Blogging's Antecedents

Blogging wasn't born yesterday. Literary history affords countless examples of writing that is lively, topical, opinionated, personality-driven. Parody, satire, and withering critique have been around since humans communicated by way of stone tablets. Ditto the powerful testimony of the eyewitness and the sage (or snarky) council of the advice-giver. Over the next couple of weeks, as we explore the roots of blogging in a broad range of texts and writers, we will be pursuing two important, related goals:

• to improve our blogging practice by studying well-written examples from the past;

• to deepen our understanding of our practice by putting it in historical context.

In the read-write world of the blogosphere, the more you read the better you will write, so let's get reading. (Other details on the Blog Roots assignment are here. Make sure you read that post.)

To simplify things, I have selected writers and texts that are accessible online, mostly by way of a collection of "Classic Essays" on About.com. In a few cases, I point you toward other sources, but they are all accessible without passwords. This list is by no means exhaustive. You are welcome to browse around the essay collection or elsewhere to find other writers and essays you'd like to study and present on. Touch base with me if you have other ideas.

By class time on Wednesday, 2/29, you should leave a comment on this post indicating what writer(s) you would like to work on. There are 21 students in the class. We will have 9 groups with 2 presenters and 1 group with 3 three presenters. That means not all the writers below will get covered.

Addison, Joseph (1672-1719). English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. Co-founder, with Richard Steele, of The Spectator, a topical magazine aimed at developing taste among the members of England's emerging middle class. "Defence and Happiness of Married Life." "False and True Humor." "Laughter." "The Musical Instruments of Conversation." [Adam & Hannah, Mon.]

Bly, Nellie (1864-1922). The list of External Links on Bly's Wikipedia entry will take you to online editions of some of the works of this pioneering American woman journalist. [Jessica & Carla, Wed.]

Douglass, Frederick (1818-95). An escaped slave who would become a leader of the movement to abolish slavery in the United States. "A Glorious Resurrection" is a chapter from his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845). See also W.E.B. Du Bois, "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others." (From The Souls of Black Folk [1903].) [Matt & Stephen, Wed.]

Fern, Fanny (1811-72). Fanny Fern is the pseudonym of Sara Willis Parton, a popular American columnist, humorist, novelist, and author of children's stories in the 1850s-1870s. In 1852, she became the first female writer with her own regular column; by 1855, she commanded $100 per week for her New York Ledger column and was the highest-paid newspaper writer in the United States. A selection of her writings, Fern Leaves from Fanny’s Port-Folio (1853), is accessible here. Let’s look at “Self-Conquest,” “A Practical Blue-Stocking,” “Kitty’s Resolve,” “A Chapter on Literary Women,” and “Children’s Rights.” [Marriam, Wed.]

Franklin, Benjamin (1706-90). Author, printer, inventor, diplomat, and a founding father of the United States. As a young man, Franklin published letters to his brother James's newspaper, The New England Courant, under the pseudonym of "Mrs. Silence Dogood." "Advice on the Choice of a Mistress." "The Art of Procuring Pleasant Dreams." "The Temple of Learning." "The Whistle." [David & JD, Mon.]

Mencken, H. L. (1880-1956). An acerbic critic/observer of American life and culture well known as a literary critic for The Smart Set and as a founding editor of The American Mercury. His political views were sometimes controversial, but his strong vernacular style has been influential and remains highly readable. "The Libido for the Ugly." "The Lower Depths." "The Hills of Zion." "The Penalty of Death." "Portrait of an Ideal World." [Heather & Marie, Wed.]

Parker, Dorothy (1893-1967). A wisecracker and satirist well known as one of the members of the Algonquin Round Table in New York in the 1920s. "Good Souls." "Mrs. Post Enlarges on Etiquette."

Pyle, Ernie (1900-45). An early embedded journalist, Pyle wrote powerful first-hand accounts of life and work alongside ordinary soldiers in World War II. There is an excellent archive of some of his wartime columns here. [Michael Venetti, Wed.]

Roosevelt, Theodore (1858-1919). The twenty-sixth president of the United States was a larger-than-life character and a prolific writer who published 18 books and regularly contributed to magazines. [Jack & Mariah, Wed.]

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady (1815-1902). An organizer and leader of the movement for women's suffrage in the United States. She is the principal author of the "Declaration of Sentiments," a document signed at the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. See also "On Women's Right to Vote" by Stanton's friend and collaborator, Susan B. Anthony.

Swift, Jonathan (1667-1745). Author of what is considered by many to be the finest satire written in English. "A Modest Proposal." [Laura Cathcart, Mon.]

Twain, Mark (1835-1910). You know this guy, right? "Advice to Youth." "Corn Pone Opinions." "On the Decay of the Art of Lying." [Amie, Courtney G., & Mike B., Mon.]

Woolf, Virginia (1882-1941). British novelist, essayist, publisher, and critic. "Writing for My Eye Only." (This is a diary entry.) "The Patron and the Crocus." "Street Haunting: A London Adventure." [Briana & Courtney W., Wed.]