The southern literary messenger, Vol. II., No. 6, May, 1836

In Short

This May 1836 issue of Richmond’s premier literary journal gathers an eclectic array of original essays, serialized fiction, travel sketches, poetry, and trenchant critical reviews. Moving from previously unpublished satirical writings by Benjamin Franklin to gothic Venetian tales and commentary on European philosophy, the issue showcases the burgeoning intellectual life of the antebellum American South. It survives as a vivid, multi-faceted portrait of nineteenth-century American publishing and as a monument to Edgar Allan Poe’s early editorial genius.

The Story

The issue opens with historical curiosity: a set of recovered manuscripts attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Writing as a spirited thirty-five-year-old woman, the pseudonymous narrator defends the art of social gossip and censure against hypocrisy, setting a playful yet critical tone. This tongue-in-cheek piece gives way to serialized fiction, most notably an installment of Lionel Granby, which transports the reader from philosophical discussions about English aristocracy to an intimate supper with Charles Lamb ("Elia") in London.

Essays on language, etiquette, and ethics follow in quick succession. A short commentary translates Jean Le Clerc’s defense of enlightened free thought over ignorant orthodoxy, while original essayists categorize social nuisances. One writer lampoons "Busy Bodies" who meddle in their neighbors' courtships and debts, while another sketches the preposterous posturing of self-important men strutting through city streets.

Moving outward from societal satire, the journal turns its eye to the expanding American frontier and foreign lands. A travel sketch along the shore of Lake Michigan observes the beauty of a Potawatomi girl, framed by a melancholy reflection on the inevitable displacement and fading of Native American tribes. Darker fiction appears in The Hall of Incholese, a gothic tale set in Venice that follows a servant named Farragio. After drinking with a mysterious, hoof-footed guest, Farragio finds himself bound to a life of servitude and swearing eternal revenge.

The central portion of the issue transitions into intellectual history and public address. A sweeping survey of German literature introduces readers to Wieland, Herder, Jean Paul Richter, Schiller, and Goethe, praising their depth and philosophical idealism. An essay on "American Social Elevation" contrasts Spartan martial education with the needs of a modern republic, arguing for the balanced cultivation of all human faculties—reason, imagination, and moral feeling.

The final section is dominated by the editorial and critical force of Edgar Allan Poe. In a series of sharp, uncompromising book reviews, Poe dissects contemporary works with meticulous grammatical and aesthetic rigor. He scrutinizes the prose style of Lieutenant Slidell’s travel writing, examines Mrs. Trollope’s observations on Parisian society, defends George Washington against historical misrepresentations, and offers a measured evaluation of James Fenimore Cooper’s Sketches of Switzerland. The issue concludes on a patriotic note with solemn stanzas commemorating the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, bringing this rich miscellany of antebellum letters to a close.

How It Unfolds

Franklin’s satire opens the volume A pseudonymous female narrator delivers a sharp defense of social censure, mocking self-righteous moralists who condemn gossip while practicing it.

Fiction explores English society and Venetian gothic Lionel Granby offers a critique of rank and fashion before introducing Charles Lamb, while The Hall of Incholese weaves a dark tale of a servant tricked by a demonic guest.

Social essayists critique American manners Contributors analyze everyday behavior, taxonomizing busybodies who ruin courtships and detailing the arrogant struts of puffed-up urbanites.

Reflections on the frontier and German philosophy A journey along Lake Michigan prompts reflections on Native American displacement, followed by a learned survey of German Romantic literature from Herder to Jean Paul Richter.

Poe’s reviews bring critical rigor Edgar Allan Poe delivers exact, uncompromising reviews of current books, correcting grammatical errors in travel writing and defending historical figures like Washington.

Commemorative poetry closes the issue The number ends with patriotic verse honoring the Pilgrims, celebrating their survival and faith on the wild New England coast two hundred years earlier.

The People

• Benjamin Franklin’s Narrator: A thirty-five-year-old unmarried woman who views it as her civic duty to censure others, using satire to expose the hypocrisy of moralizing men.
• Lionel Granby and Col. R----: A young protagonist and his older companion who debate the English character, contrasting the servility of social climbers with the quiet independence of true authors.
• Farragio: A domestic servant in Venice who falls under the spell of a mysterious, goat-footed stranger during a midnight drinking bout, waking up to the bitter reality of his continued bondage.
• The Potawatomi Girl: An unnamed adolescent standing on the shores of Lake Michigan, whose quiet presence evokes for the traveler the tragic, forced displacement of her nation.
• Edgar Allan Poe (Critical Voice): The incisive editor who evaluates contemporary literature with exacting standards, taking authors to task for poor grammar, intellectual laziness, or historical errors.

In Its Own Voice

"If to scandalize be really a crime, what do these puppies mean? They describe it--they dress it up in the most odious, frightful and detestable colors... and then roundly and charitably charge the whole race of womankind with it."

A pseudonymous Benjamin Franklin exposes the absurdity of writers who hypocritically attack women for gossiping.

"Alas--these Indians! the dip of their paddle is unheard, the embers of the council-fire have gone out, and the bark of the Indian dog has ceased to echo in the forest."

A traveler along Lake Michigan reflects mournfully on the vanishing presence of Native American tribes.

"A good writer, however, will consider not only whether, in all strictness, his words will admit of the meaning he attaches to them, but whether in their implied, their original, or other collateral meanings, they may not be at variance with some portion of his sentence."

Edgar Allan Poe lays down his exacting standards for prose style in a review of contemporary travel literature.

What It's Really About

Beneath its variety of forms, this issue is fundamentally concerned with the creation of a distinct American culture. It asks how a young republic can build an elevated society without inheriting the corrupt, rank-obsessed traditions of Europe. The contributors wrestle with the tension between individual morality and public reputation, whether through Franklin’s satire on gossip or the essayists' critiques of urban pretension.

At the same time, the issue meditates on the dark costs of American expansion, recording the tragic retreat of Native nations even as it celebrates the nation's Pilgrim origins. Anchoring the whole enterprise is Poe’s implicit argument that American literature can only achieve true greatness through uncompromising critical standards, intellectual honesty, and rigorous craftsmanship.

Why Read It Today

This periodical offers a rare, unfiltered window into the intellectual bloodstream of 1836 America. Readers who enjoy literary history, archival discoveries, or the development of American journalism will find it fascinating. It feels like stepping into a vibrant nineteenth-century reading room where high philosophy, gothic entertainment, personal satire, and sharp literary feuds sit side by side.

The primary difficulty for a modern reader lies in its fragmentarity and period conventions. Because it is a magazine issue rather than a unified novel, narrative threads like Lionel Granby begin mid-stream, while featured essays demand familiarity with classical references and nineteenth-century political debates. The language can occasionally feel dense or ornate, and the period's tragic, romanticized assumptions about Native Americans reflect the racial attitudes of its era.

Yet what stays with you is the sheer energy of the publication and the unmistakable presence of Edgar Allan Poe. Watching Poe hone his critical edge—demanding clarity, precision, and depth from his contemporaries—makes this issue an indispensable artifact for anyone interested in the birth of American literary criticism.