Preliminary Note

Quiz: "Preliminary Note" by James Russell Lowell

1. Recall – Form & Genre: What literary form does "Preliminary Note" imitate, and in which real publication did it first appear as a preface to the second series of The Biglow Papers?

1. Recall – Speaker & Character: Who is the fictional character whose death is announced in "Preliminary Note," and what is his role in the broader Biglow Papers series?

1. Recall – Key Image: What absurd comic detail does Lowell use in the opening of the piece to signal to the reader that the obituary formula is being satirized, involving fictional place names?

1. Comprehension – Humor: How does the numbered list of Wilbur's unpublished manuscripts contribute to the poem's satirical effect? What does the escalating absurdity of the list suggest about New England intellectual culture?

1. Comprehension – Tone Shift: At what point does the tone of "Preliminary Note" shift away from pure comedy, and what causes that shift? What does Wilbur's inability to complete his Christmas morning tradition suggest about his state of mind?

1. Analysis – Symbolism: What does Milton's "Hymn of the Nativity" symbolize for Reverend Wilbur, and what is the significance of the biblical phrase that replaces it in his mind on his final Christmas morning?

1. Analysis – Symbolism: What does Wilbur's self-composed Latin epitaph reveal about his character, and how does it reflect a broader theme in the piece about education and personal identity in New England culture?

1. Analysis – Character as Symbol: In what ways does Reverend Homer Wilbur function as a symbol of a specific New England archetype? What aspects of 19th-century intellectual and clerical culture does he embody?

1. Analysis – Historical Context: How does the Civil War serve as a backdrop to "Preliminary Note"? In what way does Lowell use Wilbur's death to reflect the impact of the war on ordinary American life and culture?

1. Evaluation – Dual Impulse: Lowell has been described as having a "dual impulse" in this piece: to satirize and to mourn simultaneously. How successfully does "Preliminary Note" balance these two tones? Use at least two specific elements from the analysis to support your answer.

Answer Key

1. It imitates a Victorian literary obituary or mock obituary notice, and it first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly.

1. The fictional Reverend Homer Wilbur, a pompous New England clergyman who serves as the editorial voice introducing and annotating the dialect verses of Hosea Biglow.

1. Lowell invents ridiculous, humorous place names — such as "Pigsgusset Precinct (now West Jerusha)" — to parody the self-important formality of Victorian obituary writing.

1. The list begins with plausible scholarly items (a biography) but spirals into increasingly absurd minutiae, satirizing the tendency of New England intellectuals to treat trivial accomplishments as weighty contributions to civilization.

1. The tone shifts when the Civil War intrudes on the comedy. Wilbur's failure to read his beloved Milton on Christmas morning — replaced in his mind by an ominous biblical phrase — signals that his inner world of spiritual peace and order has been disrupted by the realities of the war.

1. The "Hymn of the Nativity" represents Wilbur's annual ritual of spiritual peace and divine order. Its replacement by the phrase "I came not to send peace, but a sword" symbolizes the Civil War's rupture of that order — a Christian nation tearing itself apart with violence.

1. The self-composed Latin epitaph shows Wilbur's inability to stop performing his classical learning even in death. It reflects the New England belief that classical education is a mark of civilization and personal dignity, though Lowell treats it with gentle, affectionate ridicule.

1. Wilbur represents the educated, well-intentioned, but somewhat self-important New England clergyman-scholar — a figure absorbed in local history, classical references, and comfortable faith, whose parochial world is both endearing and gently ridiculous.

1. The Civil War provides the somber backdrop against which Wilbur's death gains genuine emotional weight. Lowell uses the character's passing to mourn the disruption of the pre-war New England intellectual world and to acknowledge the authentic grief of the era beneath the satire.

1. Answers will vary, but strong responses should note that elements such as the absurd place names and escalating manuscript list sustain the satirical register, while the failure to read Milton and the ominous biblical substitution provide sincere emotional resonance — demonstrating that Lowell uses humor not to dismiss grief but to frame it more poignantly.