Francis Brett Harte's The Luck Of Roaring Camp

Francis Brett Hart was born August 28, 1836 in Albany, New York. His parents were Elizabeth and Henry Hart. Bret Harte did not have a great relationship with his, in fact, his father had included the “e” in Hart to distance himself from Francis. His father had worked in an Albany private school which eventually got run out. The family kept moving around in the North Atlantic states so Henry Harte could have a job as a teacher. In 1845, Henry dies, which leaves the the family to ask for money from family and friends.
Although Bret Harte and his father did not get along, Bret loved reading his father’s books and when he was eleven years old, Bret had been able to publish a poem in the New York Sunday Morning Atlas. At thirteen years old, Bret …show more content…
Ramon “wanted to produce a magazine that had the flavor of the west but would appeal to a national audience” (Baker). Harte met his expectations and the first issue of Overland Monthly won praise and gained many subscriptions across the nation. The next issue featured Harte’s “The Luck of Roaring Camp” which made the magazine get more interest. “The Luck of Roaring Camp” is set in the 1850s and is about a boy, Tom Luck. Beside the boy’s name luck played a role in many of Harte’s stories. Within a year, Overland Monthly had sold as many copies in the East as it did in California, Nevada, and …show more content…
Harte continued to write for the next thirty years. His poems and stories for his contract were reportedly not as good as his previous works. On top of that, some stories like “How Santa Claus came to Simpson’s Bar”, was postponed three months due to other stories that came out around the same time.
With the amount of time Harte had, he had gained increasing debt. He had given open lectures to people in order to make a little extra money but people expected a strong-witted man, not the fashion conscious bret Harte that he was. His reputation kept declining, even more so when he took advanced payments for story ideas and taking on other projects. He had worked on a play with Stuart Robson called “Two Men of Sandy Bar” which got bad reviews. Luckily, Harte’s friend, Mark Twain, enjoyed it and wanted to collaborate with him. Together they made a play, “Ah Sin”, a comedy, which got okay reviews.
Harte is still in debt by 1877. He manages to work as an American consulate in Germany. He disliked it and was eventually relocated to Scotland until his time was up with the job. Harte moved to London where he began to write more and more. He stayed in England till his death of throat cancer on May 5,