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Last edited by Pretzelles (talk | contribs) 110 minutes ago. (Update) |
| Editor | Richard Beale Davis |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas Holley Chivers |
| Subject | Edgar Allen Poe |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton and Company |
Publication date | February 28, 1952 |
| Pages | 127 |
| OCLC | 220128818 |
Life of Poe is a biography written by the American poet Thomas Holley Chivers about his friend and fellow poet Edgar Allen Poe. The majority of the work remained in manuscript form until 1952, when it was edited by the historian Richard Beale Davis and published as Chivers' Life of Poe.
Background
editOn October 27, 1852, Chivers offered his biography of Poe to the publishing company Ticknor and Fields.
Publication of excerpts
editIn January and February 1903, George Edward Woodberry published two articles in The Century Magazine titled "The Poe-Chivers Papers: The First Authentic Account of One of Poe's Most Interesting Friendships", which contained excerpts from Chivers's manuscript collection.[2] By this time, Woodberry had established himself as a leading scholar in Poe studies, publishing his own biography of the writer in 1885.[3]
The first of The Century's articles contains Chivers's physical description of Poe and recounts their interactions in New York City. It includes a discussion between Chivers and Poe concerning the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.[4] The second contains the section titled "Golden Letters" and notes Chivers's manuscript dedication to Shelley: "To the Eternal Spirit of the Immortal Shelley, this work is now most Solemnly dedicated, by one who longs to enjoy his company in Elysium".[5]
Modern research and editing
editSynopsis
editPublication and reception
editThe book was published as Chivers' Life of Poe by E. P. Dutton and Company on February 28, 1952. It was one of several books published by the company to celebrate its centennial.[6]
Editorial scholarship
editWriting together in The Journal of Southern History, Lois Ferry Parks and Emma Chase praised and criticised what they referred to as Davis's "splendid job of editing". They stated that he was able to make a "reasonable narrative" from Chivers's manuscripts and that his notes were "for the most part textually correct and yet unobtrusive", but also noted a range of transcription and factual errors made by the editor. Overall, however, they argued that "the mistakes noted are of minor concern".[7]
Historical accuracy
editArthur H. Quinn at the University of Pennsylvania wrote in American Literature that the book contains several factual errors relating to Poe's early life, but dismisses this as "not by any means Chivers's fault". He discussed how misunderstandings in Chivers's writing create a "distrust of his evidence", giving the example of Poe's letter to George Washington Eveleth concerning the cause of his drinking. Quinn questioned the need to publish the manuscripts at all and suggested doing so may revive scandals related to the relationship between Poe and Frances Sargent Osgood.[2]
The Virginia Quarterly Review described the book as "untrustworthy as evidence about Poe", but recommended it as a way of understanding Chivers.[8] Los Angeles Times literary critic Paul Jordan-Smith referred to it as "a bad biography", but suggested it would help students understand views contemporary to Poe.[9]
References
edit- ^ Chivers, Thomas Holley (1952). Davis, Richard Beale (ed.). Chivers' Life of Poe (1st ed.). New York: E. P. Dutton & Company.
- ^ a b Quinn, Arthur H. (1952). "Review: Chivers' Life of Poe". American Literature. 24 (3): 417. ISSN 0002-9831.
- ^ Campbell, Killis (1910). "Woodberry's Revised Life of Poe". Modern Language Notes. 25 (4): 115. doi:10.2307/2915968. ISSN 0149-6611. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Woodberry, George Edward (January 1903). "The Poe-Chivers Papers: The First Authentic Account of One of Poe's Most Interesting Friendships". The Century Magazine. LXV (3): 435–447.
- ^ Woodberry, George Edward (February 1903). "The Poe-Chivers Papers: The First Authentic Account of One of Poe's Most Interesting Friendships". The Century Magazine. LXV (4): 545–558.
- ^ "UT Professor's Book on Poe Goes on Sale Today". The Knoxville Journal. February 28, 1952. p. 2. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Parks, Lois Ferry; Chase, Emma (1952). "Review: Chivers' Life of Poe". The Journal of Southern History. 18 (4): 549–551. doi:10.2307/2955247. ISSN 0022-4642. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "Notes on Current Books". The Virginia Quarterly Review. 28 (3): lxx. 1952. ISSN 0042-675X.
- ^ Jordan-Smith, Paul (April 6, 1952). "Books and Authors". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 5. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
Sources for later
edit- https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-books-and-authors/149696958/ (Paul Jordan-Smith review in LA Times)
- https://www-newspapers.com/article/the-evening-sun-poe-as-seen-by-a-fellow/149697158/ (Robert D. Jacobs review in Baltimore Sun)
- https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-trying-to-understand-poe/149698331/ (Walter Harding review in Chicago Tribune)
- https://www.nytimes.com/1952/06/22/archives/on-poes-coattail-chivers-life-of-poe-edited-with-an-introduction-by.html (Armistead C. Gordon Jr. review in NYT; proquest)
- https://read.dukeupress.edu/south-atlantic-quarterly/article-abstract/52/2/307/347739/Chivers-Life-of-Poe-ed-by-Richard-Beale-Davis (Jay B. Hubbell review)
- https://www.proquest.com/openview/de35a4f20a787e953fc0d19556406978/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1817854 (Cyrille Arnavon review in French)
- https://archive.org/details/thomasholleychiv0000lomb (chapter 9 on the book)
- https://mdhs.msa.maryland.gov/pages/Viewer.aspx?speccol=5881&Series=1&Item=186 (Curtis Carroll Davis review in MHM)
- https://archive.org/details/sim_freeman_1952-05-19_2_17 (Edward Dahlberg review)
- https://archive.org/details/sim_saturday-review_1952-05-31_35_22 (Edward Sculley Bradley review)