Frederic S. Cozzens
Frederic S. Cozzens (1818-1869) was an American author and publisher known for his contributions to 19th-century literary culture. Born in New York City, he was raised in an environment that fostered his interest in various fields, including anatomy and mechanics. After working in the grocery and wine industry, Cozzens began to write, gaining recognition for his humorous and satirical works. His writing career blossomed with notable pieces published in The Knickerbocker, particularly "On Wit and Humor," which explores the distinctions between humor and wit.
Cozzens is best known for *The Sparrowgrass Papers*, a series that humorously depicts the challenges faced by city dwellers adapting to rural life, resonating with urban audiences of the time. He also ventured into publishing his own periodical, *Cozzens' Wine Press*, which reflected his dual passions for wine and literature. His literary travels, including experiences in Canada, inspired his work *Acadia*, a fictional travel guide. Despite his declining health due to asthma, Cozzens remained active in writing until his death in 1869. His legacy lies in his role as a popular author within The Knickerbocker tradition, influencing the literary landscape of his era.
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Frederic S. Cozzens
- Born: March 11, 1818
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: December 23, 1869
Biography
Frederic S. Cozzens was born on March 11, 1818, in New York City. His father, Frederick Smith Cozzens, was a doctor and member of several scientific societies. Little is known of his mother, and Cozzens spent much time with his grandmother and aunts. As a teenager, Cozzens developed interests in anatomy, chemistry, and mechanics. He took on manual labor jobs involving lathes and anvils and later worked in a print shop, acquiring engraving and typesetting skills that would prove useful throughout his career. At twenty-two, Cozzens began a successful career in the grocery and wine industry at Clark and Bininger in New York City.
In 1845 (or 1846), Cozzens married Susan Meyers, and the couple had three sons and two daughters. Cozzens worked during the week and wrote on the weekends. He began submitting his writing to New York publications shortly after his wedding and was published in 1847 in the satirical periodical Yankee Doodle. In that same year, Cozzens began a long publishing relationship with The Knickerbocker and founded a literary club in New York called the Century Association. Of his many publications in The Knickerbocker, one of his most famous was “On Wit and Humor,” where he argues that humor is lighthearted and based on love and mirth, while wit can be biting and sharp, antagonizing its target.
By 1851, Cozzens moved his family to suburban Yonkers, New York. This new life served as fodder for the stories that would become The Sparrowgrass Papers: Or, Living in the Country, which began their run in The Knickerbocker in 1854, and continued to be published in Putnam’s Magazine from 1854 through 1855. The series begins with a letter from the protagonist, Richard Haywarde, introducing city slickers to their country cousins. The series then follows Mr. Sparrowgrass, his wife, and their five children as they move from the city to the country and the trials they endure while acclimating to country life. The stories range from slapstick humor to sentimentality and were wildly popular with their urban readers.
In 1854, Cozzens began publishing his own periodical, Cozzens’ Wine Press: A Vinous, Vivacious Monthly, which combined his love and knowledge of wine with his love of poetry, short stories, and comical verse. In the late 1850’s, Cozzens traveled the globe with literary circuits, spending a fair amount of time in Canada. His Canadian experiences evolved into Acadia: Or, A Month with the Blue Noses, which served as a fictitious travel guide for several villages and towns in the country including Halifax, Louisburg, and Sydney.
Toward the late 1860’s, Cozzens’s health was deteriorating. He continued to be published in New York periodicals, and in 1869 he sold his Yonkers estate and moved his family to Rahway, New Jersey. A longtime sufferer of asthma, Cozzens died of congestive heart failure in 1869. Cozzens was a quintessential popular author of The Knickerbocker tradition that proved so influential to literary culture and metropolitan life during the 1820’s and 1830’s.