by George J. Dance
George Arnold (June 24, 1834 - November 9, 1865) was an American poet.[1]
George Arnold (1834-1865), from Poems, 1871. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Life[]
Youth and education[]
Arnold was born in Manhattan, New York City, the younger son of Lydia (Spring) (1801-1854) and George B.Arnold (1803-1889).[1]
When he was still an infant his parents moved to Illinois,[2] and later to Monmouth county, New Jersey, where Arnold grew up.[3]
Career[]
Arnold initially wanted to become a painter, and apprenticed himself to a portrait painter in 1852, However, he soon decided his true interest was in writing. Over the next few years he published a flood of poems, stories, essays, satires, and editorials in the major literary venues of his day, including Harper's Magazine, Vanity Fair, and the Atlantic Monthly.[3]
In 1860, he began a series of columns in Vanity Fair under the name "McArone".[3] The series, which continued in the Saturday Press and Weekly Review, was popular and gave him a reputation as a humorist.[4]
He also published poetry and books on children's games. He put his art training to good use by illustrating his books.[3]
He was a close friend of Henry Clapp, and a regular in Clapp's literary circle at Pfaff's beer cellar in New York, at a time when Walt Whitman was also a patron. On an evening a few months into the Civil War, Whitman read his latest poem, on the war, at Pfaff's, sparking a heated discussion. Arnold proposed a toast to the success of the South, and he and Whitman got into a physical confrontation. The episode ended with the men shaking hands, but afterwards Whitman stopped going to Pfaff's.[3]
Despite his pro-Southern sympathies, Arnold joined the Union Army during the war. However, his health failed, and he died at his family home in Monmouth soon after the war's end.[3]
He is buried in Green-View Cemetery, Brooklyn.[1]
Writing[]
His most enduring work is a humorous piece, The Jolly Old Pedagogue.[1]
Recognition[]
Edmund Clarence Stedman commemorated Arnold in The Ballad of the Prince, and other poems.[3]
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- Pine Hill, Medford. Medford, MA: 1864.
- Drift: A sea-shore idyl; and other poems. Boston: Ticknor & Fields,1866.[5]
- Poems: Grave and gay. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1867.
- Poems: Complete edition (edited by William Winter). Boston: J.R. Osgood, 1880; Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1889.
- Nut-Brown Beer, Nut-Brown: Being a very careful analysis of life's major joy. South Pasadena, CA: H. Ward Ritchie at the Flame Press, 1930.
Non-fiction[]
- The Magician's Own Book; or, The whole art of conjuring (with Frank Cahill). New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1857.[3]
- The Sociable; or, One thousand and one home amusements. New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1858.
- Parlor Theatricals; or, Winter evenings' entertainment (with Frank Cahill). New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1859.
- Life and Adventures of Jeff. Davis. New York: Haney, 1865.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[6]
See also[]
References[]
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 George Arnold, Find a Grave, June 19, 2003. Web, Sep. 26, 2020.
- ↑ George Arnold, AllPoetry. Web, Sep. 26, 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Arnold, George (1834-1865), The Vault at Pfaff's, Lehigh University. Web, Sep. 27, 2020.
- ↑ George Arnold, Poetry Foundation. Web, Sep. 26, 2020.
- ↑ Drift: A sea-shore idyl; and other poems, Internet Archive. Web, Sep. 27, 2020.
- ↑ Search results = au:George Arnold 1865, WorldCat OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Sep. 27, 2020.
External links[]
- Poems
- "September"
- George Arnold at the Poetry Foundation
- George Arnold at AllPoetry (11 poems)
- Books
- Works by George Arnold at Project Gutenberg
- George Arnold at Internet Archive
- George Dana at the Online Books Page
- George Arnold at Amazon.com
- About
- Arnold, George (1834-1865) at The Vault at Pfaff's
- George Arnold at Find a Grave
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