309
  59. ^ Baker, 117
  60. ^ Beers, 311
  61. ^ Beers, 312
  62. ^ Baker, 115
  63. ^ Beers, 313
  64. ^ Baker, 161
  65. ^ Baker, 164
  66. ^ Baker, 163
  67. ^ Auser, 334
  68. ^ Baker, 170
  69. ^ Auser, 336–337
  70. ^ Auser, 101
  71. ^ Beers, 332–333
  72. ^ Beers, 340–341
  73. ^ Auser, 128
  74. ^ Auser, 128–129
  75. ^ a b Baker, 188
  76. ^ a b Beers, 350
  77. ^ Baker, 187
  78. ^ Silverman, 223
  79. ^ Reilly, John E. "Poe in Pillory: An Early Version of a Satire by A. J. H. Duganne", Poe Studies, vol. VI, no. 1, June 1973. p. 10. Accessed June 5, 2008
  80. ^ a b c Tomc, 783
  81. ^ Thomas, Dwight and David K. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Jackson. The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe 1809–1849. New York: G. K. Hall & Co. , 1987: p. 514. ISBN 0783814011
  82. ^ Baker, 87
  83. ^ Baker, 6
  84. ^ a b Auser, 54
  85. ^ Tomc, 786
  86. ^ Tomc, 784
  87. ^ Auser, 146
  88. ^ Pattee, 499
  89. ^ Quinn, 389
  90. ^ Hubbell, Jay B. The South in American Literature: 1607-1900. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1954: 638.
  91. ^ Baker, 100
  92. ^ Tomc, 795–796
  93. ^ Baker, 158
  94. ^ Beers, 351
  95. ^ "Obituary. Nathaniel Parker Willis", The New York Times. January 22, 1867. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Accessed May 11, 2008
  96. ^ Tomc, 799–800
  97. ^ a b Beers, 353
  98. ^ a b c d e f Beers, 354
  99. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Beers, 355
  100. ^ Beers, 356
  101. ^ a b c d Auser, 165

Sources

External links


Persondata
NAME Nathaniel Parker Willis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES N. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1852 ( MDCCCLII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The University of Virginia (also called UVa, UVA, Mr Jefferson's University, or The University) is a highly selective public research P. Willis
SHORT DESCRIPTION American magazine writer, editor, and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH January 20, 1806
PLACE OF BIRTH Portland, Maine
DATE OF DEATH January 20, 1867
PLACE OF DEATH
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