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James Whitcomb Riley

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: James Whitcomb Riley
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(born Oct. 7, 1849, Greenfield, Ind., U.S. — died July 22, 1916, Indianapolis, Ind.) U.S. poet. He came into touch with the populace of rural Indiana through his early work experiences. His verse contributions to the Indianapolis Daily Journal, written in Hoosier dialect ostensibly by a farmer, established his reputation as "the poet of the common people." His best-known poems include "When the Frost Is on the Punkin" and "The Raggedy Man." Among his many collections are The Old Swimmin' Hole (1883), Pipes o' Pan at Zekesbury (1888), and Home Folks (1900).

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Biography: James Whitcomb Riley
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American poet James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916), often called the "People's Laureate" or the "Hoosier Poet," established a reputation for dialect poetry designed for recitation and easy reading.

James Whitcomb Riley was born on Oct. 7, 1849, in Greenfield, Ind. His father, a successful small-town lawyer, allowed him to shape his education by instinct rather than formal precedents. Oratory, drama, painting, and music took James's earliest attention. He idolized Charles Dickens. Poets Robert Burns, for dialect verse, and Henry Longfellow, for moral precepts, were his models. Young Riley wrote voluminously and saved every scrap, particularly the local-color sketches, incorporating anecdotes he heard from the country people around the courthouse. His musical ear was good; he played the violin, guitar, and banjo. His verbal ear was even better.

At the age of 16 Riley left school to become a "house, sign, and ornamental painter," wandering around Indiana. He read law for a while but took to the road with a traveling medicine man from whose wagon he learned to entertain the public with recitations in dialect. When he returned to Greenfield, he started a career in journalism, beginning with the local paper and expanding his horizons gradually. At one time he was local editor of the Anderson Democrat.

The Indianapolis Journal's invitation to join its staff was the door to success. Riley published his dialect poems under the name "Benjamin F. Johnson of Boone," and by 1883 the demand was enough to issue a pamphlet edition. Calling his first collection The Old Swimmin' Hole and 'Leven More Poems, he did not need a public-opinion poll to tell him he had found his métier. He sold more than half a million copies of this book, followed it with 40 more books before his death, and on platforms across the country entertained audiences with homely philosophy and dramatic monologues. Old-Fashioned Roses (London, 1888) captured an English audience. Pipes o' Pan at Zekesbury (1888), Rhymes of Childhood (1890), and Here at Home (1893) expanded his American reputation.

Riley's attractions were personal, not cerebral. His win-some nature was contagious in a public gathering, and he was determined to give his listener "simple sentiments that come from the heart." His poems were never burdened with ideas, complexities, ambiguities. He invented a whole gallery of Hoosiers; Riley was the first to admit that they spoke patent clichés in a dialect such as no real Hoosier ever spoke. At his best, he captured a tranquil America, wholesome, eccentric, sentimental, bucolic. "The Raggedy Man," "Little Orphant Annie," and "Nine Little Goblins" attest to his vitality within his limited range. He died on July 22, 1916.

Further Reading

The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley (6 vols., 1913) was edited by Edmund H. Eitel, and Letters of James Whitcomb Riley (1930) by William Lyon Phelps. Two biographical studies incorporate criticism with reminiscence: Jeannette Covert Nolan, James Whitcomb Riley (1941), and Richard Crowder, Those Innocent Years: The Legacy and Inheritance of a Hero of the Victorian Era, James Whitcomb Riley (1957). See also Marcus Dickey, The Youth of James Whitcomb Riley (1919).

Fairy Tale Companion: James Whitcomb Riley
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Riley, James Whitcomb (1849–1916), American poet. During his lifetime, Riley enjoyed enormous popularity. Known as ‘The Hoosier Poet’ or ‘the people's poet’, he drew material from Midwestern literature, fairy tales, and speech patterns. His verses, written in folk dialect, expressed the myth of rural America, with phrases such as ‘When the frost is on the punkin’ and ‘the old swimin'‐hole’. Riley's ‘Raggedy Man’ inspired Johnny Gruelle's Raggedy Ann and Andy books. His most enduring creation, ‘Little Orphan Annie’—‘the Gobble‐uns'll git you | Ef you | Don't | Watch | Out’—became part of childhood folklore and the name of a classic comic strip (the source of the Broadway musical Annie).

Bibliography

  • Morrow, Barbara Olenyik, From Ben‐Hur to Sister Carrie: Remembering the Lives and Works of Five Indiana Authors (1995).
  • Revell, Peter, James Whitcomb Riley (1970).

— Anita Silvey

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: James Whitcomb Riley
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Riley, James Whitcomb, 1849-1916, American poet, b. Greenfield, Ind., known as the Hoosier poet. He was at various times a traveling actor, a sign painter, and a newspaperman. Under the name "Benj. F. Johnson of Boone" he began to write verse in the Hoosier dialect for the Indianapolis Journal in 1875, selections first collected in "The Old Swimmin'-Hole" and 'Leven More Poems (1883). Riley's verse was popular because of its humor, pathos, simplicity, and sentimentality. Especially well-known are his children's poems such as "Little Orphant Annie" and "The Runaway Boy." Among the collections of his verse are Rhymes of Childhood (1890) and Knee Deep in June (1912).

Bibliography

See biography by M. Dickey (Youth, 1919; Maturity, 1922); study by P. Revell (1970).

Works: Works by James Whitcomb Riley
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(1849-1916)

1883The Old Swimmin'-Hole and 'Leven More Poems. The Indiana poet's first book is a collection of country verse in Hoosier dialect originally published in the Indianapolis Journal under the name "Benj. F. Johnson," of Boone. The popular collection contains some of his most celebrated poems, including "When the Frost Is on the Punkin" and the title poem; it also introduces Riley's nostalgic themes, which make him the most famous and financially successful poet of the time.
1885"Little Orphant Annie." One of Riley's most popular poems concerns an orphan girl who tells ghost stories about "gobble-uns" who "gits you ef you Don't Watch Out!"
1899Riley Child-Rhymes. Riley's collection includes one of his most popular poems, "Little Orphant Annie."

Quotes By: James Whitcomb Riley
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Quotes:

"It doesn't pay to say too much when you are mad enough to choke. For the word that stings the deepest is the word that is never spoke, Let the other fellow wrangle till the storm has blown away, then he'll do a heap of thinking about the things you didn't say."

"Continuous, unflagging effort, persistence and determination will win. Let not the man be discouraged who has these."

"The most essential factor is persistence -- the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come."

Wikipedia: James Whitcomb Riley
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For the former passenger train, see James Whitcomb Riley (passenger train).
James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley, c. 1913
Born October 7, 1849(1849-10-07)
Greenfield, Indiana,
United States
Died July 22, 1916 (aged 66)
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Occupation Poet

James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer and poet. Known as the Hoosier Poet, National Poet,[1] and the Children's Poet,[2] he started his career in 1875 writing newspaper verse in Indiana dialect for the Indianapolis Journal. His verse tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley published, over half are in dialect. Claiming that "simple sentiments that come direct from the heart"[3] were the reason for his success, Riley vended verse about ordinary topics that were "heart high."[4] Riley was a bestselling author during the early 1900s and earned a steady income from royalties; he also traveled and gave public readings of his poetry. His favorite authors were Robert Burns and Charles Dickens, and Riley himself befriended bestselling Indiana authors such as Booth Tarkington, George Ade and Meredith Nicholson. Many of his works were illustrated by the popular illustrator Howard Chandler Christy.

Contents

Early life

James Whitcomb Riley was born on October 7, 1847, in Greenfield, Indiana, to local attorney Reuben A. Riley and his wife, Elizabeth (Marine) Riley, in a small cabin. His parents named him after James Whitcomb, the governor of Indiana. James Whitcomb Riley was their third child. He lived on the same property until he was 21. Riley was influenced by many of the visitors to his father's home. In particular, he was able to pick up the cadence and character of the dialect of central Indiana and the travelers along the old National Road, which came through in the many poems he went on to write. One particular visitor was Mary Alice Smith, who eventually stayed on to live with the Rileys. Mary Alice (Allie) Smith influenced Riley's poem Little Orphant Annie, which was originally to be called Little Orphant Allie but a typesetter's error changed the name of the poem.[5]

Riley was never a great student. Before he dropped out of school at age 16, a former teacher encouraged him to appreciate nature. He attempted to study law in his father's law office, however he found that the law was not for him, whereupon he took several different jobs in rapid succession.[5]

Writing

Riley wrote his first poem in 1870 when he was 21. He began writing for several newspapers, eventually working for the Indianapolis Journal in Indianapolis, Indiana writing miscellaneous articles, versifying whenever possible.[5]

Riley's big break came with the private publishing of a thousand copies of The Old Swimmin' Hole and 'Leven More Poems in 1883 under the pseudonym of "Benjamin F. Johnson, of Boone". The book rapidly sold all of the first printing, causing Indianapolis book publisher Merrill, Meigs and Company to quickly contract with Riley to publish the second edition of The Old Swimmin' Hole and 'Leven More Poems. Riley continued to work with the publishing company which eventually became Bowen-Merrill and finally Bobbs-Merrill. The 1886 publishing The Boss Girl began to publish new Riley literature regularly. As a result he began to tour the United States giving lectures, starting in the mid-1880s.[5]

In 1893 he was invited to live at the residence of Charles and Magdalena Holstein within the Indianapolis neighborhood of Lockerbie. He would call this his permanent residence for the last 23 years of his life, although he eventually purchased his childhood home, and allowed his brother, John Riley, to live there.[5]

Popularity

Riley was in demand throughout his life, including being a guest at the White House. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1912 the National Institute of Arts and Letters gave him the gold medal of poetry, the first poet so honored. He also received several honorary degrees.[5]

Riley loved children but he never had any of his own; he also never married. Evidence points that he regretted his bachelorhood and childlessness. Many believe that his poems about and for children were written due to this regret. Others attribute his poems to his regrets over alcoholism and his possible affliction with syphilis.[6]

In 1902, Riley wrote the poem "America, Messiah of Nations" the dedication of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and he read it at the dedication ceremonies.

Burial

Indiana honored Riley after his death in 1916 by burying him in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. The site of his grave is atop Strawberry Hill, the highest point in Indianapolis, offering a spectacular view of the city. Although Riley's poetry has fallen out of popularity, a few of his poems, such as Little Orphant Annie and Lockerbie Street, continue to be taught.

Legacy

In 1916 a group of prominent citizens from Indianapolis organized the Riley Memorial Association (now the Riley Children's Foundation) to build a children's hospital in memory of the Hoosier Poet. The James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children opened in 1924.

The foundation also purchased the poet's home in his later years in downtown Indianapolis; it is maintained as a museum and today. The James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home is the only late-Victorian home in Indiana that is open to the public and the country's only late-Victorian preservation, featuring authentic furniture and decor from that era. It is rumored to be haunted by Riley.[7] His birthplace and boyhood home, now the James Whitcomb Riley House, is in nearby Greenfield, Indiana.

In 1950, the foundation organized Camp Riley a summer camp in south central Indiana for children with disabilities. Also in 1924, James Whitcomb Riley High School opened in South Bend, Indiana. In 1950, there was a James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School in Hammond, Indiana, but it was torn down in 2006. During its heyday, East Chicago, Indiana had a Riley School at one time, as did neighboring Gary, Indiana and Anderson, Indiana near Indianapolis.

In 1968, a young reporter at The Greenfield Daily Reporter, named Dick Baumbach, took of picture of a large sign at the Old Swimming Hole, closing because of pollution. The photograph was published nationally and subsequently Sports Illustrated carried a negative article saying that the people of Greenfield let Riley down by not caring for the Old Swimming Hole.

In 1999, the Indiana University Press published the book James Whitcomb Riley: A Life authored by historian Elizabeth J. Van Allen.

As a lasting tribute, the citizens of Greenfield hold a festival every year in Riley's honor. Taking place the first weekend of October, the Riley Festival traditionally commences with a flower parade in which local elementary school children place marigolds around the statue of Riley on the county courthouse lawn, while the Greenfield-Central High School band plays lively music in honor of the poet. The larger Riley parade is on that Saturday and is a fall attraction. The Greenfield-Central High School band also holds their annual Riley Marching Festival on that same day.

A Liberty ship, commissioned April 23, 1942, was christened the SS James Whitcomb Riley. It served with the United States Maritime Commission until being scrapped in 1971.

Gallery

Tomb of James Whitcomb Riley at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis

Statue honoring James Whitcomb Riley on courthouse lawn in Greenfield, Indiana.

"The Old Swimming Hole" that appears in Riley's poems is now a large and well-used park on the east side of Greenfield.

See also

  • Elizabeth J. Van Allen, James Whitcomb Riley: A Life, 1999
  • Bodenhamer, David J., Robert G. Barrows, and David Gordon Vanderstel. The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994. googlebooks Retrieved September 1, 2008
  • Lilly Library Accessed September 1, 2008
  • Riley, James Whitcomb. The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley New York: Collier, 1916. googlebooksRetrieved September 6, 2008

References

  1. ^ http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/riley/exhibit.htm
  2. ^ http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/riley/docs/3_bday.html
  3. ^ Riley, 14
  4. ^ Riley, 15
  5. ^ a b c d e f Bodenhamer, 1195
  6. ^ Bodenhamer, 1196
  7. ^ Kobrowski, Nicole Encyclopedia of Haunted Indiana 1st Ed. ISBN 978-0977413027

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Biography. © 2006 through a partnership of Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Fairy Tale Companion. The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales. Copyright © 2000, 2002, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Works. The Chronology of American Literature, edited by Daniel S. Burt. Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Quotes By. Copyright © 2008 QuotationsBook.com. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "James Whitcomb Riley".  Read more