Henry Blake Fuller
Henry Blake Fuller was an influential American writer, born in 1857 in Chicago, Illinois. He was part of a family with deep roots in the city, experiencing its transformation through significant historical events, including the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. After studying at the Allison Classical Academy, Fuller initially pursued a career in banking but became disillusioned with the commercialism of Chicago. His travels across Europe in 1879 inspired him to critique American culture through the lens of European values, leading him to write a series of essays and articles that highlighted this contrast.
In 1890, Fuller published his notable work, *The Chevalier of Pensieri-Vani*, a satirical examination of Chicago life that ultimately became a success after initial publishing challenges. This work established him as a leading figure in Chicago's literary scene and positioned him as a pioneer of American realism, a genre that emphasizes the depiction of everyday life. Throughout his career, Fuller consistently used satire to explore the cultural landscape of Chicago, focusing on the interplay between art and economics. He passed away in 1929, leaving a legacy that reflected both his love for and ambivalence towards the city that shaped his life and work.
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Subject Terms
Henry Blake Fuller
Author
- Born: January 9, 1857
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: July 28, 1929
Biography
Henry Blake Fuller was born in 1857 in Chicago, Illinois, a place to which he would always have strong ties, since both of his parents were among those “old settlers” who had lived in Chicago before the great fire of 1871. Fuller went to the Allison Classical Academy in Wisconsin for his studies but moved back to Chicago after his 1875 graduation to work as a banker. He soon became disgusted with Chicago life and the commercial culture surrounding it. In 1879 he made a European tour of England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland. He wrote in his journal as he went along, detailing the historical architecture that he so loved and contrasted so much with that of Chicago.
In the 1880’s, Fuller lived for a short time in Boston, but he had to return to Chicago to deal economic issues that threatened his family’s existence in the wake of his father’s death. Still interested in European culture, Fuller wrote a series of intense articles and essays comparing and contrasting European and American cultures and values. In 1890 Fuller published The Chevalier of Pensieri-Vani as a satire of Chicago based on his accounts taken in Italy. The book had difficulty finding a publisher, but after it was shared with literary critics it became an unlikely success. It had many reprintings and catapulted Fuller to the pinnacle of the Chicago writing world. This work, like all of his subsequent writing, was satire of the cultural side of Chicago that stressed the overarching importance of art and economics through fiction. Later termed the father of American realism, Fuller pioneered an entirely new writing style through his work. He died in 1929 at age seventy-two having never come to terms with the city that dominated his life.