In an essay, D. H. Lawrence blamed this character and his “tags” for setting up a “barbed wire moral enclosure” that took Lawrence years to get out of. This character’s name is thought to be inspired by the creator of Cardanus Rider, who narrates a work titled British Merlin. This character was wont to place blame on his “printer” and his wife Bridget in works addressed to the “Courteous Reader.” In a stunt inspired by Jonathan Swift’s (*) Isaac Bickerstaff, this character falsely predicted the death of his contemporary Titan Leeds. This character hears Father Abraham repeat many of his words in “The Way to Wealth,” an essay prepended to the 1757 edition of a publication in which he popularized proverbs such as “God helps those who help themselves.” For 10 points, name this fictional author of an almanac actually written by Benjamin Franklin. ■END■
ANSWER: Poor Richard [or Richard Saunders; accept Poor Richard’s Almanac; prompt on Benjamin Franklin or Ben Franklin before mention by asking “what persona was the author writing as?”] (Lawrence’s essay is “Benjamin Franklin” from Studies in Classic American Literature. Cardanus Rider is a near-anagram of Richard Saunders. Poor Richard’s “printer” was, of course, Ben Franklin.)
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= Average correct buzz position