James Hogg, ‘the beginner, and almost sole instigator' of Blackwood's – Not Once, but Twice

Abstract

James Hogg claims to have been instrumental in initiating both versions of William Blackwood's venture into magazine publishing in 1817. This essay examines Hogg's role in beginning the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine and its successor, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, and discusses the significance of his contributions to the Edinburgh Monthly and the early numbers of Blackwood's in terms of his influence on the direction of the magazine and the magazine's impact on him. Attention is given to key works in both versions, especially ‘Tales and Anecdotes of the Pastoral Life’ and ‘Shakspeare Club of Alloa’ in the Edinburgh Monthly and the ‘Chaldee Manuscript’ and ‘Elegy’ in Blackwood's. Also important for Hogg's relationship with Blackwood's were Hogg's submissions that Blackwood did not publish. This essay looks particularly at Hogg's failed effort to enter the attacks on the Cockney School and how he also became a victim of the social and intellectual disdain leveled against the Cockneys.