Bound by paper: Nineteenth-century southern editors and their northern connections

Abstract

Nineteenth-century editors frequently discussed their work in public forums (including their own periodicals) and in private correspondence. These sources provide insight into how editors imagined their work and their professional roles. For many nineteenth-century editors, one of the most important (and underappreciated) elements of their work was building expansive social networks that promoted productive relationships between writers, readers, and other editors. After establishing the function of the nineteenth-century editor in Chapter I, I proceed in the remaining chapters to examine how specific Southern editors attempted to gain access to a national audience by cultivating relationships with their Northern counterparts. Chapter II uses Caroline Gilman’s career to demonstrate the many ways that, despite her religious and family connections to the Boston literati, her gender prevented her from establishing the types of professional ties that could have advanced her career. Chapter III analyzes the impact of the New York-based Young America movement on the career of William Gilmore Simms, and Chapter IV contends that Edgar Allan Poe lacked the social capital necessary to successfully negotiate a professional relationship with New York editor Nathaniel Parker Willis. These chapters demonstrate the importance of social networks, particularly connections with Northerners, in the professional lives of Southern editors.