Rufus Wilmot Griswold

Rufus Wilmot Griswold was a prominent American editor, poet, and anthologist of the mid-19th century. He is best remembered for his influential compilations like The Poets and Poetry of America and his role as the literary executor of Edgar Allan Poe. Griswold's posthumous characterization of Poe as a depraved and immoral figure created a lasting, though largely distorted, public image of the writer. His own career was marked by significant editorial influence, fierce literary rivalries, and personal controversy.

Early life and education

Born in rural Benson, Vermont, Griswold was the twelfth of fourteen children. He left home at age fifteen, undertaking a printer's apprenticeship in Albany, New York, which provided his introduction to the publishing world. Largely self-educated, he briefly studied at the Benson district school before his apprenticeship. He later worked as a journalist for newspapers in New York and Philadelphia, including the New York Tribune, honing the editorial skills that would define his career. His early travels and work in the Northeastern United States exposed him to the burgeoning literary scenes of the Antebellum era.

Literary career and criticism

Griswold established himself as a central literary figure through his work as an anthologist and critic. His 1842 volume, The Poets and Poetry of America, was a landmark collection that helped define the American Renaissance canon, featuring works by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, and John Greenleaf Whittier. He followed this with companion volumes like The Prose Writers of America and The Female Poets of America. As an editor, he contributed to several major periodicals, including Graham's Magazine and the International Monthly Magazine. His criticism, often dogmatic and moralistic, reflected the Victorian sensibilities of the era and made him a powerful but polarizing gatekeeper in American literature.

Feud with Edgar Allan Poe

Griswold's most infamous relationship was his bitter and complex feud with Edgar Allan Poe. Initially, their association was professional, with Griswold even hiring Poe to write for Graham's Magazine. However, mutual professional jealousy and personal animosity fueled a rivalry. Poe publicly criticized Griswold's anthologies, while Griswold, writing under the pseudonym "Ludwig," penned a viciously negative obituary of Poe in the New York Tribune shortly after the poet's death in 1849. This act set the stage for Griswold's subsequent role as Poe's literary executor, a position he allegedly secured through deception, according to some accounts from Poe's relatives and friends like Sarah Helen Whitman.

The "Poe Memoir" and legacy

Appointed as Poe's executor, Griswold edited a posthumous collection of the author's works. He prefaced it with a biographical essay, the so-called "Poe Memoir," which portrayed Poe as a mentally unhinged, drunken, and immoral fiend. Griswold included forged letters and manipulated correspondence to support this damning portrait. Although contemporaries like James Russell Lowell and Nathaniel Parker Willis challenged its veracity, Griswold's characterization dominated public perception for decades, influencing later biographers. This act has largely defined Griswold's own legacy, overshadowing his contributions as an anthologist and casting him as a villain in the history of American literary criticism.

Personal life and death

Griswold's personal life was marked by tragedy and scandal. He was married three times: first to Caroline Searles, who died in 1842; then to Charlotte Myers, whom he divorced; and finally to Harriet McCrillis. His divorce proceedings were public and salacious, damaging his reputation. In his later years, he struggled with poor health and financial difficulties. He died of tuberculosis in New York City at the age of 42 and was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Despite his efforts to shape the American literary canon, his enduring notoriety stems almost entirely from his defamation of Edgar Allan Poe.

Category:American literary critics Category:American anthologists Category:1815 births Category:1857 deaths