It was on this day, in 1789, that the first American novel was printed, The Power of Sympathy: Or, the Triumph of Nature. Written by William H. Brown and published by Isaiah Thomas, it tells the story of a man, Thomas Harrington, who falls for a young woman, Harriot Fawcet, who resists his advances, knowing he is just seeking a mistress. The story opens as a series of letters between father and son, the father encouraging the young man to put aside the idea of having a simply sexual relationship with the woman and openly court her instead. Thomas agrees and the two are soon engaged. Until the family secret is revealed. The story is taken from the real life relationship of Brown's neighbor, Perez Morton, and his incestuous seduction of Fanny Apthorp, his sister in law. The relationship lead to Fanny getting pregnant and committing suicide. The story used this scandal and fictionalized it, to be used to pass moral lessons on to others.
It's interesting to me that this story was published at a time when American literacy rates were rapidly increasing. 85% of American males and 45% of American females could read, and idea of a book industry that wasn't just aimed at the rich was beginning to be seen. Compare that with today, where the ability to read is not just taken for granted, but is falling, and see how the publishing industry is hurting. I suppose it doesn't help that they publish things like Dan Brown's novels which too many people confuse with nonfiction!
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