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252:"Plain Language from Truthful James" (or "The Heathen Chinee") was very popular among general readers. One New York newspaper reported on the frenzy over the poem: "Strolling down Broadway... we saw a crowd of men and boys, of high and low degree, swarming about a shop-window, pushing, laughing, and struggling... Elbowing our way through the crowd, we discovered an illustrated copy of Bret Harte's poem 'The Heathen Chinee.'"
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from
California who was "vehemently opposed to the admission of Chinese labour", apparently thanked Harte in writing for supporting his cause. The confusion was furthered by the altered title, which allowed for a more literal reading, and the illustrations in later republications. Harte's poem shaped
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who were "patient under abuse, and that patience, I am ashamed to say, they have to exercise continually in
California". After the discovery of a murdered woman in Chinatown, whose cause of death was uncertain, Harte wrote, "as her head was caved in it is thought by some physicians that she died of
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The poem's popularity came, in part, from the ambiguity over its racial message. The narrator implies that the cheating of the
Chinese man was no worse than that of the white man, but the irony was too subtle for general readers. The message matched one Harte had written elsewhere in exposing white
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and a boom in labor jobs, but relations with
American-born citizens were tense. The more recent economic downturn in California had made tensions even worse. Readers took certain phrases of the poem out of context, including "we are ruined by Chinese cheap labor!", and used the poem to reinforce
311:, "I am not in the imitation business". Harte, in turn, targeted Twain years later in his 1893 story "Ingénue of the Sierras" by creating an unsavory character named "Charley Bing", modeled after Twain. The incident was one of several in a long rivalry between the two authors. In 1898,
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The poem became popular and was frequently republished. To Harte's dismay, however, the poem reinforced racism among his readers instead of challenging it as he intended. Nevertheless, he returned to the character years later. The poem also inspired or influenced several adaptations.
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It inspired a series of west coast songwriters, for example, to produce songs which looked at
Chinese immigrants through negative stereotypes and questioned their place in America. Some used Harte's poem word-for-word. In November 1875, Union Porcelain Works in
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in
December 1870, not long after "Plain Language from Truthful James" first appeared. The poem was widely attributed to Mark Twain and labeled a "feeble imitation" of Harte. Twain angrily denied the charge and demanded a retraction, writing to the editor
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the popular
American conception of the Chinese more than any other writing at the time, and made him the most popular literary figure in America in 1870. The poem was especially relevant to Harte's fame as his other most popular works, "
139:. It appeared there under its original title, "Plain Language from Truthful James" in the September 1870 issue. A Boston newspaper republished the work in 1871 as "The Heathen Chinee" and others have since used that name.
119:, Harte wrote the poem "for his own amusement" and "threw it aside, but being one day suddenly called upon for copy he sent that very piece in." In writing the poem, Harte echoed and, therefore, lampooned
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novel, inspired by a movie studio executive's suggestion, "Incidentally, could you use the Bret Harte—heathen Chinee phrase of 'Ways that are dark' as a possible title for some forthcoming exploits?"
206:
imprint. After the sudden success of "The
Heathen Chinee", Fields rushed to produce a collection of Harte's poetry in time for the Christmas market; its first six editions sold out in five days.
92:. William Nye is a cheater, whom the "childlike" Ah Sin successfully out-cheats. William Nye realizes nothing until it is too late. Upon realizing he was cheated, William Nye attacks Ah Sin.
228:
Near the end of his life, Harte used the characters of both
Truthful James and Ah Sin in his poem "Free Silver at Angel's", a satirical response to the silver plank in the
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announced the release of a pitcher decorated with figures from "The
Heathen Chinee". The title character was depicted with four aces falling from his sleeve.
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people's hypocrisy. As he wrote later, the Chinese "did as the Caucasian did in all respects, and, being more patient and frugal, did it a little better".
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The narrative of the poem focuses on a Chinese immigrant character named Ah Sin who defeats an Irish immigrant named William Nye in a high-stakes game of
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ran a poem making fun of Harte himself, who had moved to Europe in 1871 and never returned, for forgetting what life was like in the west.
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and the periodicals that reprinted it interpreted and embraced the poem as mocking the Chinese. These immigrants had been drawn in by the
260:
96:
213:. The two writers had a rift by February 1877 just before completing a final draft. Twain took over the project and, as he wrote to
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since as early as 1863, both privately and publicly. In 1866, for example, he wrote a letter defending the "peaceable citizens" of
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competing for the same work. He intended for the reader to sympathize with the victim, Ah Sin. However, the predominantly
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Manufacturing the Modern Patron in Victorian California: Cultural Philanthropy, Industrial Capital, and Social Authority
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Manufacturing the Modern Patron in Victorian California: Cultural Philanthropy, Industrial Capital, and Social Authority
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platform. Even so, when asked about the original poem in later years, Harte called the poem "trash", and "the worst
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In this vein, Harte intended "Plain Language from Truthful James" to be a satire of the prevalent prejudice among
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911:#CancelColbert, Meet 'the Heathen Chinee': Stephen Colbert, viral racism and 150 years of not getting the joke
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China and the International System, 1840-1949: Power, Presence, and Perceptions in a Century of Humiliation
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attacked stereotypes about Chinese immigrants and sought to portray white Americans as the true savages.
188:, released in January 1871. Several periodicals and books would republish the poem with illustrations.
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The poem was also frequently parodied. The poem "Three Aces", signed "Carl Byng", was published in the
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The influence continued for decades and spread into other authors' writings. In 1895, for example,
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Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History
331:"The Heathen Chinee", as the poem was most often called, was recited in public among opponents to
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Harte wrote the poem as an afterthought and did not initially intend to publish it. According to
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published her short story "The Ways That Are Dark", quoting a line from the poem. In 1931,
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The Bohemians: Mark Twain and the San Francisco Writers Who Reinvented American Literature
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The Bohemians: Mark Twain and the San Francisco Writers Who Reinvented American Literature
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The Bohemians: Mark Twain and the San Francisco Writers Who Reinvented American Literature
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678:"Ways That Are Dark": Appropriations of Bret Harte's "Plain Language from Truthful James"
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The character of Ah Sin was revived for a theatrical play co-written by Harte and Twain,
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Yellowface: Creating the Chinese in American Popular Music and Performance, 1850–1920s
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Equal Rights and the "Heathen 'Chinee'": Black Activism in San Francisco, 1865-1875
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galloping Christianity of the malignant California type". His 1874 short story
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claimed Harte originally sent it to him to include in his San Francisco-based
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The poem was republished several times within a short period, including in
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their own racism. They sympathized with Ah Sin's attacker, William Nye.
184:(published twice). The poem was also included in a book by Harte titled
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Bret Harte in 1871, about a year after publishing "The Heathen Chinee"
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Heathen Chinee: A Study of American Attitudes Toward China, 1890–1905
135:, but he suggested it was better suited for Harte's own journal, the
439:. University of North Carolina at Pembroke. URL accessed 2006-12-12.
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23:"Plain Language from Truthful James", as it first appeared in the
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considered the same quote from the poem as a title for his sixth
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47:. It was published for the first time in September 1870 in the
472:. New Approaches to International History series. London, UK:
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843:. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005: 38–40.
823:. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000: 183–184.
575:. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2008: 60–61.
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I ever wrote, possibly the worst poem anyone ever wrote."
743:. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2014: 201.
700:. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2014: 200.
352:", were originally published without the author's name.
863:. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989: 183.
803:. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000: 201.
763:. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000: 200.
655:. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000: 214.
615:. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000: 127.
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Harte's narrative presented a fictionalized account of
503:. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000: 52.
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and intended his readers to sympathize with Ah Sin.
883:. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010: 131.
470:
The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History
906:" with illustrations by S. Eytinge and Joseph Hull
415:. University of Virginia. URL accessed 2006-12-12.
413:West Meets East: Depicting the Chinese, 1860–1873
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948:, Vol. 11, No. 1 (January 1980), pp. 57–68.
928:, Vol. 11, No. 4 (March 1957), pp. 241–260.
1021:" ("Plain Language from Truthful James") (1870)
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195:had published a collection of Harte's stories,
1326:Works originally published in Overland Monthly
821:Bret Harte: Opening the American Literary West
801:Bret Harte: Opening the American Literary West
761:Bret Harte: Opening the American Literary West
684:, Vol. 51, No. 3 (December 1996), pp. 377–399.
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653:Bret Harte: Opening the American Literary West
635:. University Press of Mississippi, 2000: 158.
613:Bret Harte: Opening the American Literary West
501:Bret Harte: Opening the American Literary West
437:All American: Literature, History, and Culture
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424:Henderson, Victoria. Mark Canada, editor. "
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595:. New York: The Penguin Press, 2014: 241.
555:. New York: The Penguin Press, 2014: 188.
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861:American Porcelain, 1770-1920
859:Frelinghuysen, Alice Cooney.
682:Nineteenth-Century Literature
633:Bret Harte: Prince and Pauper
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259:Harte had repeatedly opposed
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35:", originally published as "
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1077:The White Rose of the Wilds
409:Harte: "The Heathen Chinee"
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1269:The Outcasts of Poker Flat
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1181:The Outcasts of Poker Flat
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1005:The Outcasts of Poker Flat
926:Nineteenth-Century Fiction
350:The Outcasts of Poker Flat
121:Algernon Charles Swinburne
59:Algernon Charles Swinburne
1149:The Dawn of Understanding
1093:In the Aisles of the Wild
1053:The Red Man and the Child
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204:Fields, Osgood, & Co.
163:Boston Evening Transcript
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1117:The Lily of Poverty Flat
1069:The Luck of Roaring Camp
998:The Luck of Roaring Camp
346:The Luck of Roaring Camp
327:"Heathen Chinee" pitcher
198:The Luck of Roaring Camp
924:" by Margaret Duckett,
468:Crean, Jeffrey (2024).
1285:Four of the Apocalypse
1221:The Man from Red Gulch
1061:The Last Drop of Water
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261:anti-Chinese sentiment
249:
123:'s 1865 verse tragedy
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70:anti-Chinese sentiment
53:. It was written as a
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1331:Asian-American issues
1189:The Girl Who Ran Wild
1173:The Gray Wolf's Ghost
935:" by Robert McClellan
426:Bret Harte, 1836–1902
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309:Thomas Bailey Aldrich
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181:Saturday Evening Post
145:New York Evening Post
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313:The Overland Monthly
296:California Gold Rush
215:William Dean Howells
97:anti-Chinese attacks
1293:Armed and Dangerous
1277:Tennessee's Partner
1213:The Golden Princess
1205:The Flaming Forties
1133:Tennessee's Pardner
1045:The Heart of O'Yama
1012:Tennessee's Partner
819:Scharnhorst, Gary.
799:Scharnhorst, Gary.
759:Scharnhorst, Gary.
676:Scharnhorst, Gary.
651:Scharnhorst, Gary.
611:Scharnhorst, Gary.
499:Scharnhorst, Gary.
474:Bloomsbury Academic
333:Chinese immigration
125:Atalanta in Calydon
63:Atalanta in Calydon
43:by American writer
1019:The Heathen Chinee
913:" by Ben Tarnoff,
781:Mark Twain: A Life
528:Mark Twain: A Life
431:2006-12-14 at the
407:Railton, Stephen.
382:Ways That Are Dark
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290:readership of the
281:Chinese immigrants
270:Wan Lee, the Pagan
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225:, on May 7, 1877.
200:and Other Sketches
169:Providence Journal
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33:The Heathen Chinee
29:
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889:978-0-393-06962-4
839:Moon, Krystyn R.
789:978-0-7432-4899-0
726:978-1-59420-473-9
601:978-1-59420-473-9
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561:978-1-59420-473-9
536:978-0-7432-4899-0
483:978-1-350-23394-2
369:Earl Derr Biggers
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137:Overland Monthly
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27:, September 1870
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72:in northern
65:(1865), and
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1197:Salomy Jane
1109:Salomy Jane
739:Ott, John.
696:Ott, John.
358:Long Island
133:News Letter
1316:1870 poems
1310:Categories
1101:Golddigger
983:Bret Harte
389:References
117:Mark Twain
74:California
45:Bret Harte
1237:Wild Girl
319:Influence
67:satirized
1014:" (1869)
1007:" (1869)
1000:" (1868)
915:Politico
429:Archived
292:Overland
240:Response
84:Overview
39:", is a
348:" and "
341:Senator
1296:(1977)
1288:(1975)
1280:(1955)
1272:(1952)
1264:(1937)
1256:(1937)
1248:(1936)
1245:M'Liss
1240:(1932)
1232:(1928)
1224:(1925)
1216:(1925)
1208:(1924)
1200:(1923)
1192:(1922)
1184:(1919)
1176:(1919)
1168:(1919)
1160:(1918)
1157:M'Liss
1152:(1918)
1144:(1916)
1136:(1916)
1128:(1916)
1120:(1915)
1112:(1914)
1104:(1914)
1096:(1912)
1088:(1912)
1080:(1911)
1072:(1911)
1064:(1911)
1056:(1908)
1048:(1908)
1029:(1875)
887:
867:
847:
827:
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480:
335:, and
211:Ah Sin
178:, and
90:euchre
55:parody
990:Works
285:white
277:Irish
186:Poems
885:ISBN
865:ISBN
845:ISBN
825:ISBN
805:ISBN
785:ISBN
765:ISBN
745:ISBN
722:ISBN
702:ISBN
657:ISBN
637:ISBN
617:ISBN
597:ISBN
577:ISBN
557:ISBN
532:ISBN
505:ISBN
478:ISBN
339:, a
234:poem
16:Poem
435:".
221:in
61:'s
57:of
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732:^
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127:.
76:.
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961:v
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31:"
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