University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research: English, Department of Department of English 2010 American Poetry and the Daily Newspaper from the Rise of the Penny Press to the New Journalism Elizabeth M. Lorang University of Nebraska-Lincoln Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/englishdiss Part of the Literature in English, North America Commons Lorang, Elizabeth M., "American Poetry and the Daily Newspaper from the Rise of the Penny Press to the New Journalism" (2010). Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research: Department of English. 95. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/englishdiss/95 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the English, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research: Department of English by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. AMERICAN POETRY AND THE DAILY NEWSPAPER FROM THE RISE OF THE PENNY PRESS TO THE NEW JOURNALISM by Elizabeth M. Lorang A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Major: English Under the Supervision of Professor Susan Belasco Lincoln, Nebraska May, 2010 AMERICAN POETRY AND THE DAILY NEWSPAPER FROM THE RISE OF THE PENNY PRESS TO THE NEW JOURNALISM Elizabeth M. Lorang, Ph.D. University of Nebraska, 2010 Adviser: Susan Belasco This dissertation examines the relationship of poetry and the U.S. daily newspaper in the nineteenth century and begins the process of recovering and reevaluating nineteenth-century newspaper poetry. In doing so, it draws on and participates in current discussions about the role of poetry and poets in society, the importance of periodicals in the development and dissemination of American literature in the nineteenth century, and the value of studying non-canonical texts. The appearance and function of poems in daily newspapers changed over the course of the nineteenth century, and these changes were part of larger shifts in the newspaper and its cultural function, in the role of poetry, in conceptions of authorship, and in the trajectory of American literature. Rarely considered in histories of American literature or studies of poetry, newspaper poems emerge here as a key part of the story of nineteenth-century American poetry, both because of their presence and participation in the daily lives of the people and because of their impact on literary culture. The four chapters offer new models for thinking about the cultural work of newspaper poetry. Together, they present an original explanation for newspaper poetry's rise and fall in relation to the literary canon. Because nineteenth-century newspapers are multi-genre, multi-authored texts that mediated political, social, popular, cultural, and civic experiences, they require a multi-disciplinary approach. This project engages and contributes to literary criticism, textual scholarship, and a range of histories—book, media, social—and develops understanding of the American literary record, publishing and book history, the history of the newspaper, and the role of the newspaper as cultural intermediary. In doing so, it expands understanding of the kinds and variety of poems published in newspapers, of the history of poetry in American literature, and of authorship in the nineteenth century. When considered in a contemporary context, this project provides a lens through which to view the reappearance of poetry in the struggling American newspaper of the twenty-first century. iii Acknowledgments Many people have contributed to and supported this dissertation. I am grateful for the guidance of my supervisory committee members, Susan Belasco, Charles Johanningsmeier, Kenneth M. Price, Laura White, and Kenneth Winkle. I am fortunate to have had such a knowledgeable and generous committee, especially my committee chair, Susan Belasco, who is a mentor, colleague, and friend. This project originated with work for the Walt Whitman Archive, and its influence is throughout; the staff of the Whitman Archive pushed my thinking in new directions and encouraged my research. I am grateful for the graduate faculty and staff of the English Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, all of whom are committed to the success of the Department's students. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the many librarians and other library staff who assisted me with research. The Interlibrary Loan Department at UNL's Love Library tirelessly researched my requests and fulfilled more of them than I thought possible. Kate Kane provided unending assistance and good conversation during many hours of microfilm research. Kathleen Johnson's research savvy and expertise led me to new materials and saved me valuable time. Elaine Westbrooks formed a graduate student advisory committee for the UNL libraries at a crucial time in my research program, and I appreciate her interest in the work of graduate student researchers. In addition, the librarians and pages of the American Antiquarian Society helped me make the most out iv of my short time there, and I am looking forward to returning to the Society for its impressive collections and wonderful staff. My family and friends supported this project and me in innumerable ways. I am indebted to Vicki Martin, who lent me her new microform reader for two years so that I could work with microfilm at home and whose enthusiasm for research is inspiring. Sabrina Ehmke Sergeant's friendship helped keep me sane; I cannot imagine getting through the dissertation process without such a confidant. Our baking and crafting misadventures provided much-needed stress-relief and reinforced the fact that we should stick with brain-work and academia, even when we felt to the contrary. My parents, Rodney and Karen Lorang, have offered support of every kind—moral, emotional, financial, and spiritual. They planted an early seed for this project, having taught me to read with McGuffy's readers. I am especially thankful for Mike Orso, who has been unfailing in his encouragement, patience, humor, companionship, and love. One of my fondest memories is reading Moby-Dick together in our tent at Yellowstone—probably not most people's idea of vacation reading. This project would not have been possible without his devotion and commitment to my aspirations, which required no small sacrifice. Thank you. v This research was assisted by a Dissertation Completion Fellowship, which is part of the Andrew W. Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies Early Career Fellowship Program. vi Contents Tables . vii Figures . viii Introduction . 1 American Poetry and the Daily Newspaper from the Rise of the Penny Press to the New Journalism Chapter 1 . 16 Newspaper Poetry at the Rise of the Penny Press: "Straws" in the New Orleans Daily Picayune Chapter 2 . 70 A Poem Travels West: Lucy Larcom's "Call to Kansas" in 1855 Chapter 3 . 123 Newspaper Poetry and the Civil War Chapter 4 . 174 Newspaper Poetry and the End of an Era, the 1870s and 1880s Works Cited . 231 Appendix . 246 Preliminary Bibliography of Poems in Newspapers, c. 1835–1890 vii Tables Table 2.1 . 78 Recurring variants in newspaper printings of "Call to Kansas." Table 2.2 . 90 Keyword searches and results for three databases, 19th Century U.S. Newspapers, Historical Newspapers, and American Periodicals Series Online. Table 2.3 . 104 Identified 1855 newspaper printings of "Call to Kansas," with format and collection information, in chronological order. Table 3.1 . 130 Comparison of daily newspapers: frequency, length, and price. Table 3.2 . 131 Circulations of the ten newspapers near the outbreak of the war. Table 3.3 . 132 Approximated number of poetic occurrences by attribution (unsigned/no attribution; full name; initials only; first or last name only; clear pseudonym). Table 4.1 . 180 Number of poems published in the Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, Lowell Daily Citizen, and San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin in the month of January in 1870, 1873, 18176, and 1879. viii Figures Figure 3.1 . 147 First stanza of Rema Mayor's "He Does Not Wear the Gray," as published in the Daily Dispatch on March 21, 1863. Figure 3.2 . 147 First stanza of William Gilmore Simms's "Our City by the Sea," as published in the Charleston Mercury on June 22, 1863. 1 American Poetry and the Daily Newspaper from the Rise of the Penny Press to the New Journalism This dissertation examines the relationship of poetry and the daily newspaper in the nineteenth century and begins the process of recovering and reevaluating nineteenth- century newspaper poetry. In doing so, it draws on and participates in current discussions about the role of poetry and poets in society, the importance of periodicals in the development and dissemination of American literature in the nineteenth century, and the value of studying non-canonical texts. The appearance and function of poems in daily newspapers changed over the course of the nineteenth century, and these changes were part of larger shifts in the newspaper and its cultural function, in the role of poetry, in conceptions of authorship, and in the trajectory of American literature. Rarely considered in histories of American literature or studies of poetry, newspaper poems emerge here as a key part of the story of nineteenth-century American poetry, both because of their presence and participation in the daily lives of the people and because of their impact on literary culture. The relationship of poetry and newspapers in the nineteenth century is multifaceted. Many different kinds of poems were published in many different types of newspapers, and they appeared within a variety of contexts. Newspapers featured not only original poems, which could vary widely in subject matter and treatment, but also poems read at public events that were later printed in the newspaper, poems reprinted from other 2 newspapers, as well as from magazines and other periodicals, including broadsheets, and poems reprinted from books.