Publication
Harper Perennial (2010), 416 p.
Original publication date
2008
Collections
Awards
Maine Literary Award (Winner — Winner — 2009)
Description
"Fred Kaplan's Lincoln offers penetrating insights on Lincoln's ability to explain complex ideas in language accessible to a broad range of readers and listeners." -- James M. McPherson, The New York Review of Books "A fine, invaluable book. . . . Certain to become essential to our understanding of the 16th president. . . . Kaplan meticulously analyzes how Lincoln's steadily maturing prose style enabled him to come to grips with slavery and, as his own views evolved, to express his deepening opposition to it." -- Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World Fascinating. . . . persuasive [and] highly perceptive." -- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times From acclaimed biographer Fred Kaplan comes an illuminating look at the life of Abraham Lincoln that chronicles his genius with language.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member rosalita
From the start, he needed to overcome internal and external opposition by willful acts of self-definition, the ambitious farm boy autodidact becoming a splitter of words and ideas rather than fence rails.
I'm having trouble writing this review because I have so much to say. I tried channeling the
OK, maybe a few more sentences. As the title declares, Kaplan examines Lincoln's life through the prism of the writings he left behind. Those writings include not only published essays and speeches but also letters and fragments of letters he wrote to friends. Kaplan begins in Lincoln's childhood, looking at the books that we know young Abe had access to at home, especially once his stepmother joined the household. Some of them are familiar and unsurprising — Shakespeare, the Bible — and others raised my eyebrows. Lord Byron was a favorite source of inspiration for Lincoln, as was ... Scottish poet Robert Burns?! Apparently Lincoln often quoted entire poems or long passages of Burns' poems from memory, even the saucy bits.
It was fascinating to learn that Lincoln wrote on all sorts of topics, not just political events and issues of the day. Following a trip in 1844 to his childhood home in Indiana, he wrote what appears to have been intended as a four-canto poem in the tradition of Thomas Gray, whose "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" was a favorite of Lincoln. Kaplan also cites influences from Wordsworth, Burns and Chaucer in the works, only three of which have survived. The excerpts that Kaplan quotes are melancholic and humorous in turn, reflecting on memories that gave him both pain and pleasure.
Lincoln also used writing as a way to explore his thinking on subjects of the day. He wrote and re-wrote, constantly refining his thoughts. He used writing as a way to help him clarify his own beliefs and political opinions. And he seldom spoke extemporaneously — at a minimum he worked from a set of notes for each speech he gave, in order to ensure that he could lay out his thoughts and positions in a coherent way. As Kaplan comments on a speech given to a temperance society, "The argument continues in Lincoln's characteristic style — a prose so lucid to read it is like looking a hundred feet through clear water."
Kaplan expends most of his energy and analysis to the years before Lincoln became president; in an eight-chapter book the presidency is entirely confined to the final chapter. That's one reason I can't view this book as the end-all and be-all of exploring Lincoln's life or his genius for language. The other reason is that while partial quotations of Lincoln's writing to illustrate specific points are plentiful, Kaplan does not include any speech or essay in its entirety to allow us to fully absorb Lincoln's genius. Perhaps there are limitations on the amount of text that can legally be quoted? At any rate, it was a loss I felt keenly.
I probably don't need to say that I highly recommend this book. While there's a fair amount of detail about Lincoln's life beyond his writing, some readers may find value in also reading a more comprehensive biography, especially one that focuses on his presidency. As for me, I now feel a great deal of affinity for the man who declared:
Writing — the art of communicating thoughts to the mind, through the eye — is the great invention of the world. Great in the astonishing range of analysis and combination which necessarily underlies the most crude and general conception of it — great, very great in enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and of space; and great, not only in its direct benefits, but greatest help, to all other inventions. ... Its utility may be conceived by the reflection that to it we owe everything which distinguishes us from savages. Take it from us, and the Bible, all history, all science, all government, all commerce, and nearly all social intercourse go with it.
I'm having trouble writing this review because I have so much to say. I tried channeling the
Show More
16th President by asking myself WWAW (What Would Abe Write)? That didn't help much, so I'll just boil it down to one sentence: This book is fantastic.OK, maybe a few more sentences. As the title declares, Kaplan examines Lincoln's life through the prism of the writings he left behind. Those writings include not only published essays and speeches but also letters and fragments of letters he wrote to friends. Kaplan begins in Lincoln's childhood, looking at the books that we know young Abe had access to at home, especially once his stepmother joined the household. Some of them are familiar and unsurprising — Shakespeare, the Bible — and others raised my eyebrows. Lord Byron was a favorite source of inspiration for Lincoln, as was ... Scottish poet Robert Burns?! Apparently Lincoln often quoted entire poems or long passages of Burns' poems from memory, even the saucy bits.
It was fascinating to learn that Lincoln wrote on all sorts of topics, not just political events and issues of the day. Following a trip in 1844 to his childhood home in Indiana, he wrote what appears to have been intended as a four-canto poem in the tradition of Thomas Gray, whose "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" was a favorite of Lincoln. Kaplan also cites influences from Wordsworth, Burns and Chaucer in the works, only three of which have survived. The excerpts that Kaplan quotes are melancholic and humorous in turn, reflecting on memories that gave him both pain and pleasure.
Lincoln also used writing as a way to explore his thinking on subjects of the day. He wrote and re-wrote, constantly refining his thoughts. He used writing as a way to help him clarify his own beliefs and political opinions. And he seldom spoke extemporaneously — at a minimum he worked from a set of notes for each speech he gave, in order to ensure that he could lay out his thoughts and positions in a coherent way. As Kaplan comments on a speech given to a temperance society, "The argument continues in Lincoln's characteristic style — a prose so lucid to read it is like looking a hundred feet through clear water."
Kaplan expends most of his energy and analysis to the years before Lincoln became president; in an eight-chapter book the presidency is entirely confined to the final chapter. That's one reason I can't view this book as the end-all and be-all of exploring Lincoln's life or his genius for language. The other reason is that while partial quotations of Lincoln's writing to illustrate specific points are plentiful, Kaplan does not include any speech or essay in its entirety to allow us to fully absorb Lincoln's genius. Perhaps there are limitations on the amount of text that can legally be quoted? At any rate, it was a loss I felt keenly.
I probably don't need to say that I highly recommend this book. While there's a fair amount of detail about Lincoln's life beyond his writing, some readers may find value in also reading a more comprehensive biography, especially one that focuses on his presidency. As for me, I now feel a great deal of affinity for the man who declared:
Writing — the art of communicating thoughts to the mind, through the eye — is the great invention of the world. Great in the astonishing range of analysis and combination which necessarily underlies the most crude and general conception of it — great, very great in enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and of space; and great, not only in its direct benefits, but greatest help, to all other inventions. ... Its utility may be conceived by the reflection that to it we owe everything which distinguishes us from savages. Take it from us, and the Bible, all history, all science, all government, all commerce, and nearly all social intercourse go with it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Othemts
A different approach Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his life and legacy through the lens of his writing. Kaplan contends that Lincoln may be of few Presidents to write his own speeches and probably the last one. In addition to his oratory Kaplan analyzes Lincoln's political writings, poetry, and even
Show More
his raunchy jokes and puns. As a self-taught man, writing played an important role in Lincoln's education as well. This book provides a unique take on the life of the great leader. Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
It seems I am rapidly becoming a fan of literary biography. With this and the Dostoyevsky volume, I've become almost addicted. I need more.
This shows the development of Lincoln, his literary tastes, his oratory, and his writing style over the years, and showing the authors that influenced him.
This shows the development of Lincoln, his literary tastes, his oratory, and his writing style over the years, and showing the authors that influenced him.
Show More
Wonderful stuff. Show Less
LibraryThing member justagirlwithabook
Some of the greatest presidents in US history are those who were readers and writers. This book really highlights Lincoln's writing side and offers up all sorts of incredible information (and it's really inspiring). It also might make you miss the good ol' days (when presidents were incredibly
Show More
well-read and wrote insanely fluently). Show Less
LibraryThing member SumisBooks
This book has a lot of information. Almost to the point, I would say, of having way too much information. The author seems to repeat himself several times and the quotes that he cites seem to do the same. The chapters are extremely long as well. There are only 8 chapters in this book.
However, all
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with interest in the subject.
However, all
Show More
in all, it was a good read, I learned a lot about our 16th president, and I'm glad that I have read it.I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with interest in the subject.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9780060773366
Physical description
416 p.; 7.9 inches
Pages
416