As I’m writing my proposal for research at the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) archives in Worcester, MA, I’m compiling lists of relevant items in their collections. Here are some of the things American writers “made easy” before 1876:
- Related to writing: Elocution; Grammar; Logic; Penmanship; Rhetoric; and Spelling.
- Other academic subjects: Astrology; Astronomy; Arithmetic; Chemistry; Geography; History; and Music (Psalmody).
- Household: Baking; Dress-making; Housekeeping; and Washing.
- Trades: Carpentry; Engraving; Horse-training; Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing; Surveying and Mapping; and Tanning and Currying.
- Other subjects: Acting; Bookkeeping; Chess; Christianity; Chronology; Courtship (Matrimony); Cribbage; Drumming; and Magic (in several forms–Prestidigitation; Black Arts; Conjuring; and Legerdemain).
Careful readers will note the seven liberal arts are all taken care of here. And there may be more subjects of note; the AAS uses the WebVoyager catalog, which is not, well, easy to use.
The goal of my research is tracing the trajectory of development of ease in American culture, particularly writing, as part of my revival of the long-dormant book project that was my dissertation. In my fellowship proposal, books related to writing are the focus: primers and schoolbooks targeted at children, as well as texts intended for teachers, like John Walker’s The Teacher’s Assistant in English Composition. But because I’m interested in the development of ease in American culture at large, not only in composition, I’ll be looking at texts in the other areas represented here as well. The research will happen whether or not I can visit the AAS, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to include their archives in my work.