Literature and Journalism in Antebellum America : Thoreau, Stowe, and Their Contemporaries Respond to the Rise of the Commercial Press

After the rise of the penny press in the 1830s, journalism became a target, a counterpoint, and even a model for many American writers. The first book of its kind, Literature and Journalism in Antebellum America explores the sibling rivalry that emerged as Poe, Thoreau, Stowe, and their contemporaries responded to newspapers, defended their own versions of the truth, and crafted “news of their own” in Walden, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and other works. This historical study provides fresh insights into the antebellum era while informing the current debate over stories and truths in the age of blogs, internet news, and reality television. Explores The Sibling Rivalry That Emerged In The American Literary Marketplace In The Decades After The Advent Of The Penny Press, Showing How Journalism Became A Target, A Counterpoint, And Even A Model For Numerous American Authors, Including Thoreau, Cooper, Poe, And Stowe. Introduction : A Sibling Rivalry In American Letters -- Encounters And Critiques -- The Story And The Truth -- Encounters With The News -- Literary Critiques Of Journalism -- News Of Their Own. Dispatches From The Fringe -- Truthful Hoaxes -- Investigative Fiction -- Epilogue. Mark Canada. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [183]-193)-and Index. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Table......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction: A Sibling Rivalry in American Letters......Page 12 I Encounters and Critiques......Page 20 1 The Story and the Truth......Page 22 2 Encounters with the News......Page 42 3 Literary Critiques of Journalism......Page 68 II News of Their Own......Page 96 4 Dispatches from the Fringe......Page 98 5 Truthful Hoaxes......Page 118 6 Investigative Fiction......Page 132 Epilogue......Page 160 Notes......Page 164 Selected Bibliography......Page 194 Index......Page 206