Literary Perspectives on New York City History Essay

Literary Perspectives on New York City History - Essay Example This essay takes a look at the literary works of a Frances Trollope, Charles Dickens, George G. Foster and William Dean Howells with a view to presenting an overview of the wide literary perspectives on New York's history. 19th century New York was arguably a city to behold. It might not have been as glamorous as London, but it could compare favorably well with the great cities of the time, and like London compared to Liverpool, or Paris to Rouen, Trollope believes that the New York of the 19th century was the finest city in all the colonies making up America. The beauty of New York City was reported in several historical documents. The elite section of the city was well organized and richly furnished. The opulence that radiated from this section of the city was easily comparable to what was obtainable in both France and England. Though gardens and flowers in front and around houses were not a common culture as was the case then in London and Paris, the elegance of the houses and their decoration was not less enticing. In this regard, Trollope1 writes that: "Every part of their houses is well carpeted, and the exterior finishing, such as steps, railings, and door-frames, are very superior. Almost every house has handsome green blinds on the outside; balconies are not very general, nor do the houses display, externally, so many flowers as those of Paris and London; but I saw many rooms decorated within, exactly like those of an European petite maitresse" Talking about the elegance of the 19th century New York City, one meeting point for most historians was the uniqueness of the area known then as Broadway. Broadway was, reportedly, the major road that cut across the whole New York City and it brought most of the city's business and elites together. Describing Broadway as the 'main artery' of New York City, Dickens2 report that the street was about four miles long, stretching from the Battery Gardens to terminate on the opposite end in a country road. Broadway was a very busy business area and was known for its well polished pavement stone and red brick houses, neat and well organized shops well dressed pedestrians. While Dickens argues that there possibly was no other street as 'sunny as Broadway' referring to the width and space of the street; Trollope writes that for its beauty, organization and businesses, Broadway was comparable to, not only Bond Street, but also Regent Street. 1. Mrs. Trollope Visits New York City In 1832, the English novelist Frances Trollope (1780-1863) published a memoir of her recent travels in the United States. Entitled Domestic Manners of the Americans, it contained the following observations of New York as it was only a few years after the opening of the Erie Canal 2. "A Dickensian View of New York" by Charles Dickens from Charles Dickens, American Notes (1842) Beside the uniqueness of Broadway in the early New York City, one interesting fact that appears to be common to all the historians is that like their counterparts in France and England, the female New Yorker of the 19th century was astoundingly fashionable. This fact was perfectly conveyed in Dickens statement thus: "Heaven save the ladies, how they dress! We have seen more colors in these ten minutes than we should have seen