Edgar Allan Poe and the masses: the political economy of literature in antebellum America

340 Pages·1999·1.39 MB·English

by  Terence Whalen

EDGAR ALLAN POE AND THE MASSES

EDGAR ALLAN POE
AND THE MASSES
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY
OF LITERATURE IN
ANTEBELLUM AMERICA
TERENCE WHALEN
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright(cid:211) 1999byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,
Chichester,WestSussex
AllRightsReserved
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Whalen,Terence,1959–
EdgarAllanPoeandthemasses:thepoliticaleconomyof
literatureinantebellumAmerica/TerenceWhalen.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-691-00199-5(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Poe,EdgarAllan,1809–1849—ContemporaryAmerica.
2.Literature—Economicaspects—UnitedStates—History—
19thcentury. 3.Authorship—Economicaspects—UnitedStates—
History—19thcentury. 4.Capitalismandliterature—United
States—History—19thcentury. 5.Politicsandliterature—
UnitedStates—History—19thcentury. 6.Literature—
Publishing—UnitedStates—History—19thcentury. 7.Authorsand
readers—UnitedStates—History—19thcentury. 8.Popular
literature—UnitedStates—Historyandcriticism. 9.Massmedia—
UnitedStates—History—19thcentury. I.Title.
PS2633.W48 1999 818¢.309—dc21 98-43053 CIP
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinBerkeleyBook
Thepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirements
ofANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992(R1997)(PermanenceofPaper)
http://pup.princeton.edu
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Robin

CONTENTS
PREFACE ix
LISTOFABBREVIATIONS xi
PARTONE:CAPITALISMANDLITERATURE 1
CHAPTERONE
Introduction: MinorWritingandtheCapitalReader 3
CHAPTERTWO
TheHorridLawsofPoliticalEconomy 21
CHAPTERTHREE
FablesofCirculation: Poe’sInfluence ontheMessenger 58
CHAPTERFOUR
PoeandtheMasses 76
PARTTWO:RACEANDREGION 109
CHAPTERFIVE
AverageRacism:Poe,Slavery,andtheWagesofLiteraryNationalism 111
CHAPTERSIX
SubtleBarbarians:TheSouthernVoyageofEdgarAllanPoe 147
PARTTHREE:MASSCULTURE 193
CHAPTERSEVEN
TheCodeforGold:PoeandCryptography 195
CHAPTEREIGHT
CultureofSurfaces 225
CHAPTERNINE
TheInvestigatingAngel:Poe,Babbage,and“ThePowerofWords” 249
NOTES 275
INDEX 323

PREFACE
E
DGAR ALLAN POE and the Masses explores the relationship between
literature and capitalism in antebellum America. Broadly concerned
withtheemergenceofanationalculturebeforetheCivilWar,thebook
focuses on Poe because he exemplifies, as much as anyone, the predicament
of a “poor-devil author” inan ageof socialand economic turmoil. Througha
series of far-reaching investigations, the book unfolds a new account of the
Americanpublishing industry,whichhadbeguntoregulatenearlyallaspects
ofliterarycreation.
Poewasacutelyawareoftheconsequencesofthenewpublishingenviron-
ment, for like his character Roderick Usher, he possessed an uncanny sensi-
tivity to material powers in the world around him, powers which seemed to
foretelltheimpendingtriumphofmatterovermind.SometimesPoedescribed
thisimpending transformation incosmological terms,butonotheroccasions
hemeticulouslyanalyzed“themagazineprison-house”andthe“horridlawsof
political economy.” Contrary to his image asan artist whowas“out of space,
outoftime,”Poerespondedtohiseconomicpredicamentinavarietyofways,
ranging from theoretical pronouncements on literary value to practical ven-
tures in the magazine business. Poe and the Masses accordingly departs from
criticalloreandinsteaddepictsawriterwhowasbothproductandportentof
anemergingmassculture.
Making extensive use of primary materials, the individual chapters offer
severalnewcontributionstoourunderstandingofPoeandhisworld:thefirst
fully documented interpretation of Poe’s response to American slavery; the
first accurate account of Poe’s performance as a literary entrepreneur; a new
explanation of Poe’s ambivalence towardnationalism, exploration, andimpe-
rialism;adetailed inquiryintotheconflictbetween“secretwriting”andcom-
mon knowledge in Jacksonian America; and a general interpretation of the
socialmeaning ofPoe’sinnovationsinliterature andcriticism.AsIsuggestin
the final chapter, Poe’s inability to escape the “horrid laws of political econ-
omy”ultimatelyinspiredhisrecurrentdreamofamateriallanguagethatcould
transporthimbeyondtheboundsofcapitalist regulation.
. . . . .
I am grateful to the many people who helped make this book possible. A
reading group at Duke University gave me confidence to pursue this proj-
ect; my thanks to Tito Basu, Joe Cole, Tim Dayton, Craig Hanks, Angela
Hubler, Caren Irr, Carolyn Lesjak, Bill Maxwell, and many visitors. I am also
grateful to Professors Cathy Davidson, Robert Gleckner, Ric Roderick, and
x PREFACE
Susan Willis for their advice on the manuscript. I am especially obliged to
Professor Louis Budd, whose unwavering support helped me persevere
throughmanytrials.
Severalinstitutionsprovidedsupportforresearchandwriting.Iamgrateful
to the Commonwealth Center atthe Collegeof WilliamandMary fora post-
doctoral fellowship. My special thanks to Chandos Brown and Thad Tate for
making this possible. Inaddition, I received invaluable support fromthe fol-
lowing sources: the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Library Company of
Philadelphia, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Virginia His-
toricalSociety,andtheInstitutefortheHumanitiesattheUniversityofIllinois
atChicago.
Material from Chapters Two and Eight appeared in American Quarterly as
“Edgar Allan Poe and the Horrid Laws of Political Economy” (September
1992). An early version ofChapter Seven waspublished in Representationsas
“TheCodeforGold:EdgarAllanPoeandCryptography”(spring1994).
Inwayssubtleanddirect,Ihavebenefittedfromtheworkofmanyreaders.
MaryAltomarehelpedmethroughtheformativestages,forwhichIamdeeply
grateful. The following readers provided advice on all or part of the manu-
script: Glen Brewster, BrianHiggins,Nancy Isenberg, HowardKerr,J.Gerald
Kennedy, Donald Marshall, Dana Nelson, Louis Renza, J. V. Ridgely, Kirk
Savage, Liliane Weissberg, and Sharon Zuber. Robin Grey contributed to the
entire project, partly by revising the errata of the manuscript, and partly by
enduringtheerrataofitsauthor.Thisbookisdedicated toher.