James Whitcomb Riley
Overview
James Whitcomb Riley was an American
writer
, poet
, and best selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the Hoosier
Poet and Children's Poet for his dialect
works and his children's poetry respectively. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include "Little Orphant Annie
" and "The Raggedy Man
".
Riley began his career writing verses as a sign maker and submitting poetry to newspapers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and best selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the Hoosier
Hoosier
Hoosier is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. state of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically adopt a derivative of the state name, e.g., "Indianan" or "Indianian", natives of Indiana rarely use these. Indiana adopted the nickname "Hoosier State" more than 150...
Poet and Children's Poet for his dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
works and his children's poetry respectively. His poems tended to be humorous or sentimental, and of the approximately one thousand poems that Riley authored, the majority are in dialect. His famous works include "Little Orphant Annie
Little Orphant Annie
"Little Orphant Annie" is an 1885 poem written by James Whitcomb Riley and published by the Bowen-Merrill Company. First titled "The Elf Child", Riley changed the name to "Little Orphant Allie" at its third printing, however a typecasting error during printing renamed the poem to its current form...
" and "The Raggedy Man
The Raggedy Man
The Raggedy Man was a poem wrote by James Whitcomb Riley and first published in 1888. The poem was the inspiration for the Raggedy Ann doll, and two films by the same name. The poem is one of Riley's most famous and is based on a German tramp employed by his father during his youth.-External links:*...
".
Riley began his career writing verses as a sign maker and submitting poetry to newspapers.
Unanswered Questions
