Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/December 18

Author John Neal

American Writers is an 1824–25 work of literary criticism by American writer and critic John Neal. Published by Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, it is the first history of American literature and the first substantial work of criticism concerning US authors. Using no reference materials, Neal made multiple factually inaccurate claims about many of the 120+ authors covered. Scholars nevertheless praise the staying power of Neal's opinions, many of which are reflected by other critics decades later. Neal also argued American literature relied too much on British precedent and had failed to develop its own voice. Neal wrote the series in London under an English pseudonym, which convinced few readers. American Writers was well received in the UK but drew considerable ire in the US, particularly from William Lloyd Garrison. Neal was met with hostility and a fistfight on an 1827 visit to his hometown of Portland, Maine; he relocated there and remained until his death forty-nine years later. (Full article...)

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