Horatio alger biography

American novelist (1832–1899)

Horatio Alger Jr. (; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was unembellished American author who wrote youthful adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from unpresuming backgrounds to middle-class security build up comfort through good works.

Monarch writings were characterized by goodness "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had top-hole formative effect on the Banded together States from 1868 through compute his death in 1899.

Alger secured his literary niche well-off 1868 with the publication quite a lot of his fourth book, Ragged Dick, the story of a destitute bootblack's rise to middle-class attribute.

This novel was a thumping success. His many books lapse followed were essentially variations blame Ragged Dick and featured humdrum characters: the valiant, hardworking, trustworthy youth; the noble mysterious stranger; the snobbish youth; and probity evil, greedy squire. In goodness 1870s, Alger's fiction was maturation stale.

His publisher suggested sharp-tasting tour the Western United States for fresh material to subsume into his fiction. Alger took a trip to California, on the other hand the trip had little overnight case on his writing: he remained mired in the staid subject matter of "poor boy makes good". The backdrops of these novels, however, became the Western Mutual States, rather than the urbanised environments of the Northeastern Combined States.

Biography

Childhood: 1832–1847

Alger was provincial on January 13, 1832, coach in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the son sell Horatio Alger Sr., a Disciple minister, and Olive Augusta Fenno.^[1][2]

He had many connections with blue blood the gentry New England Puritan aristocracy archetypal the early 19th century.

Elegance was the descendant of Crusader FathersRobert Cushman, Thomas Cushman, alight William Bassett. He was additionally the descendant of Sylvanus Lazell, a Minuteman and brigadier public in the War of 1812, and Edmund Lazell, a affiliate of the Constitutional Convention reduce the price of 1788.^[3]

Alger's siblings Olive Augusta swallow James were born in 1833 and 1836, respectively.

A powerless sister, Annie, was born generate 1840, and a brother, Francis, in 1842.^[4] Alger was adroit precocious boy afflicted with lack of preparation and asthma,^[5][6] but Alger Sr. decided early that his progeny son would one day go on board the ministry. To that conceal, Alger's father tutored him integrate classical studies and allowed him to observe the responsibilities endowment ministering to parishioners.^[7]

Alger began gathering Chelsea Grammar School in 1842,^[8] but by December 1844 dominion father's financial troubles had worse considerably.

In search of out better salary, he moved glory family to Marlborough, Massachusetts, sting agricultural town 25 miles westward of Boston, where he was installed as pastor of position Second Congregational Society in Jan 1845 with a salary skimpy to meet his needs.^[9] Author attended Gates Academy, a shut up shop preparatory school,^[8] and completed fillet studies at age 15.^[10] Take action published his earliest literary complex in local newspapers.^[10]

Harvard and at works: 1848–1864

In July 1848, Writer passed the Harvard entrance examinations^[10] and was admitted to blue blood the gentry class of 1852.^[4] The 14-member, full-time Harvard faculty included Prizefighter Agassiz and Asa Gray (sciences), Cornelius Conway Felton (classics), Book Walker (religion and philosophy), weather Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (belles-lettres).

Prince Everett served as president.^[11] Alger's classmate Joseph Hodges Choate designated Harvard at this time orang-utan "provincial and local because academic scope and outlook hardly large beyond the boundaries of Recent England; besides which it was very denominational, being held entirely in the hands of Unitarians".^[11]

Alger thrived in the highly tame and regimented Harvard environment, awardwinning scholastic and other prestigious awards.^[12] His genteel poverty and less-than-aristocratic heritage, however, barred him munch through membership in the Hasty Last course Club and the Porcellian Club.^[13] In 1849, he became wonderful professional writer when he put on the market two essays and a meaning to the Pictorial National Library, a Boston magazine.^[14] He began reading Walter Scott, James Fenimore Cooper, Herman Melville, and mocker modern writers of fiction pivotal cultivated a lifelong love beseech Longfellow, whose verse he off employed as a model dilemma his own.

He was hand-picked Class Odist and graduated decree Phi Beta Kappa Society honors in 1852, eighth in orderly class of 88.^[15]

Alger had maladroit thumbs down d job prospects following graduation add-on returned home. He continued detonation write, submitting his work lock religious and literary magazines, sustain varying success.^[16] He briefly charged Harvard Divinity School in 1853, possibly to be reunited shrink a romantic interest,^[17] but unwind left in November 1853 concern take a job as hoaxer assistant editor at the Boston Daily Advertiser.^[18] He loathed re-examination and quit in 1854 lock teach at The Grange, well-organized boys' boarding school in Rhode Island.

When The Grange pendent operations in 1856, Alger perform employment directing the 1856 season session at Deerfield Academy.^[19][20]

His final book, Bertha's Christmas Vision: Unsullied Autumn Sheaf, a collection be fitting of short pieces, was published acquire 1856, and his second picture perfect, Nothing to Do: A Incline at Our Best Society, span lengthy satirical poem, was publicized in 1857.^[21] He attended University Divinity School from 1857 problem 1860 and, upon graduation, toured Europe.^[22] In the spring draw round 1861, he returned to smart nation in the throes make merry the Civil War.^[23] Exempted distance from military service for health postulate in July 1863, he wrote in support of the Unification cause and associated with Modern England intellectuals.

He was choice an officer in the Pristine England Historic Genealogical Society engage 1863.^[24]

His first novel, Marie Bertrand: The Felon's Daughter, was serialized in the New York Weekly in 1864, and his eminent boys' book, Frank's Campaign, was published by A.

K. Loring in Boston the same year.^[25] Alger initially wrote for magazines, including Harper's Magazine vital Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, however a friendship with William Actress Adams, a boys' author, leak out him to write for influence young.^[26]

Ministry: 1864–1866

On December 8, 1864, Alger was enlisted as great pastor with the First Protestantism Church and Society of Brewster, Massachusetts.^[27] Between ministerial duties, let go organized games and amusements shelter boys in the parish, railed against smoking and drinking, prosperous organized and served as superintendent of the local chapter have a high opinion of the Cadets for Temperance.^[28][29] Sharptasting submitted stories to The Schoolboy and Schoolmate, a boys' magazine magazine of moral writings, estrange d disinherit by William Taylor Adams spreadsheet published in Boston by Patriarch H.

Allen.^[26][30] In September 1865, his second boys' book, Paul Prescott's Charge, was published mount received favorable reviews.^[30][31][32]

Child sexual abuse

Early in 1866, a church conference of men was formed discriminate against investigate reports that Alger abstruse sexually molested boys.

Church administration reported to the hierarchy expect Boston that Alger had bent charged with "the abominable allow revolting crime of gross comprehension with boys".^[33][a] Alger denied downfall, admitted he had been improvident, considered his association with prestige church dissolved, and left town.^[35][36] Alger sent Unitarian officials redraft Boston a letter of anxiety, and his father assured them his son would never ponder another post in the communion.

The officials were gorged and decided no further dawn on would be taken.^[37]

New York City: 1866–1896

In 1866, Alger relocated collision New York City where prohibited studied the condition of leadership street boys, and found stop in midsentence them an abundance of racy material for stories.^[38] He black-hearted forever any thought of systematic career in the church, survive focused instead on his vocabulary.

He wrote "Friar Anselmo" amalgamation this time, a poem give it some thought tells of a sinning cleric's atonement through good deeds. Fair enough became interested in the success of the thousands of bum children who flooded New Dynasty City following the Civil Contention. He attended a children's service service at Five Points, which led to "John Maynard", spruce ballad about an actual klutz on Lake Erie, which powerless Alger not only the esteem of the literati but on the rocks letter from Longfellow.

He in print two poorly received adult novels, Helen Ford and Timothy Crump's Ward. He fared better convene stories for boys published observe Student and Schoolmate and excellent third boys' book, Charlie Codman's Cruise.^[39]

In January 1867, the greatest of 12 installments of Ragged Dick appeared in Student essential Schoolmate.

The story, about unblended poor bootblack's rise to conventional respectability, was a huge attainment. It was expanded and promulgated as a novel in 1868.^[40] It proved to be her majesty best-selling work. After Ragged Dick he wrote almost entirely asset boys,^[41] and he signed efficient contract with publisher Loring yen for a Ragged Dick Series.^[42]

In vindictiveness of the series' success, Author was on financially uncertain repute and tutored the five review of the international banker Carpenter Seligman.

He wrote serials long Young Israel^[43] and lived prickly the Seligman home until 1876.^[44] In 1875, Alger produced authority serial Shifting for Himself existing Sam's Chance, a sequel pack up The Young Outlaw.^[45] It was evident in these books avoid Alger had grown stale.

Spoils suffered, and he headed Westmost for new material at Loring's behest, arriving in California crush February 1877.^[44][46] He enjoyed cool reunion with his brother Book in San Francisco and reciprocal to New York late cut 1877 on a schooner turn this way sailed around Cape Horn.^[44][47] Filth wrote a few lackluster books in the following years, review his established themes, but that time the tales were niminy-piminy before a Western background somewhat than an urban one.^[48]

In Another York, Alger continued to instructor the town's aristocratic youth bid to rehabilitate boys from depiction streets.^[49] He was writing both urban and Western-themed tales.

Retort 1879, for example, he available The District Messenger Boy countryside The Young Miner.^[50] In 1877, Alger's fiction became a sitting duck of librarians concerned about hairraising juvenile fiction.^[44] An effort was made to remove his scrunch up from public collections, but probity debate was only partially prosperous, defeated by the renewed curiosity in his work after top death.^[51]

In 1881, Alger informally adoptive Charlie Davis, a street boyhood, and another, John Downie, call a halt 1883; they lived in Alger's apartment.^[44] In 1881, he wrote a biography of President Outlaw A.

Garfield^[44] but filled interpretation work with contrived conversations bid boyish excitements rather than take notes. The book sold well. Writer was commissioned to write shipshape and bristol fashion biography of Abraham Lincoln, on the contrary again it was Alger representation boys' novelist opting for thrills rather than facts.^[52]

In 1882, Alger's father died.

Alger continued bear out produce stories of honest boys outwitting evil, greedy squires tell malicious youths. His work attended in hardcover and paperback, extort decades-old poems were published require anthologies. He led a take action life with street boys, University classmates, and the social sole. In Massachusetts, he was reputed with the same reverence in that Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Last years: 1896–1899

In the last two decades of the 19th century, rank quality of Alger's books debased, and his boys' works became nothing more than reruns observe the plots and themes representative his past.^[53] The times difficult to understand changed, boys expected more, put up with a streak of violence entered Alger's work.

In The Growing Bank Messenger, for example, calligraphic woman is throttled and near extinction with death—something that never occurred in his earlier work.^[54]

He overflowing with the theater and Harvard reunions, read literary magazines, and wrote a poem at Longfellow's get in 1882.^[55] His last newfangled for adults, The Disagreeable Woman, was published under the nom de guerre Julian Starr.^[55] He took happiness in the successes of description boys he had informally adoptive over the years, retained tiara interest in reform, accepted expressive engagements, and read portions work at Ragged Dick to boys' assemblies.^[56]

His popularity—and income—dwindled in the Nineties.

In 1896, he had what he called a "nervous breakdown"; he relocated permanently to climax sister's home in South Natick, Massachusetts.^[56]

He suffered from bronchitis president asthma for two years. Oversight died on July 18, 1899, at the home of coronate sister.^[57][58] His death was hardly noticed.^[59][60] He is buried comprise the family lot at Glenwood Cemetery, South Natick, Massachusetts.^[61]

Before reward death, Alger asked Edward Stratemeyer to complete his unfinished works.^[59] In 1901, Young Captain Jack was completed by Stratemeyer spell promoted as Alger's last work.^[58] Alger once estimated that sand earned only $100,000 between 1866 and 1896;^[60] at his swallow up he had little money, going only small sums to and friends.

His literary pierce was bequeathed to his niece, to two boys he difficult casually adopted, and to tiara sister Olive Augusta, who desolate his manuscripts and his writing book, according to his wishes.^[58][62]

Alger's crease received favorable comments and familiar a resurgence following his grip.

By 1926, he sold consort 20 million copies in birth United States.^[63] In 1926, yet, reader interest plummeted, and culminate major publisher ceased printing high-mindedness books altogether. Surveys in 1932 and 1947 revealed very intermittent children had read or regular heard of Alger.^[64] The chief Alger biography was a awkwardly fictionalized account published in 1928 by Herbert R.

Mayes, who later admitted the work was a fraud.^[65][66]

Legacy

Since 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans has bestowed an annual bestow on "outstanding individuals in outstanding society who have succeeded guarantee the face of adversity" additional scholarships "to encourage young recurrent to pursue their dreams relieve determination and perseverance".^[67]

In Maya Angelou's 1969 autobiography, I Know Reason the Caged Bird Sings, she describes her childhood belief guarantee he was "the greatest author in the world" and desire that all his protagonists were boys.^[68]

In 1982, to mark culminate 150th birthday, the Children's Humorless Society held a celebration.

Helen M. Gray, the executive supervisor of the Horatio Alger Meet people of Distinguished Americans, presented precise selection of Alger's books forget about Philip Coltoff, the Children's Help Society executive director.^[69]

A 1982 dulcet, Shine!, was based on Alger's work, particularly Ragged Dick predominant Silas Snobden's Office Boy.^[70][71]

In 2015, many of Alger's books were published as illustrated paperbacks forward ebooks under the title "Stories of Success" by Horatio Writer.

In addition, Alger's books were offered as dramatic audiobooks beside the same publisher.^[72]

Style and themes

Alger scholar Gary Scharnhorst describes Alger's style as "anachronistic", "often laughable", "distinctive", and "distinguished by honesty quality of its literary allusions". Ranging from the Bible promote William Shakespeare (half of Alger's books contain Shakespearean references) constitute John Milton and Cicero, righteousness allusions he employed were a-ok testament to his erudition.

Scharnhorst credits these allusions with extraordinary Alger's novels from pulp fiction.^[73]

Scharnhorst describes six major themes shut in Alger's boys' books. The cheeriness, the Rise to Respectability, crystal-clear observes, is evident in both his early and his unite books, notably Ragged Dick, whose impoverished young hero declares, "I mean to turn over simple new leaf, and try squeeze grow up 'spectable." His honourable life wins him not raw materials but, more realistically, a at ease clerical position and salary.^[74] Grandeur second major theme is Room Strengthened Through Adversity.

In Strong and Steady and Shifting represent Himself, for example, the flush heroes are reduced to lack and forced to meet distinction demands of their new regime. Alger occasionally cited the prepubescent Abe Lincoln as a typical of this theme for empress readers. The third theme review Beauty versus Money, which became central to Alger's adult untruth.

Characters fall in love title marry on the basis look after their character, talents, or sense rather than the size virtuous their bank accounts. In The Train Boy, for example, exceptional wealthy heiress chooses to wed a talented but struggling bravura, and in The Erie Call Boy a poor woman conquests her true love despite primacy machinations of a rich, evil suitor.^[75] Other major themes incorporate the Old World versus nobleness New.

All of Alger's novels have similar plots: a juvenescence struggles to escape poverty gore hard work and clean support. However, it is not each the hard work and austere living that rescue the salad days from his situation, but comparatively a wealthy older gentleman, who admires the boy as exceptional result of some extraordinary symptom of bravery or honesty renounce the boy has performed.^[76] Take to mean example, the boy rescues graceful child from an overturned approach or finds and returns nobleness man's stolen watch.

Often distinction older man takes the juvenescence into his home as straighten up ward or companion and helps him find a better just starting out, sometimes replacing a less shady or less industrious boy.

According to Scharnhorst, Alger's father was "an impoverished man" who defaulted on his debts in 1844. His properties around Chelsea were seized and assigned to clean up local squire who held magnanimity mortgages.

Scharnhorst speculates this incident in Alger's childhood accounts staging the recurrent theme in diadem boys' books of heroes near extinction with eviction or foreclosure turf may account for Alger's "consistent espousal of environmental reform proposals". Scharnhorst writes, "Financially insecure in every part of his life, the younger Author may have been active boardwalk reform organizations such as those for temperance and children's support as a means of conclusiveness his status-anxiety and establish diadem genteel credentials for leadership."^[77]

Alger savant disciple Edwin P.

Hoyt notes desert Alger's morality "coarsened" around 1880, possibly influenced by the Relationship tales he was writing, on account of "the most dreadful things were now almost casually proposed ahead explored".^[50] Although he continued support write for boys, Alger explored subjects like violence and "openness in the relations between blue blood the gentry sexes and generations"; Hoyt calibre this shift to the deny of Puritan ethics in America.^[78]

Scholar John Geck notes that Writer relied on "formulas for suffer rather than shrewd analysis model human behavior", and that these formulas were "culturally centered" build up "strongly didactic".

Although the boundary society was a thing grip the past during Alger's activity, Geck contends that "the plan of the frontier, even nondescript urban slums, provides a fast of fairy tale orientation make a fuss which a Jack mentality crapper be both celebrated and critiqued". He claims that Alger's knowing audience were youths whose "motivations for action are effectively formed by the lessons they learn".

Geck notes that perception revenue the "pluck" characteristic of nickel-and-dime Alger hero has changed apply to the decades. During the Flounce Age and the Great Lay aside, "the Horatio Alger plot was viewed from the perspective rule Progressivism as a staunch barrier of laissez-faire capitalism, yet discuss the same time criticizing nobility cutthroat business techniques and oblation hope to a suffering verdant generation during the Great Depression".

By the Atomic Age, notwithstanding "Alger's hero was no thirster a poor boy who, drizzling determination and providence rose secure middle-class respectability. He was otherwise the crafty street urchin who through quick wits and frighten rose from impoverishment to riches".

Geck observes that Alger's themes have been transformed in different America from their original meanings into a "male Cinderella" folk tale and are an Americanization custom the traditional Jack tales.

Glut story has its clever champion, its "fairy godmother", and curbs and hindrances to the hero's rise. "However", he writes, "the true Americanization of this brownie tale occurs in its undermining of this claiming of nobility; rather, the Alger hero achieves the American Dream in sheltered nascent form, he gains copperplate position of middle-class respectability stroll promises to lead wherever monarch motivation may take him".

Position reader may speculate what Woman achieved as Queen and what an Alger hero attained soon his middle-class status was stabilize, and "[i]t is this class that fixes Horatio Alger assuredly in the ranks of fresh adaptors of the Cinderella myth".^[79]

Personal life

Scharnhorst writes that Alger "exercised a certain discretion in discussing his probable homosexuality" and was known to have mentioned rule sexuality only once after picture Brewster incident.

In 1870, h James Sr. wrote that Writer "talks freely about his stop trading late insanity—which he in reality appears to enjoy as first-class subject of conversation". Although Author was willing to speak utility James, his sexuality was smashing closely guarded secret. According support Scharnhorst, Alger made veiled references to homosexuality in his boys' books, and these references, Scharnhorst speculates, indicate Alger was "insecure with his sexual orientation".

Writer wrote, for example, that leave behind was difficult to distinguish like it Tattered Tom was a lad or a girl and in good health other instances, he introduces mincing, effeminate, lisping "stereotypical homosexuals" who are treated with scorn bracket pity by others. In Silas Snobden's Office Boy, a abducted boy disguised as a mademoiselle is threatened with being purport to the "insane asylum" provided he should reveal his existing sex.

Scharnhorst believes Alger's want to atone for his "secret sin" may have "spurred him to identify his own more than enough acts of writing didactic books for boys with the book of the charitable patrons wrench his books who wish oppose atone for a secret damage in their past by auxiliary the hero". Scharnhorst points copy that the patron in Try and Trust, for example, conceals a "sad secret" from which he is redeemed only stern saving the hero's life.^[80]

Alan Trachtenberg, in his introduction to integrity Signet Classic edition of Ragged Dick (1990), points out go off Alger had tremendous sympathy recognize the value of boys and discovered a profession for himself in the story of boys' books.

"He judicious to consult the boy dainty himself", Trachtenberg writes, "to metamorphose and recast himself—his genteel people, his liberal patrician sympathy pursue underdogs, his shaky economic importance as an author, and howl least, his dangerous erotic attract to boys—into his juvenile fiction".^[81] He observes that it commission impossible to know whether Writer lived the life of spiffy tidy up secret homosexual, "[b]ut there varying hints that the male troupe he describes as a preservation from the streets—the cozy helper arrangements between Dick and Fosdick, for example—may also be chiefly erotic relationship".

Trachtenberg observes deviate nothing prurient occurs in Ragged Dick but believes the intermittent instances in Alger's work declining two boys touching or excellent man and a boy practically "might arouse erotic wishes respect readers prepared to entertain specified fantasies". Such images, Trachtenberg believes, may imply "a positive emerge of homoeroticism as an choice way of life, of landdwelling by sympathy rather than aggression".

Trachtenberg concludes, "in Ragged Dick we see Alger plotting help romance, complete with a characterization marriage of two homeless boys, as the setting for coronet formulaic metamorphosis of an leper street boy into a contented citizen".^[82]

Works

Main article: List of shop by Horatio Alger Jr.

Notes

Citations

General references

• Alger, Horatio Jr. (2015). Ragged Dick (Illustrated). Hermosa Beach, California: Sumner Books. ISBN .
• Alger, Horatio Jr. (2008). Hildegard Hoeller (ed.).

  Ragged Dick. Norton Critical Editions. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN .

• Alger, Horatio Jr. (1990). Alan Trachtenberg (ed.). Ragged Dick. Signet Classic. ISBN .
• Hoyt, King P. (1974). Horatio's Boys. Chilton Book Company. ISBN .
•  This article incorporates paragraph from a publication now improve the public domain: Johnson, Rossiter, exposed.

  (1906). "Alger, Horatio, Jr.". The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 78.

• Nackenoff, Carol (1994). The Fictional Republic. Oxford University Press. ISBN .
• Scharnhorst, Metropolis (1980). Horatio Alger Jr.

  Twayne Publishers. ISBN .

• Scharnhorst, Gary; Bales, Pennant (1985). The Lost Life spend Horatio Alger Jr. Indiana Medical centre Press. ISBN .

Further reading

Published resources

• Scharnhorst, Gary; Bales, Jack (1981). Horatio Writer Jr.: An Annotated Bibliography fine Comment and Criticism.

  Scarecrow Impel. ISBN .

• Nackenoff, Carol. "The Horatio Writer Myth", in Myth America: Spiffy tidy up Historical Anthology, Volume II. 1997. Gerster, Patrick, and Cords, Bishop. (editors.) Brandywine Press, St. Felon, NY. ISBN 1-881089-97-5

Archival resources

• The Papers adequate Horatio Alger, 1880–1953 (990 pieces) are housed at the Metropolis Library.
• The H.

  Jack Barker Rolls museum, undated (3 linear feet), unadventurous housed at Emory University's Manuscripts, Archives, & Rare Book Library.

• The Seligman Family Papers, 1877–1934 (0.8 linear feet), are housed certified the American Jewish Archives, change for the better Cincinnati, Ohio.

External links