Bret Harte manuscript signed poem "Plain Language from Truthful James"
Scope and Contents
Parody on Algernon Charles Swinburne's poem "Atalanta in Calydon (1865). It was first published in the September, 1870 issue of the Overland Monthly.
The connecton to Swinburne was quickly lost as the poem became known as "The Heathen Chinee" and was reprinted widely throughout the United States. The sixth stanza concerns the discovery that the heathen Chinee and Nye are both cheating at a card game. Harte in his fair copy of a single stanza, has changed one revealing word: "Chinee" has been changed to "B. J."
Dates
- Creation: 1862-1913
Creator
- From the Collection: Ticknor, Caroline, 1866-1937 (Person)
- From the Collection: Ticknor, Benjamin Holt, 1842-1914 (Person)
- From the Collection: Osgood, James Ripley, 1836-1892 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Extent
From the Collection: .06 Cubic Feet (Two letter sized folders )
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Repository
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22904-4110 United States