Mathews, Cornelius

Cornelius Mathews (1817 - 89) was a lawyer and writer who lived in New York.  He wrote for and edited Arcturus, the journal of the literary group Young America, which he founded, publishing the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne,Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, andJames Russell Lowell.  He also wrote several popular novels during the 1840s and 50s.  Matthews railed against the notion that American literature was necessarily inferior to that of Britain. ;

Important American novelist and literary figure, Mathews is known for his crucial role in the literary group “Young Americans”. Unlike other authors of his age, he laid emphasis on developing an American style of writing that would reflect its unique nature.;