The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-02-24
SOUTHERN LITERATURE
BY Miss NeIIye Frank, Formerly an
ocaIa Hiuh School Student

ocaIa High School Student
Note-Miss Frank is now attending
the High School at Newport News,
Va, and this essay was printed in the
High School Magazine for February,
1911-Ed. Banner.)
The rapid development of literature
in the south in recent years is one
of the most interesting features of
our national progress. AS admirable
as was the type of Civilization develop
ed in the south before the civil war,
it was hardly favorable to literature.
The forces which might have been
most active were engaged in agricul-
ture and politics. There we're no
large libraries, or printing houses,
|or intellectual centers, and the most
serious drawback was that literature
was regarded as a choice recreation
|of a gentleman and too high for ordi-
nary people. Despite all this, we have
a few poets of this time who have pro-
lduced verses of excellent quality.
Francis Scott Key is known
through the land as the author of
'The Star Spangled Banner" the mob
lest, perhaps, of our patriotic hymns.
MY Life is Like the Summer Rose"
was written by Richard Henry Wilde
and few poems written in the south
have been more popular. William Gill
more Simms was an important figure
in literary circles. His imaginative
poem "Atalantis," a story of the sea,
introduced him at once to the favor
able notice of the ''literati" of New
York Simms was not only a poet,
but also a popular novelist. Theodore
O'Hara is chiefly remembered for a
single poem, "The Bivouac of the
Dead" which touched the national
heart and upon which his fame largely
rests.
The last but not the least poet of
the south before the war is Edgar
Allen Poe, who is called '"The Prince
of American Poets" No one can read
his works intelligently without being
impressed with his extraordinary
ability. His work of superb quality
and whether poetry, criticism or fic-
ton, he shows extraordinary power in
them all. The most widely read
poems of Poe are: "The Raven, %
"The City of the Sea- "The Conquer
or Warm" and '"The Bells" His
poetry aims at beauty in puerly artis-
tic sense, unassociated with truth or
morals.
OF our early novelists we have
Simms, who owes his widespread pop
ularity to his good stories of Indian
frontier adventures and to his novels
devoted to the Revolutionary period.
His best novel is "Yemassee" John
Easten Cooke showed fine quality of
Imagination in his excellent story,
"The Virginia Comedians" which is
thought to be the best ante-bellum
story published in the south. John
p. Kennedy is the author of THE
Swallow Barn" He writes in a
graceful style, of life in Virginia be-
fore the revolution
OF the civil war period we have
three great poets-Hayne. Timrod and
Lanier. These three poets keenly felt
the issues involved in that great strug-
gle. In the earlier stages of that con-
fiict the intensity of the southern feel
ing famed out in thrilling lyrics but
they lived to accept the results of the
war and to sing new loyalty to our
great republic. Misfortune baffled
their poetic instincts alike. The pur-
Iity of their characters and works
Egives them a permanent place among
southern poets.
Paul Hamilton Hayne is called
''The Prince of American Sonnet
lteers." His imagination was beauti
fully suited to lyric poetry Many
lof his choicest poems reflect credit on
I1aHSlICcu lCJI0IS duu earn lOT him
high place among American poets.
Some of his best works are "Aethra,
| Lyric of Action" and THE Will and
the Wing" His extraordinary poetic
Igifts have not yet been fully recogniz
ed. Henry Timrod's martial songs
lthrob with energy of deep emotion
Like Hayne, he excelled in the sonnet
Timrod is the writer of "A Cry te
Arms" "A Summer Bower" TOO
Long. o. Spirit of Storm and also
many beautiful sonnets. Timrod's
poetry is characterized by clearness
simplicity and force Sidney Laniel
believed that all poetry should have {
sweet, musical sound. He had the
high moral purpose of the artistic
prophets. Throughout his life he was
true to the Hottest ideals The loft
ness of his ideals is seen in his really
j great mems ssClnriSn,s and tsThe