As I conducted my research this semester, I began by searching a broad variety of periodicals and presenting on the article that interested me the most that specific day. I did not have a plan so to speak; rather, I freely explored a variety of periodicals, articles, topics, etc. with minimal attention to creating a unified thread over the course of the semester. However, I did begin to focus mid-to-late semester, as I realized that I was drawn to searching within a rural/farmer/agriculture context. By beginning my search broadly, my focus developed holistically if you will, and though I enjoyed my random searches in the beginning of the semester, I became more intrigued to see what was out there in my new narrowed focus and specifically, in the specific periodical that I chose to explore.
In November, I began to focus on searching under "farmer" in addition to the various other search terms for each week. On November 1st, our search terms were "execution[s], murderer[s], robbers, thieves, and highwaymen." I chose to search broadly - not limiting to a specific periodical at this point - under "farmer" and "highwaymen." I found an article titled, "Boy and Highwayman," in The Atheneum; or, Spirit of the English Magazines (1817-1833) and dated Aug 1, 1821. "Boy and Highwayman" is a brief account of a young boy who sold a cow and was on the way back home with his profit. He was overtaken by a highwayman, but being a quick and swift young fellow, the boy threw the money up in the air, and as the highwayman was attempting to gather the cash, the boy grabbed the highwayman's horse and took off for home. The story gets even better when the boy gets home and realizes that "there were found twelve pounds in cash, and two loaded pistols. The horse was also valuable." Though this is a brief account, the author clearly relates the message that the highwayman got what was coming to him. There is also an interesting point here that though it seemed to be okay that the boy stole the highwayman's property, it was not okay that the highwayman attempted to rob the boy. Perhaps theft is only acceptable if it is against the antagonist of the story?
On November 15th, I searched under "rural" and "miracles." At this point, I had narrowed down my target periodical, The Rural Magazine and Literary Evening Fire - Side (1820-1820), and I was quite surprised to actually find an article from June 1, 1820 that included both of these terms, given that this magazine only ran for a single year. In complete disclosure, though, the article only included "miracles" and "rural" was in the title of the magazine. This article, however, is my absolute favorite of the entire semester. Titled, "A curious phenomenon," the article presents a story about a young preacher's wife who had twins, and due to her nervous condition, could not nurse both of the babies. So, the grandmother - the new mother's mother, if that makes more sense - prayed for a miracle that she would be able to nurse one of the babies. Yes, this story seems as though it is straight out of the Old Testament. Her prayers were answered, and she nursed one of the babies for her daughter for over a year, traveling with the child to tell of the wonders wherever she went and "giving her friends ocular demonstration of the lactiferous miracle." The last sentence of this story makes the whole article! There seem to be many points of extraction here, primarily the presence or account of a divine miracle, the role of women as nurturers and caregivers, the mental state of new mothers, and perhaps even the resurgence of females values and responsibilities in this 1820's context. How interesting it is to think about this simple story as a representation of the very roles and responsibilities of women inside the home beginning again in this decade. Well, that and the lactiferous miracle!
Finally, in the same periodical, The Rural Magazine and Literary Evening Fire - Side (1820-1820) I searched under "liberty" for our November 22nd search term. I gave up the continual search under "farmer," as I limited my search enough given my focus on a periodical that had a broad appeal to the rural and that satisfied my initial focus on specific search terms. In the May 1st publication, I found an article, "Sentiments of an Old Soldier," that takes on a very different focus on liberty than I was expecting. I anticipated finding an article that promoted republican values, highlighted the fight for liberty, and appealed to these core American values; however, the article that I found does exactly the opposite. The writer appeals to parents - probably the obvious readers - to prevent their children from joining the military, to oppose war and the horrors that it entails, and to preserve peace and virtue of the new republic. Sparing no words, the writer claims that he was "dupe my whole life," seduced by the seductions of the plume and the sword," establishing his ethos as a veteran of what we can assume was the Revolutionary War. Interestingly, the focus towards the end of the article suggests that the writer is writing about a conflict between the states: "these states should stop and reflect before it is too late. We have escaped from one war with a crippled constitution; the next will probably destroy it; therefore, let the motto of the state be - PEACE." I can assume that the writer is alluding to the conflict over slavery and the growing division between the North and South, and this warning is interesting, as the writer is appealing to parents at the beginning but states at the end. Is there something to be said about voting here? Perhaps there is an appeal to citizenship and personal involvement in the state's actions? I hesitate to proceed further in my assumptions without additional research, but this is certainly an interesting connection that deserves a thorough exploration.
What did I find this semester? I found my focus, and as I pour through the pages researching for my periodical presentation, I realize that I really enjoy looking at articles that no one else might find remotely interesting in an magazine that had a limited run and appealed to a small audience. I began this search without an idea of where I was going, but I am actually quite please with what I found and what I want to continue exploring.
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