The letters Frederick Phillip Grove wrote to Knister were not original copies. Rather, they were transcribed and included footnotes that helped contextualize the content of the letters, which was very helpful. The letters Grove wrote to Knister ranged from 1929 to 1931, and I even found a 1945 letter in which Grove mentioned Knister. A photocopy of that letter is included below. Moreover, there was a 1926 letter Knister wrote to his wife, then fiancée. It was typed out on a typewriter on an 8.5 by 11-inch piece of paper. The first page of the letter was written on the back of a manuscript titled The Ring; there are pencil markings where Knister rewrote sentences and crossed out words in the manuscript. The first page also has circular stains at the bottom, probably from age. Other than that, the pages were in good condition. The newspaper clippings were all cut out of newspapers and thus, varied in size. Most, however, were in long columns. All the clippings were beige or slightly yellow in colour, perhaps from age or that was the simply the paper used for newspapers at the time. Overall, the clippings were all in good condition with no marks or tears.
Based on the contents of the archival material I examined, I was able to peer into various aspects of Knister’s life. Specifically,
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Edgar was one of Knister’s professors during his undergraduate years and served as a mentor to him (Harrington, 166). Edgar was an English professor who “discovered” Knister and Knister credited Edgar for inspiring him to start writing (Harrington, 166). The two kept in contact after Knister graduated, and Edgar was interested in Knister’s writing and publications (Harrington, 169). Knister’s letters to him reflected this: the tone was mostly academic, focusing on Knister’s writing, with usually only a few personal lines inquiring about family. This also explains why Knister addressed all his letters to Edgar as “Dear
A 1970 advertisement for Grove Press’s Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher features language that Coca-Cola had used in previous advertising campaigns: “It’s the real thing.” In a letter to Grove Press executive Richard Seaver, Ira C. Herbert of Coca-Cola urges Grove to discontinue the use of the phrase. Herbert employs a formal but assertive tone, a rather simplistic essay structure, and a single appeal to logic. In retort, Seaver writes a ridiculing letter which claims that there is no reason to discontinue stop the use of the slogan. The letter refutes each of Herbert’s points, while degrading his position with sarcastic attacks and effectively employing multiple appeals. Thus, Seaver’s letter is the more persuasive of the two.
Walker, I. M., ed. Edgar Allen Poe: A Critical Heritage. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986.
Edgar Allan Poe wrote to John Allan on many occasions. In each letter Poe would use a different point of view, and purpose. Poe’s style and content contributed to the power and persuasiveness of his letters.
Wilmer, L. A. Letter to Mr. Tomlin (May 20, 1843). Passages from the Correspondence and Other Papers of Rufus W. Griswold, ed. W.M. Griswold, 1898: 143. Quoted as "On Edgar Allan Poe" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Edgar Allan Poe, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2007.Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 7 May 2014
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an autobiography of Frederick Douglass which depicts the hardships and abuse he witnessed and felt as a slave, gives the reader insight into what it was like to be a slave in America. The type of slavery Frederick Douglass endured as an in-house slave for many years in Maryland was not as harsh or difficult as being a slave in another state such as Tennessee which is farther away from the North, or on a different plantation being used as a field hand. Frederick Douglass had the luxury of living in the city for a while, where “a slave is almost a freeman, compared with those on a plantation” and where “there is a vestige of decency” and “a sense of shame” which makes the city slave owners kinder, since they do not want to seem like an unkind slave owner to their non-slave owner neighbors. Even with this fact in mind, the reader is still able to understand the types of punishments that occurred, how the slaves were treated, and what it was like to live life as a slave because of the detail that Frederick Douglass writes in his book about the experiences he went through all those years that he was a slave and what it was like to become a free man.
Once Poe said that his writing was pure nonsense and didn’t have a reason, but his works have touched many, even today. Edgar Allan Poe was married to his cousin, Virginia Clemm, who may have influenced his writing by her death. Nevertheless, Poe’s depression, may have been the true reason behind his writing. He had many unfortunate events and writing might have been his escape from the chaos besides his alcohol abuse. Poe writes in his essay The Philosophy of Composition that “A close circumscription of space is absolutely necessary to the effect of insulated incident:—it has the ...
During the fall of 1823, when Edgar was fourteen years old, his classmate Robert Stanard introduced Poe to his mother, Jane Stanard, who was a beautiful and compassionate young woman. Edgar became devoted to her. He called her Helen, which to his ears sounded far more...
Allen, Henry. Poe, Edgar Allan. Dictionary of American Biography VIII. Ed. Dumas Malone. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1963: 19-28.
Ljungquist, Kent. Poe, Edgar Allan. Ed. Paul A. Kobasa. P.15. Chicago: Scott Fetzer company, 2012.
Kennedy, Gerald J. A Historical Guide to Edgar Allan Poe. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001
Edgar Allan Poe is considered one of the greatest of his time. He lived with his parents No sooner than his father had left his mother passed. She died from tuberculosis at the mere age of twenty four. Poe and his siblings were by her side until her last breath. He later became the dependent of John Allan of Richmond, Virginia hence Allan being Poe’s middle name. The Allans were quite fond of young Poe as they had no children. Frances Allan was very motherly and nurturing towards Poe which was unfamiliar to him (Meltzer). At the age of five he began his schooling with a private tutor. He soon had a keen ear for music and was able to recite English poems. He would sparsely see his brother and sister from time to time. At age six the family moved to England where Poe continued his schooling. He was considered one of the most famous student and could speak French, Latin and knew a lot about literature. In his teen years Edgar began studying in Richmond schools. There were no free public education system at that time (Lange). He continued to excel in his love for languages. He continued to write poems and would always read them for his fellow classmates. At the age of seventeen he began to attend the University of Virginia in Charlottesville with very little money. He could only afford to take two classes which were Latin and French. He had an interest for math which he could not pursue because he had no funds to pay it. Poe thought that the university was “wild” with students gambling, drinking and fighting. Poe had a turbulent upbringing and his misfortunes are very much embedded in his stories.
Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life, especially the stories surrounding his drinking and early death, are dealt with extensively by Poe’s contemporary critics as well as those writing in the twentieth century (Bloom, Harold p. 491). In their confusion of the man and his literary creations, certain critics have ascribed to Poe a morbidity of character and a cruel and unnatural temperament. (Bloom, Harold p. 491). This critical attitude was adumbrated by the publication of Poe’s letters under the direction of R.W. Griswold, his literary executor (Bloom, Harold p.491). Griswold, for reasons unknown, sought to defame Poe by falsifying his letters and printing forged material that portrayed Poe as a bizarre and menacing character (Bloom, Harold p. 491). Although he was ultimately vindicated through the scholarship of A.H. Quinn and others, it has been the work of modern scholars to reestablish Poe’s reputation based on the work and not the man (Bloom, Harold p. 491).
Quinn, Arthur Hobson. Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. New York: D. Appleton-Century Company, 1941. Internet.
When Edgar was a teenager the Allans moved around frequently. In 1822, the family finally settled in Richmond, in a house rented from William Galt. Edgar continued with his education, and by the age of fourteen, he was attending the Academy of Joseph H. Clarke. He did very well academically and the academy not only encouraged his studies but nourished his gift for language. Poe excelled in Latin and French, and at age sixteen he wrote the poem “Oh Tempora! Oh Mores!” While at school Poe excelled at writing by authoring countless numbers of poems. My research indicates that Poe had the potential to publish a book of poetry. For reasons unknown the Academy of Joseph H. Clark was not receptive to this venture and persuaded Poe’s stepfather not to entertain such notions. The school also brought out the athlete in Poe. He was a good runner, leaper, boxer, and sw...
Frances Allan, one woman who had been part of the charity helping Eliza, had convinced her husband John Allan to let them take little Edgar in, but they never formally adopted him. John had promised David Poe’s relatives that Edgar would receive a proper and good education. John sent Edgar at the age of five to a teacher named Clotilda Fisher and then after that to William Ewing, the Richmond School master. Mr. Ewing noted that Edgar was quite charming and enjoyed school.