The ''Southern Literary Messenger'' was a

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also example ...

published in Richmond,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, from August 1834 to June 1864, and from 1939 to 1945. Each issue carried a subtitle of "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some variation thereof and included poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews, and historical notes. It was founded by Thomas Willis White, who served as publisher and occasional editor until his death, in 1843. White hired

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

in 1835 as a staff writer and critic. Others involved with the periodical included

Matthew Fontaine Maury Matthew Fontaine Maury (January 14, 1806February 1, 1873) was an American oceanographer and naval officer, serving the United States and then joining the Confederacy during the American Civil War. He was nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas" and i ...

and Maury's kinsman Benjamin Blake Minor. Publication ended in June 1864, in part because of Richmond's involvement in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, and was revived from 1939–1945.

History

The ''Southern Literary Messenger'' first appeared in August 1834 with Thomas Willis White (1788–1843) as publisher. In the inaugural issue, he stated that his aim was "to stimulate the pride and genius of the south, and awaken from its long slumber the literary exertion of this portion of our country." That was in reference to the fact that at the time, most magazines were published in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

served as an editor for a time (see below). After his departure, White resumed editorial duties before he hired Lieutenant

USN as editor from 1840 to 1843. Upon White's death in 1843, Benjamin Blake Minor served as editor and publisher from August 1843 to October 1847. The loss of writing and subscriptions led to the journal's cancellation in June 1864. As was explained editorially in the last issue, the press in Richmond and the town in general had been thrown into considerable disarray by the

Editors

*James E. Heath * Edward Vernon Sparhawk *

*Lieut.

, U. S. N. * Benjamin Blake Minor * John Reuben Thompson (1823-1873), editor and proprietor from 1847 until 1860 *Dr. George William Bagby

Content

The ''Southern Literary Messenger'' featured poems, fiction, nonfiction, translations, reviews, legal articles, and

historical notes. Each issue carried the subtitle "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some variation of it. The periodical was published approximately monthly, and it initially had subscribed mostly readers in the North but it picked up readers in the South and writers over time as more Southerners wrote articles to be published, as was stated in an 1840 issue of the ''Messenger''. James E. Heath, the first editor of the ''Southern Literary Messenger'' wrote:

From our Northern and Eastern friends we have received more complimentary notices than from any of our Southern brethren without the limits of our own State. We say this not in a reproachful spirit, but in a somewhat sad conviction of mind, that we who live on the sunny side of Mason and Dixon's line are not yet sufficiently inspired with a sense of importance of maintaining our just rights, or rather our proper representation in the
Republic of Letters The Republic of Letters (''Respublica literaria'') is the long-distance intellectual community in the late 17th and 18th centuries in Europe and the Americas. It fostered communication among the intellectuals of the Age of Enlightenment, or ''phil ...
.

In February 1861, the ''Southern Literary Messenger'' defended the secession movement by publishing an article by William H. Holcombe, a doctor, entitled "The Alternative: A Separate Nationality, or the Africanization of the South."

Involvement of Poe

was hired as a staff writer and critic in August 1835, possibly based on a recommendation to White from John Pendleton Kennedy. Just a month later, White fired Poe, allegedly for his drinking habits, but rehired him in October. By December, Poe was made editor of the journal. While working for the ''Messenger'', Poe published 37 reviews of American and foreign books and periodicals, cementing his place as a premier critic in the United States.Sova, Dawn B. ''Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z''. Checkmark Books, 2001. pp. 225-6. Poe was proud of his accomplishments with the journal and may have aided in a large jump in

subscribers The subscription business model is a business model A business model describes how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value,''Business Model Generation'', Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Alan Smith, and 470 practitioners f ...

. In a letter years later, in 1844, Poe wrote that he began working when the ''Messenger'' had about 700 subscribers and left when it had 5,500 paying subscribers. Besides criticism, Poe published many first printings of his now famous works in the ''Messenger'', including the controversial " Berenice", " Morella" and, in installments, parts of his only novel ''

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket ''The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'' (1838) is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the ''Grampus' ...

''. Poe left the magazine with the January 1837 issue but still contributed works even after White's death.

References

Bibliography

External links

''Southern Literary Messenger''
at

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, complete archive. *
Wm. H. Holcombe, M.D., "The Alternative: A Separate Nationality, or the Africanization of the South," ''Southern Literary Messenger'', February 1861
* Davis, David A
Southern Literary Messenger
Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities * Kollatz, Harry
Poe's Training Ground.
Richmond Magazine. {{Authority control 1834 establishments in Virginia 1864 disestablishments in Virginia American Southern literary magazines Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Edgar Allan Poe History of Richmond, Virginia Magazines established in 1834 Magazines disestablished in 1864 Mass media in Richmond, Virginia Magazines published in Virginia Monthly magazines published in the United States