Stansbury, Joseph

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | 700+ words | Copyright

Stansbury, Joseph (1742–1809),English‐born Loyalist poet, came to Philadelphia (1767), where during the Revolution he was in high favor with the British as an urbane and witty satirist of the patriots. Although he opposed the Revolution he did not, like the other major Loyalist poet Jonathan Odell, become virulent or descend to invective, but chose instead with gay humor to show the foibles and inconsistencies of the patriots. His opposition took a more serious turn when he acted as a go‐between in the treasonable negotiations of Benedict Arnold and André;. Although he tolerantly tried to forget differences of opinion after the war, destroyed his earlier political verse, and wrote some conciliatory lines, the erstwhile rebels temporarily imprisoned him, causing him to flee to Nova Scotia. Not until 1793 was he able to return in safety to the U.S. His poetry was first collected in The Loyal Verses of Joseph Stansbury and Jonathan Odell (1860). Caroline Kirkland was his granddaughter.

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Stansbury, Joseph." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Stansbury, Joseph." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-StansburyJoseph.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Stansbury, Joseph." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-StansburyJoseph.html

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