Annotated Bibliography
Franklin, Benjamin, and Joyce E. Chaplin. Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. W.W. Norton, 2012.
This source provides an in-depth description of Benjamin Franklin’s entire life from his point of view. Because Franklin wrote it himself, the readers can assume that he did not leave out any pertinent details in his writings. Franklin explains everything he finds important from the time he could remember up until he was fifty-one years old in the year 1757, thirty-three years before his death. He speaks of his family when he was a boy and about all of the friends and associates he had met in his life. He later talks about his own family, the woman he married, their children and what kind of lives they all lead. Franklin explains all of the jobs he had held and all of his scientific and political successes. This source is included to give the readers a feel for the author of the three texts included in this edition. This Autobiography will also give readers a feel for Franklin’s humor and writing style.
Hayes, Kevin J. and Isabella Bour. “Franklin in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates.” Proquest Book Central, University of Iowa Press 2011, https://ebookcentral.com
This online book gives accounts from Benjamin Franklin’s family, friends, and associates through letters, memoirs, and interviews. There are thirty-five recollections, interviews and memoirs from the people in Franklin’s life within this book. With these documents the reader gains a new perspective on one of the most well-known Americans to ever live. This source provides information on Franklin’s scientific discoveries, political endeavors, and social interactions. There are even genuine memoirs from Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Both of these men held a lot of weight in American politics so their opinions of Benjamin Franklin can be viewed as knowledgeable. This source has been included to provide a new perspective to Benjamin Franklin. Instead of getting only the impression of how Franklin sees himself, this source allows the reader to see Franklin from the eyes of the ones that loved him, worked with him, and envied him. Understanding how others may have seen Franklin will help readers understand Franklin and his writings better.
Skemp, Sheila L. “William Franklin: His Father's Son.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 109, no. 2, 1985, pp. 145–178. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.
This journal explains the background story of Benjamin Franklin’s relationship with his son William. Franklin only briefly discuss their differences in his Autobiography. This journal, however, gives the in-depth story of how Benjamin and William became estranged. Benjamin and William had a close friendship and strong father-son relationship until William sided with the loyalists during the American war for independence. This source provides the background to their original relationship, their falling out, and the after affects of William’s betrayal. Getting a closer look at William’s role in Benjamin’s life allows the readers to understand one of the most upsetting incidents in Franklin’s life. Knowing of this instance will give the readers a better sense of Franklin’s family relations and how he treated those that wronged him.
Sources on A Witch Trial at Mount Holly:
Amacher, Richard E. “Humor in Franklin's Hoaxes and Satires.” Studies in American Humor, vol. 2, no. 1, 1 Apr. 1975, pp. 4–20. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This article focuses on Benjamin Franklin’s use of satire and hoaxes in three of his more popular texts, one of them being “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly.” The article explains the development of Franklin’s humor throughout his writing and how he made that humor uniquely his. Also, this article explains how these essays and some of his political satires and comedies are related to Franklin’s idea of his writings producing “tendency to benefit the reader, either by improving his virtue or his knowledge” (Amacher 4). This article will help the readers understand Franklin’s brand of humor which will in turn help them understand “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly.” Without understanding Franklin’s satire, it would be hard to understand the true meaning of the essay because it could be read as a serious rather than a satirical piece.
Lemay, J. A. Leo. “Journalist.” The Life of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 1, 2006, pp. 414–456. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This volume talks about the Pennsylvania Gazette, the newspaper that Franklin published. This newspaper is the medium in which Franklin published “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly.” The volume explains how Franklin came to own this newspaper and the work he put in to keep it running so successfully. It also talks about the kind of material Franklin published in it. An explanation is given about how Franklin improved the paper by changing the paper’s layout, typography, and overall design. This source has been included because it is an interesting background into one of Franklin’s business endeavors. It also explains how Franklin was able to publish a piece that could easily be offensive to many people.
McLeod, Kembrew. “This Is the Dawning of the Age of Enlightenment … and Pranks.” Pranksters: Making Mischief in the Modern World, 2014, pp. 25– 53. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This journal explains the prankster nature of Benjamin Franklin from an early age. It talks about his adventures when he was a boy pranking his family and friends. It explains Franklin’s first major prank when he was sixteen-years-old, the creation of Silence Dogood, a straight-laced widow of Boston who becomes Franklin’s moniker when he pens a series of letters in his brother’s newspaper. Franklin knew his brother would not let him publish the letters so he would anonymously slide them under the door of the printing press. This first prank was so successful that Franklin kept doing it. This journal continues to explain the other pranks Franklin did over the years and the other satires he wrote. Another of the pranks it talks about is Franklin publishing “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly” in the Pennsylvania Gazette. The article provides an interesting background into Franklin’s humor and pranking.
Sources on The Way to Wealth:
Franklin, Benjamin. “Poor Richard Almanac.” The Franklin Papers, Yale University, franklinpapers.org.
This text is an original writing of Benjamin Franklin’s which was published yearly in a series of booklets. These booklets hold sayings and advice from Franklin on a few different subjects and those subjects follow some core themes. Those themes include ideas around the qualities we should look for in a friend, things to do to keep healthy, the problems we can cause for ourselves, the glory of hard work, and the importance of not being wasteful in any aspect of our lives. Franklin also discusses political and governmental issues and challenges of married life. This text is a great source to Franklin’s “A Way to Wealth” because it is the prequel to it. “A Way to Wealth” is also known as “Poor Richard Improved” so it is important to read both of these texts.
Houston, Alan. “Commerce.” Benjamin Franklin and the Politics of Improvement, Yale University Press, 2008, pp. 22–59. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This text talks about Franklin and all his economic struggles. It explains the trouble Franklin had as a young man and his lack of money and how his finances went up and down throughout his life. The text also gives some of Franklin’s quotes and insights into general finances. It talks of his job history and his wages at each job as well as his general expenses on a day to day basis. This text is useful in understanding the knowledge Franklin had when it came to economics and it also provides irony because of the way in which Franklin gives that knowledge, in a way that always puts him in control because he decides which information to give or withhold. Knowing the extent of his knowledge on economics helps the reader understand his thoughts in “A Way to Wealth” as well.
Lemay, J. A. Leo. “Poor Richard’s Prefaces: 1733–1747.” The Life of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 2, 2006, pp. 170–191. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This text gives plenty of background information on the “Poor Richard Almanac” and “A Way to Wealth.” It explains how Franklin came up with the topic and idea behind the Almanac. It explains the layout and format of the Almanac and Franklin’s reasoning behind writing “A Way to Wealth.” It explains the contents of the Almanac and how it was pertinent at the time. This text also contains the details of Franklin’s business experience with the printing presses, more specifically the Pennsylvania Gazette. This text is helpful when reading “A Way to Wealth” because it gives the reader all the background information needed to understand its origins and purpose.
Miller, C. William. “Franklin's ‘Poor Richard Almanacs’: Their Printing and Publication.” Studies in Bibliography, vol. 14, 1961, pp. 97–115. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This article talks about Franklin’s process in creating and printing “Poor Richard’s Almanac” and “A Way to Wealth.” Not only does the article talk about why Franklin wrote the Almanac or what it contained but also why he created the character of Poor Richard. It also discusses some of the marketing techniques Franklin used when releasing pieces of the Almanac. The article also touches upon the timing Franklin used to his advantage. For example, he waited until another almanac was to be released before he announced that Poor Richard would be dying the next year. This article is interesting not only because the reader gets more information about the Almanac and “A Way to Wealth,” but also because the reader can begin to understand Franklin from a business and marketing perspective.
Zall, Paul M. “Philadelphia Comic Relief: 1748–1757.” Benjamin Franklin's Humor, 2005, pp. 65–84. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This chapter discusses all of Franklin’s more serious works and how they helped so many people both economically and psychologically. It then discusses the type of comic relief Franklin provided and why it was necessary at the time. The chapter also talks about the difference between Franklin’s usual humor and satire in relation to the Almanac. Franklin understood that more common people, less intelligent people, often read almanacs so he made his irony and sarcasm more obvious in “Poor Richard’s Almanac” and “A Way to Wealth” by, essentially, dumbing it down for his audience. This source is helpful to readers because it will help them understand the difference in satire between “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly” and “A Way to Wealth.” It will also help readers understand why Franklin’s work is never very similar because he always writes to his audiences whether they be intellectual politicians or less intelligent common folks.
Zall, Paul M. “Philadelphia’s Poor Richard: 1733–1748.” Benjamin Franklin's Humor, 2005, pp. 47–64. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This chapter discusses Franklin’s writing style and ability to cater to his audience in “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” It talks about the effect Franklin’s writing had on its readers. Franklin was able to take on the character of Poor Richard Saunders so well that it often confused his readers and made it hard to believe that the author was in fact Franklin. This skill is not an easy task for such a well-known author of many topics. This chapter talks about the extraordinary abilities of Franklin as a writer and how he so easily captivated his audiences. This source is a great secondary read because it will explain to readers of “A Way to Wealth” just how Franklin caters to his audiences. It will also explain that the reader is not alone in their confusion and awe over how Franklin so easily takes on the façade of a fictional character.
Sources on Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America:
Aldridge, Alfred Owen. “Franklin's Deistical Indians.” Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 94, no. 4, 1950, pp. 398–410. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org.
This source explains what many believed were Franklin’s motives for writing “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.” This article explains both the good and the bad that they saw out of Franklin’s writing. Many critics believed Franklin wrote this piece because he wanted to satirize economic, cultural, and religious behavior of the colonist by using the Native Americans as the spokesperson. The irony in that alone would speak volumes to those that understand the message, because the Native Americans’ words were never taken as authority by whites. This source allows readers to get an idea of Franklin’s motives behind writing this piece which will help them to further understand the hidden messages within it. Understanding Franklin’s style of satire will also help readers pick up all the important messages Franklin implies in his essay.
Mulford, Carla. “Benjamin Franklin, Native Americans, and European Cultures of Civility.” Prospects, vol. 42, Jan. 1999, pp. 49-66. EBSCOhost, http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.
This source discusses the history between Europe, the American colonies, and the Native Americans of North America. It explains what “culture collecting” is and why it is important to know when reading Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.” It also explains some of the Native American traditions, legends, and cultural customs of the Native Americans and why cultural misunderstandings caused disputes between the Native Americans and colonist. This source provides the background information needed to understand the cultural implications in Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.” It will help readers understand the circumstances and misunderstandings Franklin is making fun of in relation to the colonists’ treatment to the Native Americans.
Mulford, Carla. “Benjamin Franklin's Savage Eloquence: Hoaxes from the Press at Passy.” Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 152, no. 4, 2008, pp. 490–530. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
This source discusses how Franklin was able to get away with printing so many articles and letters about topics that would normally charge the publisher with libel or slander. It explains the loop holes Franklin found and used to skirt the law in order to truly have the freedom of press. One of the letters it uses as an example to show Franklin’s sneakiness is “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.” It discusses the eloquence Franklin used in order to give his readers a funny but insightful view on the treatment of Native Americans. Franklin had his own special way to put his satire and true thoughts out to the world without being charged for it. This source is interesting because it not only allows readers to see what kind of printing laws were in effect at this time but also it shows how passionate Franklin was about getting his voice heard, especially about topics that many others dared not touch.