John Neal

:"This article is about the American writer. For the English football player and manager, see John Neal (footballer). For the U.S. Congressman, see John R. Neal."

Infobox Writer
name = John Neal


birthdate = birth date|1793|8|25|mf=y
birthplace = Falmouth (now Portland, Maine), United States
deathdate = death date and age|1876|6|20|1793|8|25|mf=y
deathplace = Portland, Maine, United States
occupation = Writer, Critic, Lawyer, Architect

John Neal (August 25, 1793–June 20, 1876), was most notably an author and art/literary critic. He was also a man of diverse talents and objectives, many of which were pioneering in his day. For example, he is credited as being the first American author to employ colloquialism in his writing, breaking with more formal traditions in literature. [Martin, Harold C. “The Colloquial Tradition in the Novel: John Neal.” The New England Quarterly 32.4 (1959): 455-475. JSTOR. Langsam Library, Cincinnati, OH. 22 May 2008 ] However, he was also undisciplined and often rambling, so despite its period significance, his literary work has drifted into obscurity. He was also an early women's rights advocate, prohibitionist, temperance advocate, opponent of dueling, accomplished lawyer, boxer, and architect.

Boyhood, young adulthood, and early business

Born in a yellow frame house on Free Street at the corner of South Street in Falmouth (now Portland, Maine) of Quaker parents, he attended school until the age of twelve whereupon he entered into business ["John Neal" [Obituary] "Daily Eastern Argus" [Portland, Maine] 21 June 1876: 3] . For nine years he made a living as haberdasher, clerk, dry goods dealer, traveling penmanship tutor, and miniature artist, among other things, before entering law school in Baltimore, Maryland in 1815. Neal supported himself while in school by writing for local periodicals, and he helped found a literary society, The Delphian Club. Neal wrote for and eventually edited the journal the Delphians created-- a short-lived but influential and admired monthly journal titled The Portico [Cite book
publisher = University of Chicago Press
isbn = 0226469697
pages = 229
last = Lease
first = Benjamin
title = That Wild Fellow John Neal and the American Literary Revolution
location = Chicago
date = 1972 p.19] . In short time, he turned to novels and poetry, publishing some six novels and two epic poems (under the pseudonymous 'clubicular' name, "Jehu O'Cataract," a nickname given to him by the Delphians because of his rapid production). He was proud of the speed with which he threw off his volumes, often taking only a week to finish an entire novel. He wrote during this stage in his life that, "I shall write, as others drink, for exhilaration." [Cite book
publisher = A.J. Huston
pages = 80
last = Dagget
first = Windsor
title = A Down-East Yankee From the District of Maine
location = Portland, Maine
date = 1920 p.3] Neal left for England in late 1823. [Cite book
edition = Second edition--enlarged
publisher = published by N.B. Maxwell (B. Edes, printer)
last = Neal
first = John
title = The Battle of Niagara: With Other Poems
location = [Baltimore
date = 1819 p. xxiii ]

English stint

John Neal's time in London (1824-1827) was a mission: to win recognition in Europe of American literature and demystify the land of his birth in the eyes of the British literary elite. He attempted to fulfill this mission through his work for Blackwood's Magazine, and one novel, published in England: "Brother Jonathan, or the New Englanders". He wrote in his column for "Blackwood's" about American life and critiqued American authors. After a falling out with the editor of "Blackwood's," Neal wrote for several other leading periodicals including the Westminster Review, and as part of a debating society, he met Jeremy Bentham, who invited Neal to live with him in London. After a short trip to Paris, Neal returned to Portland, Maine.

Life back in Portland

When he returned to Portland in 1827, he was rather ill-received, as some of his writing, perhaps "Errata" (1823) in particular, was found offensive by many locals. Unbeknown to his denouncers, his return to Portland was planned as merely a visit, but faced with such opposition, he decided to stay. In his autobiography, "Wandering Recollections of a Somewhat Busy Life", he writes, “'Verily, verily,' said I, 'if they take that position, here I will stay, till I am both rooted and grounded–grounded in the graveyard, if nowhere else.'” [ Neal, John. "Wandering Recollections of a Somewhat Busy Life" Roberts Brothers, 1869. p. 325 Full text avail. on Google Books.] Indeed he spent the rest of his life in Portland, re-establishing his law practice and a short-lived literary periodical called "The Yankee". He guided many an author or artist through critique and encouragement, among them Edgar Allan Poe [Neal, John. "Wandering Recollections of a Somewhat Busy Life" Roberts Brothers,1869. p. 256 Full text avail. on Google Books.] , Benjamin Paul Akers [Neal, John. "Portland Illustrated" W.S. Jones, 1874 p.23] , and Charles Codman [Neal, John. "Portland Illustrated" W.S. Jones, 1874 p. 29] . He maintained a solid physique into old age, which he demonstrated when he nearly threw a stubborn cigar-smoker off a non-smoking street car at the age of 79 [Author Unknown. "Served Him Right." New York Times 19 July 1875: p. 3] .

Partial bibliography

* "Keep Cool", 1817
* "Battle of Niagara", 1818
* "Goldau, or, the Maniac Helper", 1818
* "Otho; a Tragedy in Five Acts", 1819
* "Logan", 1822
* "Seventy-six", 1823
* "Randolph", 1823
* "Errata", 1823
* "Brother Jonathan, or the New Englanders", 1825
* "Rachel Dyer", 1828
* "Authorship, a Tale", 1830
* "The Down-Easters", 1833
* "One Word More", 1854
* "True Womanhood. A Tale", 1859
* "Wandering Recollections of a Somewhat Busy Life", 1869
* "Great Mysteries and Little Plagues", 1870
* "Portland Illustrated", 1874

References

* Windsor Dagget; "A Down-East Yankee From the District of Maine"; A.J. Huston, Publisher; 1920
* Cite book
publisher = University of Chicago Press
isbn = 0226469697
pages = 229
last = Lease
first = Benjamin
title = That Wild Fellow John Neal and the American Literary Revolution
location = Chicago
date = 1972
* Neal, John; "Wandering Recollections of a Somewhat Busy Life"; Roberts Brothers, Publisher; 1869

Further reading

* Cite book
publisher = Columbia University Press
isbn = 0231108168
pages = 226
last = Goddu
first = Teresa A
title = Gothic America: Narrative, History, and Nation
location = New York
date = 1997
* Cite book
publisher = Duke University Press
isbn = 0822321300
pages = 344
last = Nelson
first = Dana D
title = National Manhood: Capitalist Citizenship and the Imagined Fraternity of White Men
location = Durham
series = New Americanists
date = 1998

Notes

External links

* [http://web.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap3/neal.html Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide]
* [http://www.bartelby.org/225/1604.html Cambridge History of English and American Literature]

elected Works Available online

* [http://www.archive.org/details/battleofniagarpo00nealrich Battle of Niagara : a poem, without notes ; and Goldau, or, The Maniac Harper]
* [http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=GhBW6iftpc8C&pg=PP11&dq=john+neal Otho:A Tragedy]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/randolphnovelbya00nealrich Randolph:A Novel]
* [http://www.google.co.uk/books?printsec=titlepage&dq=editions:0S3ByHz2hRizvBRm&id=CnlTqTShF9wC Rachel Dyer: A North American Story]
* [http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=3d4GAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=john+neal#PPP7 Brother Jonathan (Vol I)] and [http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=3d4GAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=john+neal#PPP7 Vol II]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/downeastersccc01nealrich The Downeasters (Vol I)] and [http://www.archive.org/details/downeastersccc02nealrich Vol II]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/johnbeedlessleig00mcclrich John Beedle's Sleighride, Courtship and Marriage]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/wanderingrecoll00nealrich Wandering Recollections of a Somewhat Busy Life: An Autobiography]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=NPgMAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=A+Down-East+Yankee+From+the+District+of+Maine&as_brr=1&ei=o24jSM_rFJPSjgGK7KzGDQ A Down-east Yankee From the District of Maine]