Nasby, Petroleum V.

Nasby, Petroleum V.

▪ American humorist
in full  Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby,  pseudonym of  David Ross Locke 
born Sept. 20, 1833, Binghamton, N.Y., U.S.
died Feb. 15, 1888, Toledo, Ohio
 American humorist who had considerable influence on public issues during and after the American Civil War.

      From an early age Locke worked for newspapers in New York and Ohio. In 1861, as editor of the Findlay (Ohio) Jeffersonian, he published the first of many satirical letters purporting to be written by one Petroleum V. Nasby. For over 20 years Locke contributed “Nasby Letters” to the Toledo Blade, which under his editorship gained national circulation. Many of the letters appeared also in such books as The Nasby Papers (1864) and The Diary of an Office Seeker (1881).

      An ardent Unionist and foe of slavery, Locke vigorously supported the Northern cause. His chief weapon was a heavy irony, with his character Nasby, a coarse and vicious “Copperhead,” arguing illiterately the Southern position. Used for a serious end, such verbal fooling delighted Northern readers, including President Abraham Lincoln, who occasionally read Nasby letters to his cabinet.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nasby, Petroleum V. —    см. Нэсби, Петролеум Везувиус …   Писатели США. Краткие творческие биографии

  • Nasby — [naz′bē] Petroleum V. [pə trō′lē əm] (pseud. of David Ross Locke) 1833 88; U.S. humorist …   English World dictionary

  • Nasby — /naz bee/, n. Petroleum V., pen name of David Ross Locke. * * * …   Universalium

  • Nasby — /naz bee/, n. Petroleum V., pen name of David Ross Locke …   Useful english dictionary

  • Petroleum V Nasby — David Ross Locke’s pseudonym …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

  • Locke, David Ross (Petroleum V. Nasby) — (1833 1888)    Humorist, b. in New York State. His political satires really influenced opinion during the war. He was a printer and then a journalist, and his writings include Swingin round the Cirkle, Struggles of P.V. Nasby, Nasby in Exile, and …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Findlay — /fin lee, find /, n. a city in NW Ohio. 35,594. * * * ▪ Ohio, United States       city, seat (1828) of Hancock county, northwestern Ohio, U.S. It lies along the Blanchard River, 47 miles (76 km) south of Toledo. The site was laid out by Joseph… …   Universalium

  • American literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the English language in the United States.       Like other national literatures, American literature was shaped by the history of the country that produced it. For almost a century and a… …   Universalium

  • Whitcher, Frances Miriam Berry — ▪ American writer née  Frances Miriam Berry   born Nov. 1, 1811, Whitesboro, N.Y., U.S. died Jan. 4, 1852, Whitesboro       American writer whose popular satirical sketches lampooned small town pomposities and intolerance.       Miriam Berry… …   Universalium

  • Locke — [läk] 1. David Ross NASBY Petroleum V. 2. John 1632 1704; Eng. empirical philosopher …   English World dictionary

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