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St. Olaf professor receives humanities grant

By Linnae Stole '10
December 8, 2008

Associate Professor of English Colin Wells recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for a book he has been working on titled Poetry Wars of the Early Republic.

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Wells, an American literature specialist at St. Olaf, originally began researching the topic of early American political poetry back in 2002 and started writing his book in 2006. At its heart, Poetry Wars is a comprehensive study of political poetry in America from 1765, around the time of the rebellion that led to the Revolutionary War, to approximately 1815, when the new American Republic was firmly established.

"I look at the ways in which poets used their works to wage political and ideological warfare with politicians, newspaper editors and writers, and each other, all in the name of influencing the future course the American Republic would follow," Wells says. "It begins, of course, with the wars between 'Patriots' and 'Loyalists' during the Revolution. But soon after the new nation was formed, partisan warfare broke out between the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans, and each side had its own partisan poets and satirists."

Wells received his B.A. from Boston College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. He joined the St. Olaf faculty in 1995. His scholarly interests include the literature of the American Revolutionary and Early National periods, 18th-century English poetry, and the relationship between literature, politics, and religion. His book, The Devil and Doctor Dwight: Satire and Theology in the Early American Republic, was published in 2002. By receiving the NEH grant, Wells will be able to extend his planned sabbatical from a half to a full year, and he hopes to complete his book during that time.

Under the belief that "democracy demands wisdom," since 1965 the NEH has strived to serve and strengthen America by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all citizens. To achieve this goal, the endowment provides grants for humanities in four funding areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources, education, research, and public programs. Typical recipients of NEH grants are culture institutions, including but not limited to museums, archives, libraries, colleges, and individual scholars.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.