[KS] Percival Lowell

[Robert Provine]

Dear Frank and Robert N:

Fascinating! Thanks for putting your computer to a useful task! Did the 
comparison include the writing in Lowell's Atlantic article and the 
Haddo Lippincott article? Lowell's writing varied quite considerably in 
nature, and the Morning Calm book seems quite different from the 
Lippincott piece.

Griffis is an interesting candidate for being Haddo - looks at a glance 
as though he was in the USA at the same time as Sô Kwangbôm, whom he had 
met in 1883 in New York, and could have been in touch with him in the 
1890s when Sô was in the USA.

Robert - given the political circumstances at the time in Korea, with 
factions up and down in power, Griffis (and Lowell, for that matter) 
might have wanted to dissociate their real names from the Haddo writings 
in order not to compromise any friends in Korea. That said, I know 
nothing of Griffis's political affiliations or views; haven't yet read 
the book.

Cheers,

Rob


On 8/4/2015 0:04, Frank Hoffmann wrote:
> Again Percival Lowell / Haddo Gordon:
>
> Dear Rob:
>
> Okay now, my computer had some fun on his own over dinner, and he sends
> his greetings.
> It compared about 10,000 English language documents of the 19th century
> on Korea for phrase and wording similarities, and now he now wants to
> convince me that Haddo Gordon is not Percival Lowell but William Elliot
> Griffis (OR someone imitating Griffis' writing -- which is well
> possible in this particular case). Griffis as the real author should
> not really come as a surprise either, or does it?
>
> Griffis was the only one that comes close to that _Lippincott's Monthly
> Magazine_ text. Phrases such as Party of "Young Corea," names like
> "Tai-Wen Kun," references such as 'Jewish merchant ernest Oppert" or
> "Dutch Jew Oppert" or the "vassalage of Corea" etc., in addition to
> lots of other details and an emphasis on Christian themes -- none of
> which points to Lowell but all is typical for Griffis' various writings.
>
>
> Best,
> Frank
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------
> Frank Hoffmann
> http://koreanstudies.com
>
>
>