Rufus Wilmot Griswold was an influential critic, editor, and anthologist, best known for his series of collections of American writing and his controversial role as the literary executor of Edgar Allan Poe. As a self-appointed arbiter of literary taste in the United States, Griswold was a strong proponent of Americanism to both writers and their readers. This literary nationalism is particularly seen in his 1842 anthology
The Poets and Poetry of America, an extensively representative chronological compilation of native verse. The book saw unprecedented success and Griswold revised and reissued the book throughout his career, along with similar collections for prose and women writers. His personal life, however, was marred by difficulties and further complicated by various rivalries and…
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Citation: Velella, Rob. "Rufus Wilmot Griswold". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 September 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1893, accessed 27 November 2024.]
