Horace Greeley's star: Margaret Fuller's New York Tribune journalism, 1844-1846.

Author

Catherine Casto Mitchell

Date of Award

12-1987

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Communication

Major Professor

Paul G. Ashdown

Committee Members

James Crook, Edward Caudill, William Shurr

Abstract

This study draws upon writings by Horace Greeley, issues of the New York Daily Tribune from 1844 to 1846, autobiographies of journalists who worked at the Tribune, and Margaret Fuller's letters and essays to describe the context in which Fuller's New York Tribune journalism appeared. The study corrects inaccuracies which appear in the literature about Fuller's experience as a journalist.

While not the first woman to work for an American newspaper, Margaret Fuller was one of the first woman to achieve public stature as a journalist. At the New York Tribune she was one of a four-person editorial staff in charge not only of writing literary reviews, but also of editing the literary section of the newspaper. The Tribune from 1844 to 1846 was among the top three newspapers competing for readers in a field of 21 newspapers in New York City. The Tribune did not reach its influential national status until the 1850s. Margaret Fuller was a valued employee at the newspaper. Criticism of her work by Horace Greeley must be viewed in the context of the criticisms he made of other writers' work. Margaret Fuller received a salary equal to that of her male co-workers and her use of a star as a byline was not an attempt to hide her gender from readers; however. Fuller did not work in the Tribune office because to do so in the 1840s would have been socially unacceptable. In history Fuller has been denigrated. Some scholars have placed the blame for this on The Memoirs of Margaret Fuller OssoII edited by Emerson et aI; however, attacks on Fuller predate this book. It Is more likely that the denigration stems from her tough reviews and from the fact that writing Journalism has a lower status than does writing poetry or fiction.

Recommended Citation

Mitchell, Catherine Casto, "Horace Greeley's star: Margaret Fuller's New York Tribune journalism, 1844-1846.. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1987.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12126