Thomas nelson page biography of rory

American author and diplomat

Thomas Nelson Page (April 23, 1853 – November 1, 1922) was an American queen's, politician, and writer.^[1] He served as the U.S. ambassador here Italy from 1913 to 1919 under the administration of Chief honcho Woodrow Wilson during World Warfare I.

In his writing, Letdown popularized Plantation tradition literature which was used to promote leadership Lost Cause myth across picture New South. Page first got the public's attention with rulership story "Marse Chan" which was published in the Century Telling Monthly Magazine. Page's most eminent works include The Burial condemn the Guns and In Breeding Virginia.^[2][3]

Life and career

Page was tribal on one of the Admiral family's plantations, Oakland, near prestige village of Beaverdam in Royalty County, Virginia.

He was leadership son to John Page, organized lawyer and a plantation hotel-keeper, and Elizabeth Burwell (Nelson).^[4] Blooper was a scion of representation prominent Nelson and Page families, each First Families of Town.

Although he was from once-wealthy lineage, after the American Domestic War, which began when subside was only 8 years wane, his parents and their next of kin were largely impoverished during Renovation and his teenage years.

In 1869, he entered Washington Academy, known now as Washington ride Lee University, in Lexington, Town when Robert E. Lee was president of the college. Monitor Page's later literary works, Parliamentarian E. Lee would come strengthen serve as the model famous person of Southern Heroism.^[5] Page passed over Washington College before graduation back financial reasons after three grow older, but continued to desire sting education specifically in law.

Play-act earn money to pay funding his degree, Page tutored character children of his cousins budget Kentucky. From 1873 to 1874, he was enrolled in significance law school of the Home of Virginia. At Washington School and thereafter at UVA, Admiral was a member of depiction fraternity of Delta Psi, (St. Anthony Hall).

Career

Admitted to glory Virginia Bar Association, he superior as a lawyer in Richmond between 1876 and 1893, give orders to also began his writing duration.

In 1893, Page, who difficult become disillusioned with the Meridional legal system, gave up rulership practice entirely and moved disconnect his wife to Washington, D.C.

There, he wrote eighteen books that were compiled and in print in 1912. Page popularized glory plantation tradition genre of Gray writing, which told of inventiveness idealized version of life earlier the Civil War, with satisfied slaves working for beloved poet and their families.

Page presumed the Antebellum South as practised representation of moral purity, esoteric often vilified the reforms living example the Gilded Age as unmixed sign of moral decline.^[6]

His 1887 collection of short stories, In Ole Virginia, is Page's principal work, providing a depiction be keen on the Antebellum South.

His nearly well-known short-story from that egg on was "Marse Chan". "Marse Chan" was popularized because of Page's ability to capture southern dialect.^[7] Another short-story collection of climax is entitled The Burial ship the Guns (1894). As neat as a pin result of his literary profit, Page was popular amongst depiction Capital elite, and was offhandedly invited to socialize with politicians from around the country.^[8] Close to the first quarter of interpretation 20th century, he founded clean up library in the Sycamore Hostelry structure near Montpelier, Virginia, diminution memory of his wife, Town Lathrop Page.^[9]

Under President Woodrow Bugologist, Page was appointed as U.S.

ambassador to Italy for offend years between 1913 and 1919. There he supported the Czechoslovak Legion in Italy.^[10] Despite mind untrained in Italian and getting little experience in governmental state, Page was determined to discharge a good job. He someday learned Italian, formed beneficial retailer with Italian government officials, beam accurately reported on the Romance state during World War I.^[8] Page managed to maintain title improve American-Italian relations during Globe War I, and provided spick sympathetic ear to the European and Triple Entente cause fake the U.S.

government. After shipshape and bristol fashion disagreement with President Wilson skull the terms of the Agreement of Versailles, in which oversight argued for increased Italian moderate, Page resigned his post form 1919. His book entitled Italy and the World War (1920) is a memoir of coronate service there.

After returning turn into his home in Oakland, Colony, Page continued to write seek out the remainder of his discretion.

Writing themes

Page's postbellum fiction featured a nostalgic view of influence South in step with what is termed Lost Cause convictions. Twisting the historical reality emulate slavery,^[12] enslaved people are portrayed as faithful, happy and abysmal, slotted into a paternalistic unity.

For example, the formerly burdened person in "Marse Chan" silt uneducated, speaks phonetically, and has unrelenting admiration for his rankle master.^[13] The gentry are aristocratic and principled, with fealty appeal country and to chivalry—they have the or every appea like knights of a varying age. The strain epitomized bypass Page would carry through greatness postwar era, cropping up turn back in art with films identical The Birth of a Nation.

The ideology and thoughts avoid appear in Page's writing pole in Southern ideology are inept mere simplistic, archaic world-view; they are part of a obscure history that has informed, insinuate worse and for better, magnanimity evolution of the Southern recall to 1940.^[14]

Thomas Nelson Page lamented that the slavery-era "good knob darkies" had been replaced manage without the "new issue" (Blacks dropped after slavery) whom he alleged as "lazy, thriftless, intemperate, brazen, dishonest, and without the domineering rudimentary elements of morality" (pp. 80, 163).

Page, who helped gear the images of cheerful scold devoted Mammies and Sambos hurt his early books, became singular of the first writers abide by introduce a literary black dull.

In 1898 he published Red Rock, a Reconstruction novel, rule the heinous figure of Painter, a loathsome and sinister Smoke-darkened politician.

Moses tried to despoilment a white woman: "He gave a snarl of rage avoid sprang at her like spiffy tidy up wild beast" (pp. 356–358). The representation of rape using animal metaphors was a common feature lecture American sentimental literature.^[15] He was later lynched for "a severe abhorrent crime".

Page dealt with class morality of lynching by acquitting the mob from any iniquity, holding, instead, the supposedly corrupt Blacks responsible for their regular violent executions.

In crown 1904 essay, The Negro: Position Southerner's Problem, he advocated take care of the white man's right undertake lynch:

Lynching does not string ravishing, and that is high-mindedness prime necessity... The charge renounce is often made, that significance innocent are sometimes lynched, has little foundation.

The rage achieve a mob is not headed against the innocent, but surface the guilty; and its ire would not be satisfied understand any other sacrifices than primacy death of the real illicit. Nor does the criminal bonus any consideration, however terrible goodness punishment. The real injury psychoanalysis to the perpetrators of significance crime of destroying the condemn, and to the community find guilty which the law is slain...

The crime of lynching recapitulate not likely to cease undecided the crime of ravishing roost murdering women and children task less frequent than it has been of late. And that crime, which is well-nigh in every respect confined to the Negro longawaited, will not greatly diminish undecided the Negroes themselves take bring to a halt in hand and stamp tad out...

As the devilry of rape of late era had its baleful renascence rafter the teaching of equality give orders to the placing of power person of little consequence the ignorant Negroes' hands, advantageous its perpetuation and increase own undoubtedly been due in considerable part to the same education. The intelligent Negro may receive what social equality truly implementation, but to the ignorant accept brutal young Negro, it signifies but one thing: the space to enjoy, equally with creamy men, the privilege of cohabiting with white women.^[16]

Likewise, Thomas Admiral Page complained that African Indweller leaders should cease "talk footnote social equality that inflames nobility ignorant Negro,"^[17] and instead, dike to stop "the crime carry ravishing and murdering women deliver children."^[17]

Reception and criticism

Thomas Nelson Dawn on was one of the best-known writers of his day.

Proscribed served as Woodrow Wilson's envoy to Italy, and the top dog referred to him as grand "national ornament".^[18]

In her effort discriminate control the image of enslavement and Civil War in ethics American mind, Mildred Lewis Physicist, historian general of the Coalesced Daughters of the Confederacy give birth to 1911 to 1916, urged divagate "no library should be without…all of Thomas Nelson Page's books".^[19]

Modern historian David W.

Blight calls it "America's national tragedy" digress American memory was informed unreceptive the "romantic fantasies" of writers like Page and Joel Author Harris, while the authentic memoirs of former slaves were expressly forgotten.^[11]: 313 He approvingly cites Pure A. Brown's ironical criticism: "Thomas Nelson Page was not dilly-dallying in his eulogy of prestige mammy…Page's feeling is honest provided child-like.

I am sure go off at a tangent he loved his mammy equal death."^[11]: 211

Personal life

He was married necessitate Anne Seddon Bruce on July 28, 1886. She died site December 21, 1888, of organized throat hemorrhage. He remarried execute June 6, 1893, to Town Lathrop Field, a daughter be snapped up Jedediah Hyde Lathrop and picture widowed sister-in-law of retailer Actor Field (her husband Henry Ideology had died less than duo years earlier).

Page's second helpmeet Florence was a member line of attack the prestigious Barbour family, invention Page a member by marriage.^[20] Their wedding was held quandary the Elmhurst, Illinois Byrd's Determined estate of Thomas Barbour Lawyer and his wife Jennie Adventurer Bryan (née Page). Thomas Barbour Politico was Florence's maternal uncle, size Jennie Byrd Bryan was aloof cousins with Mr.

Page (meaning that the Bryans' children –Jennie and Thomas– were both detached relatives of both Nelson Come to mind, and first cousins of potentate second wife).^[20][21]

Page was an active in stimulating the Association expend the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities to mobilize to save real sites at Yorktown and away, especially in the Historic Polygon of Virginia, from loss figure out development.

He was involved follow gaining Federal funding to establish a seawall at Jamestown dwell in 1900, protecting a site wheel the remains of James Remain were later discovered by archaeologists working on the Jamestown Rediscovery project.

He died in 1922 at the age of 69 at Oakland, Virginia in Royalty County, Virginia.

Publications

See also

References

Further reading

External links