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| Not a Puritan despite Puritan Boston upbringing. Striving moral perfectionist hardly follows own advice; humorously immodest. Wrote Silence Dogwood essays while in his 20's; "On Felons" in the Pennsylvania Gazette; published Poor Richard's Almanac. |
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Part of Connecticut Wits, all of whom were Conservative Federalists.
Yale: student at 13; then literature-promoting faculty. Later studies law under John Adams, becomes CT Supreme Court Justice.
The Progress of Dulness: poem satirizes dumb ministers, education system for producing plebians. Softened his harsh writing for the sake of his law career.
M'Fingal: poem satirizing the American Revolution resents "common" people ruling the country. |
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Spoiled youngest child; traveled Europe. Conservative like namesake George Washington. Newspaper pen name: Jonathon Oldstyle. Book pen name: Diedrich Knickerbocker (not to be taken seriously; facetious)
D.K.: A History of New York from the Creation of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty: a short parody of guidebooks; satirizes early Dutch New Yorkers' claim of the Native Americans' land. Humorously exaggerates Dutch surnames.
"Rip Van Winkle": Lazy Van Winkle always beaten by wife. Finds men bowling in Catskill Mts, drinks from flask, wakes up 20 years later to a new town with more efficiency, no leisure. An escape from responsibility (wife, work); example of the American Dream. Influenced Natty Bumppo & Huck Finn. |
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| The Yankee; American Folklore |
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Stories passed from the workplace.
1. Capt Alfred Bulltop Stormlong: Nantucket ship captain, "stood a fathom high"; sailed huge ships with horses on them.
2. Jonathon Slick: a Yankee Peddler; cheap, unsophisticated traveling salesman who would cheat others out of money. Emerged from almanacs. |
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| The Yankee; Characteristics |
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Often "Jonathon" or "Brother Jonathon".
1. Unsophisticated, plain; farmer-like
2. Diligent, thrifty, practical; Ben Franklin-like
3. Patriotic, lanky; Uncle Sam-like
4. Cunning, sharp merchant; a gyp
Prompted by British observations during Revolution; national pride on independence from Europe; North-South clash. |
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Real name: Charles Farrar Brown. Editor of Punch Magazine, humorous British publication. Influenced Twain and Lincoln.
The Crisis: littered with improper grammar and uneducated dialect. |
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| "To A Honey Bee": structured rhyming poem; ABABCC; symbol of industrialization. Alcohol is able to drown bee and human. Wine as an escape - man's is temporary, bee's is permanent. |
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| Early American Almanac Humor: excerpts from almanacs; ethnic humor (Irish bulls), and sexual jokes enforcing morality. |
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Part of Connecticut Wits, all of whom were Conservative Federalists.
"The Hasty Pudding": structured rhyming poem; AABBCC; archaic writing (ye, thee, o'er) |
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Real name: David Ross Locke. Well-respected, pro-union, upstate New Yorker.
The Nasby Letters: Adopts the role of a southern newspaper writer; mocks the aristocratic south. His uneducated redneck dialect appealed to a wider audience. This character gained a fan base. |
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Whig politician from Tennessee who gave rehearsed public performances.
"I Outwit A Yankee": election of 1835, Crockett is there as a candidate wearing a hunting shirt, rifle. Trades his raccoon-kill for voters' alcohol. Re-uses raccoon-hide to trade for alcohol, outwitting the oblivious Yankee bartender. Respected by locals because "Anyone that could get the better of a tightwad Yankee, should be in office".
- Fought for poor white farmers' land with the Tennessee Vacant Land Bill.
- Opposed the Trail of Tears by denying Jackson's Indian Removal Bill. |
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| American Folklore Characters |
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David Crockett: as time goes on, folklore becomes more fictionalized. "Raised on buffalo milk"; "Could outhunt anyone"; Chuck Norris-like.
Mike Fink: the Crockett of Mississippi boating; "Could single-handedly load a boat in under 30 minutes"
Johnny Appleseed: walked through West dropping apple seeds to yield rain. Symbol of fertility and western movement during expansion.
Slavic Joe Magarac: a Pittsburgh Steeler
John Henry: black hero could outwork any machine.
Paul Bunyan: bull named "Babe"; represented strength, intelligence, business sense. Certain ad campaigns use this figure. |
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Traveling lawyers and journalists who stay in local taverns and mix with the people.
William Trotter Porter: published Spirit of the Times, an early vehicle for American humor.
Augustus Baldwin Longstreet: "The Fight": the two best fighters duke it out over a woman; gamecocks analogy.
William Tappan Thompson, aka Major Jones: "Major Jones Pops the Question": hides himself in meal bag to propose to woman on X-mas Eve.
Johnson J. Hooper, aka Simon Suggs: "Simon Suggs Attends A Camp Meeting": unscrupulously collects money for a priest and keeps it for himself.
Thomas Bangs Thorpe: "Big Bear of Arkansas": bear voluntarily turns himself in, disappoints hunter. |
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| Famously funny man introduces himself as coming from a "long line of married folks" at Lincoln/Douglas presidential debate. |
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| Uncle Remus: tales of enslaved African, Br'er Rabbit, using wit against white owner. Portrayed as both hero and villain. Represents humor used to get through tough times. Sympathetic treatment of blacks; still, White artist presenting Black culture. |
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Roughing It: adventures of going West with his brother. Surprisingly optimistic. Naive character allows critical, analytical, humorous stories. Shocked by greedy silver miners; gives lesson on hard work; funny because he ignores own advice, like Franklin. Portrays America as virtuous, other countries lesser.
The Gilded Age: book about corruption in D.C. gives late 19th century a nickname. Accuses congressmen of accepting bribery.
Twain lived in elite neighborhood mansion in Hartford, CT. Sided politically with wealth/power. Obsessed with money. Criticized all classes: particularly dismissed foreign poor as filthy, lazy.
Contradictions provide humor. |
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| Thomas Danforth (Daddy) Rice |
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| Origin of American minstrel show: replicated words and moves of black man's dance in a popular Louisville show, leading to New Orleans. Introduced Jim Crow character. |
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Chicago-born Irish-American adopts maiden name of deceased mother. Sports writer coins "southpaw". Later as editor, slips satire into writing, leads to Sunday humor column.
Mr. Dooley: Irish character molded around bartender who devalues reading, mocks historians. "Life would not be worth living if we didn't keep our enemies"; helped ease Americans' fear of immigrants. Malachi Hennessy: blue collar pub resident.
"I see by the paper..." connects with social surroundings; like Conan's monologues; civic humor. |
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| Baltimore-born German-American elitist is anti-democratic, suggests aristocracy. Mocks argrarians. Baltimore Sun writer denounces religion as infringement on clear thinking. |
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| From Traveling Show to Vaudeville: captures minstrelsy and its development into vaudeville-burlesque. |
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Early woman humorist with aggressive bite forwardly addresses problems between sexes.
Wrote for Vanity Fair until scathing review mistakenly threatens wrong person. Co-worker Robert Benchley sympathetically resigns. She then reviews books under Constant Reader pseudonym.
Clever, sharp tongue earns her spot in group of all-male writers, wits: Algonquin Round Table. "Horticulture".
Feelings of inadequacy lead to four suicide attempts; failed as playwright, novelist, serious writer.
Enough Rope: best-selling poetry book involves death, relationships. Portrays women as weaker, more desperate for irresistible men. Simple, short, common poetry. |
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Harold Ross: perfectionist founding editor.
Robert Benchley: facetious drama critic condemns controversial writing; ex-Parker co-worker.
James Thurber: revered sexist writer develops stories of Little Man oft-harassed by women.
Cartoons: graphic-verbal medium evolves into one-liners for culturally educated readership. |
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| The Algonquin Round Table |
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| NYC Algonquin Hotel's roast for Woollcott, cocky journalist, makes headlines. Continues as exclusive group of young, sharp writers lunching daily while exchanging wits that are later published. As result, lowbrow humor sophisticates. |
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