The Power of Sympathy

William Hill Brown (1765-1793) was an American poet, dramatist and novelist who anonymously published "The Power of Sympathy", considered to be the first American novel. The son of a prominent clockmaker, Brown received his education at a Boston boy's school. His literary spark and encouragement came from his step-aunt, Catherine Byles. While living in Boston, Brown lived directly across the street from a famous Boston family, the Anthorp-Mortons, who became the center of a local scandal in 1788. Frances Anthorp committed suicide after she was discovered to be having an affair with her brother-in-law, Perez Morton. "The Power of Sympathy", based on this infamous Boston scandal, follows a sentimental writing style developed by Samuel Richardson. This epistolary novel about tragic, incestuous love began a flood of other sentimental novels from its popularity. Because it has the distinction of being the first book-length work written and issued in America, the novel has received critical attention since its publication.

Author: William Hill Brown
Publisher: Digireads.com
Published: 01/01/2011
Pages: 90
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.23lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.22d
ISBN: 9781420940442

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