Alger wrote over 120 books for young working-class males, a well-known early example of which is Ragged Dick, which was published in 1867. His books have been described as rags-to-riches stories, although often "rags to upper-middle class respectability" might be more accurate. "By leading exemplary lives, struggling valiantly against poverty and adversity", Alger's protagonists gain both wealth and honor, ultimately realizing the American Dream. The characters in Alger's stories sometimes improved their social position through the aid of an older, kindly, wealthy benefactor.
Success of Alger's characters
Associating Alger's stories with the "rags to riches" trope is somewhat misleading, as his heroes often only rise from poverty to the middle class. Though some of his novels, for example Jed, the Poorhouse Boy, do detail the story of a protagonist ascending from poverty to nobility.
Horatio Alger, Jr. (/ˈældʒər/; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many young-adult fiction novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. His writings were characterized by the "rags to riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on America during the Gilded Age.
Essentially, all of Alger's juvenile novels share the same theme, known as the "Horatio Alger myth": a teenage boy works hard to escape poverty. Often though, it is not the hard work itself that rescues the boy from his fate, but rather some extraordinary act of bravery or honesty. The boy might return a large sum of lost money or rescue someone from an overturned carriage. This brings the boy—and his plight—to the attention of a wealthy individual.
Alger secured his literary niche in 1868 with the publication of his fourth book, Ragged Dick, the story of a poor bootblack's rise to middle-class respectability. This novel was a huge success. His many books that followed were essentially variations on Ragged Dick and featured casts of stock characters: the valiant hard-working, honest youth, the noble mysterious stranger, the snobbish youth, and the evil, greedy squire.
VanDyke is a writer and digital strategist based in New York City...Yes, that’s right ... presidential election season ... At the heart of this decision is the well-intentioned but problematic Horatio Alger myth that anyone can do anything in America ... .
WASHINGTON—Despite systemic racism within U.S ... Speakers discussed a wide range of barriers to Black and brown upward mobility in the U.S ... She didn’t have to ... society and reinforced by everything from corporate propaganda to Horatio Alger myths ... .
The Horatio Alger Myth is a fiction based on a fraudulent representation of his actual failed accomplishments and published stories of self-improvement, neither his life nor any of his stories were ...
Despite the dangerous and often deadly work millions of them ended up with in steel mills, slaughterhouses and coal mines, the myth of the penniless child-turned-millionaire emerged, thanks in part to authors like Horatio Alger.
In a culture that still clings to the Horatio Alger myth, rags-to-riches stories are pretty much a dime a dozen ... 1 on the ‘60s pop charts — will be ringing in our ears for decades to come ... But that would be a mistake ... Kevin Winter / Getty Images ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... .
And it goes unmasks the Horatio Alger myth, which, by the way, is a denial of libertarianism, because as you point out, and this the best discussion I’ve ever read of the Horatio Alger thing, ...
Either that or you just go to the bad luck thesis, which is also part of neoliberal reason, to just say it does not subscribe to the Horatio Alger myth.
The victims of the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria need your help now ... You get your calls returned! Fast! ... It is no longer awe or envy of the 'rich and famous.' It is no longer the Horatio Alger myth ... Mr ... Here is an idea.
The victims of the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria need your help now ... You get your calls returned! Fast! ... It is no longer awe or envy of the ‘rich and famous.’ It is no longer the Horatio Alger myth ... Mr ... Here is an idea ... .
The Morning Call
26 Apr 2023
The Morning Call
26 Apr 2023