In the 1850 edition of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, there were many different types of articles. Many of the articles I read were centered on the Industrial Age and the politics of that era. There were many female authors who wrote of the faults of men in society. This surprised me because, in that time, women were not seen as equals on a day to day basis, not to mention intellectually. A few of the articles, including an article about globe making in England, seemed quite drab and not as attention grabbing as I would have preferred. Most of the articles I read were about family, love, and politics – which are important aspects of our lives today.
The writing style in most of the short stories and essays seemed drawn out. Save for one story, none of my nine articles had a climactic plot or storyline. Ironically, most magazines in present day do not have articles with heavy storylines or plots. This crossover in writing and editing styles intrigued me. Because the 19th and 21st centuries have very few things in common, to see the similarities in the content and style of writing, then and now, was very interesting and eye-opening.
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The comparison you made between Harper's and 21st century magazines is very interesting. The styles of writing are in many ways similar, but the content is drastically different. After discussing our issues in class, it's obvious that the content and purpose of Harper's changed based on current events and societal values. Now, a century and a half later, those values have changed as much as the time and most magazines contain relatively little thought provoking material. In spite of many of the articles in Harper's being dull, they still have things in them to think about.
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