Hugh Henry Brackenridge
Hugh Henry Brackenridge was a Scottish-American writer and political figure born in 1748, who immigrated to the United States at the age of five. Settling in western Pennsylvania, he grew up on the frontier before attending Princeton University, where he graduated in 1771, delivering a notable poem that contributed to early American nationalism. During the American Revolution, Brackenridge served as a chaplain while also creating plays that celebrated American troops and publishing sermons to inspire them. After studying law in Annapolis, he moved to Pittsburgh in 1781, where he became a key cultural figure and authored "Modern Chivalry," a satirical novel that critiques the flaws of democracy, influenced by Cervantes's "Don Quixote." Brackenridge's political involvement included a notable yet controversial stance during the Whiskey Rebellion, and he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1799. He later moved to Carlisle, where he wrote "Law Miscellanies," his significant contribution to legal literature, before passing away in 1816. His works and public service reflect a complex engagement with the cultural and political challenges of his time.
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Subject Terms
Hugh Henry Brackenridge
Author
- Born: 1748
- Birthplace: Near Campbeltown, Scotland
- Died: June 25, 1816
- Place of death: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Scottish-born American novelist
Biography
Hugh Henry Brackenridge (BRAK-uhn-rihj) was brought to the United States at the age of five. His family settled in western Pennsylvania, where Brackenridge grew up on the frontier. He entered Princeton University in 1768. At his graduation in 1771, he recited A Poem on the Rising Glory of America. Epic in intention, the poem is an important contribution to early nationalism. For a brief period, he was the head of an academy in Maryland. During the American Revolution, in addition to serving as a chaplain, he published two plays, designed for private performance, which praised the heroism of American troops, as well as a collection of sermons exhorting the troops to carry on bravely.
After studying law in Annapolis, Brackenridge moved to Pittsburgh in 1781. He made many contributions to the cultural life of that frontier community, and there he wrote Modern Chivalry, the book for which he is best remembered. This picaresque novel, fashioned after Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote (1605, 1615), satirizes incompetence and corruption in the workings of democratic government. By ridiculing the weaknesses of democracy, Brackenridge hoped to strengthen it.
Despite the fact that he satisfied neither side during the Whiskey Rebellion, Brackenridge was sufficiently well thought of politically to win an appointment to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1799. He moved to Carlisle in 1801. There he wrote Law Miscellanies, his principal contribution to legal literature, and there he died on June 25, 1816.
Bibliography
Chaden, Caryn. “Dress and Undress in Brackenridge’s Modern Chivalry.” Early American Literature 26, no. 1 (1991). The use of clothing as a symbol associated with the work of Jonathan Swift is discussed.
Engell, John. “Brackenridge’s Modern Chivalry.” Early American Literature 22, no. 1 (1987). Studies the humor inherent in the narrative structure.
Lenz, William E. “Confidence Games in the New Country: Hugh Henry Brackenridge’s Modern Chivalry.” Colby LibraryQuarterly 18, no. 2 (June, 1982). A study of the picaresque mode of fiction.
Marder, Daniel. Hugh Henry Brackenridge. New York: Twayne, 1967. A critical introduction to the author’s life and works.
Patterson, Mark R. “Representation in Brackenridge’s Modern Chivalry.” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 28, no. 2 (Summer, 1986). Deals with the politics of the novel.
Reynolds, R. C. “Modern Chivalry and the American Tradition.” The McNeese Review 29 (1982-1983). Compares the satirical method of Brackenridge to that of Mark Twain.
Rice, Grantland S. “Modern Chivalry and the Resistance to Textual Authority.” American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography 67, no. 2 (June, 1995). A textual study.
Sapienza, Madeline. “Modern Chivalry” in Early American Law: H. H. Brackenridge’s Legal Thought. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1992. Examines Brackenridge’s contributions to law. Includes bibliographical references and an index.
Wertheimer, Eric. “Commencement Ceremonies: History and Identity in The Rising Glory of America.” Early American Literature 29, no. 1 (1994). Another textual study.