The Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
by
Christian Gebhardt
One who deals with the life and works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), soon discovers some interesting facts: not only that Longfellow was one of the first and most famous American poets - but a man with many interests, an educator and pioneer. He was one of the first American writers who wrote about native themes (e. g. The Song of Hiawatha in 1855) or slavery ('Poems on Slavery' in 1842). Beside being a poet, he was also Professor of Modern Languages and due to this profession he traveled a lot through Europe to study languages.
Longfellow's works, especially his poems, were very polpular in his time and are still today: "Many of his lines are as familiar to us as rhymes from Mother Goose or the words of nursery songs learned in early childhood. Like these rhymes and melodies, they remain in the memory and accompany us through life" (Roberto Rabe, Auburn University).
Henry W. Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine. He was the second son of Stephen and Zilpha Wadsworth Longfellow. At the age of only three years he was sent to school, and he did well. The fact that Portland was a seaport with many travellers, especially from Europe, certainly made it very interesting place for a little boy to grow up. Already in his very first years the young Longfellow had contact with poetry, when his mother read aloud to her children. He also read a lot himself, and among his favorite books were Cervantes' Don Quixote and The Sketch Book by Washington Irving.
In 1821, he passed the Bowdoin College entrance examinations, together with his older brother Stephen and studied at Portland Academy till 1822. Then he entered Bowdoin College and graduated three years later. A chair of modern languages was established at Bowdoin, and he was asked to become the first professor. Although his father wanted him to become a lawyer as hisself [sic], he accepted.
In the following years, from 1826 to 1829, he travelled through Europe, studying in France, Spain, Italy and Germany to prepare for his professorship at Bowdoin. It is said that he liked to travel through the country and talk to peasents [sic] and farmers. When he returned to Bowdoin in 1829, he had to prepare and translate his own texts for his students, because none were available yet.
In 1831, Henry W. Longfellow married Mary Storer Potter. He settled down, and in addition to his proffessorship [sic] at Bowdoin he concentrated on translations of Old World literature.
Four years later, in 1835, he accepted a Smith Professorship of Modern Languages and Belles-Lettres at Harvard. To prepare for this new challenge, he sets of to Europe once more, together with his wife. But Mary Potter got ill on the Swedish and Danish travels, and the journey ended in tragedy when she died in Rotterdam. The grieved Henry Longfellow returned alone and started his new professorship. He left his house and took a room at the historic Craigie House.
In the following years, he concentrated on his Harvard duties, where he appeared as "a rather romantic figure [...], with his flowing hair and his yellow gloves and flowered waistcoats" (Rabe), and starts to publish his first collections of poetry and prose. In one of these works, 'Hyperion', his love for Frances Appleton is foreshadowed. She was the daughter of Nathan Appletown, the owner of the Craigie House. In 1842, he spent several months in Europe for his health, and it was in this time he formed a friendship with Ferdinand Freiligrath, a German poet, who later on translated some of Longfellow's poems into German.
When Henry returned in 1843, he married Frances Appleton and the Craigie House was given to the Longfellow's as a wedding gift by Nathan Appleton. The Longfellows had four children, two boys and two girls (the third daugther [sic] died as an infant), and the "house became the center of life in the University town" (Rabe). In the following years, Henry W. Longfellow wrote various tales and poems. His father died in 1849, his brother Stephen in 1850 and one year later, in 1851, his mother.
In 1854, he resigned his Harvard professorship and started to work on Hiawatha, which was published one year later. This long poem was his greatest success until then, and he was very pleased with the reception of his work, for it was the "first time in American literature that Indian themes gained recognition as sources of imagination, power and originality" (Rabe).
The year after, in 1856, Longfellow planned to travel to Europe once again, this time together with his family, but an injury to his knee prevented him from this journey. In 1857 he became a member of the 'Saturday Club', a group of poets that met once a month. He also published further poems in 1858.
1861 was a year of tragedy for Henry W. Longfellow. His wife Fanny died of burns she received in an accident in the household when her dress caught fire. Henry tried to save her and received burns himself, but it was too late and she died the next morning. His burns were so severe that he was unable to attend her funeral. Her burial took place at Mount Auburn on the anniversary of her wedding day. Longfellow was reported to have never been the same again as before. Her death, the secession of the South, and huge numbers on the casualty lists, depressed him profoundly. In the following years, he found some compensation in translating Dante into English and writing new tales and poems. He even founded the Dante Club in 1865.
From 1868 to 1869, Longfellow made his last visits to Europe together with some members of his family, where he was given the honorary doctor degree at the great universities of Oxford and Cambridge. He was also invited to Windsor by Queen Victoria (who was very impressed, as it is reported), met with the Prince of Wales and was chosen a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and of the Spanish Academy.
In the last years of his life, he wrote a large amount of poems, tales and translations, especially Dante's Divine Comedy. He was very popular by that time, and his birthday in 1880 was widely celebrated in the public schools. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow died on March 24 in 1882 in Cambridge. In 1883, one more work was published posthumously, and in 1884 he was honored with the unveiling of a bust in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow leaves a great number of poems, tales and translations. There are two reasons for the popularity and significance of Longfellow's poetry. First, he had the gift of easy rhyme. He wrote poetry as a bird sings, with natural grace and melody.
Second, technically speaking, Longfellow had never been content to limit himself to a narrow range of inherited metrical and stanzaic forms: he had experimented with hexameters, with free verse, with the Hiawatha line, and he continued now, unobtrusively, to explore the expressive possibilities of unhackneyed [sic] meters and stanzas.
Copyright 1997. Used by permit.
Despite the obvious spelling issues of thinking in German but writing in English, the above account is succinct and accurate [GT].
A detailed critical analysis can be found the Poetry Foundation Website.
by
Christian Gebhardt
One who deals with the life and works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), soon discovers some interesting facts: not only that Longfellow was one of the first and most famous American poets - but a man with many interests, an educator and pioneer. He was one of the first American writers who wrote about native themes (e. g. The Song of Hiawatha in 1855) or slavery ('Poems on Slavery' in 1842). Beside being a poet, he was also Professor of Modern Languages and due to this profession he traveled a lot through Europe to study languages.
Longfellow's works, especially his poems, were very polpular in his time and are still today: "Many of his lines are as familiar to us as rhymes from Mother Goose or the words of nursery songs learned in early childhood. Like these rhymes and melodies, they remain in the memory and accompany us through life" (Roberto Rabe, Auburn University).
Henry W. Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine. He was the second son of Stephen and Zilpha Wadsworth Longfellow. At the age of only three years he was sent to school, and he did well. The fact that Portland was a seaport with many travellers, especially from Europe, certainly made it very interesting place for a little boy to grow up. Already in his very first years the young Longfellow had contact with poetry, when his mother read aloud to her children. He also read a lot himself, and among his favorite books were Cervantes' Don Quixote and The Sketch Book by Washington Irving.
In 1821, he passed the Bowdoin College entrance examinations, together with his older brother Stephen and studied at Portland Academy till 1822. Then he entered Bowdoin College and graduated three years later. A chair of modern languages was established at Bowdoin, and he was asked to become the first professor. Although his father wanted him to become a lawyer as hisself [sic], he accepted.
In the following years, from 1826 to 1829, he travelled through Europe, studying in France, Spain, Italy and Germany to prepare for his professorship at Bowdoin. It is said that he liked to travel through the country and talk to peasents [sic] and farmers. When he returned to Bowdoin in 1829, he had to prepare and translate his own texts for his students, because none were available yet.
In 1831, Henry W. Longfellow married Mary Storer Potter. He settled down, and in addition to his proffessorship [sic] at Bowdoin he concentrated on translations of Old World literature.
Four years later, in 1835, he accepted a Smith Professorship of Modern Languages and Belles-Lettres at Harvard. To prepare for this new challenge, he sets of to Europe once more, together with his wife. But Mary Potter got ill on the Swedish and Danish travels, and the journey ended in tragedy when she died in Rotterdam. The grieved Henry Longfellow returned alone and started his new professorship. He left his house and took a room at the historic Craigie House.
In the following years, he concentrated on his Harvard duties, where he appeared as "a rather romantic figure [...], with his flowing hair and his yellow gloves and flowered waistcoats" (Rabe), and starts to publish his first collections of poetry and prose. In one of these works, 'Hyperion', his love for Frances Appleton is foreshadowed. She was the daughter of Nathan Appletown, the owner of the Craigie House. In 1842, he spent several months in Europe for his health, and it was in this time he formed a friendship with Ferdinand Freiligrath, a German poet, who later on translated some of Longfellow's poems into German.
When Henry returned in 1843, he married Frances Appleton and the Craigie House was given to the Longfellow's as a wedding gift by Nathan Appleton. The Longfellows had four children, two boys and two girls (the third daugther [sic] died as an infant), and the "house became the center of life in the University town" (Rabe). In the following years, Henry W. Longfellow wrote various tales and poems. His father died in 1849, his brother Stephen in 1850 and one year later, in 1851, his mother.
In 1854, he resigned his Harvard professorship and started to work on Hiawatha, which was published one year later. This long poem was his greatest success until then, and he was very pleased with the reception of his work, for it was the "first time in American literature that Indian themes gained recognition as sources of imagination, power and originality" (Rabe).
The year after, in 1856, Longfellow planned to travel to Europe once again, this time together with his family, but an injury to his knee prevented him from this journey. In 1857 he became a member of the 'Saturday Club', a group of poets that met once a month. He also published further poems in 1858.
1861 was a year of tragedy for Henry W. Longfellow. His wife Fanny died of burns she received in an accident in the household when her dress caught fire. Henry tried to save her and received burns himself, but it was too late and she died the next morning. His burns were so severe that he was unable to attend her funeral. Her burial took place at Mount Auburn on the anniversary of her wedding day. Longfellow was reported to have never been the same again as before. Her death, the secession of the South, and huge numbers on the casualty lists, depressed him profoundly. In the following years, he found some compensation in translating Dante into English and writing new tales and poems. He even founded the Dante Club in 1865.
From 1868 to 1869, Longfellow made his last visits to Europe together with some members of his family, where he was given the honorary doctor degree at the great universities of Oxford and Cambridge. He was also invited to Windsor by Queen Victoria (who was very impressed, as it is reported), met with the Prince of Wales and was chosen a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and of the Spanish Academy.
In the last years of his life, he wrote a large amount of poems, tales and translations, especially Dante's Divine Comedy. He was very popular by that time, and his birthday in 1880 was widely celebrated in the public schools. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow died on March 24 in 1882 in Cambridge. In 1883, one more work was published posthumously, and in 1884 he was honored with the unveiling of a bust in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow leaves a great number of poems, tales and translations. There are two reasons for the popularity and significance of Longfellow's poetry. First, he had the gift of easy rhyme. He wrote poetry as a bird sings, with natural grace and melody.
Second, technically speaking, Longfellow had never been content to limit himself to a narrow range of inherited metrical and stanzaic forms: he had experimented with hexameters, with free verse, with the Hiawatha line, and he continued now, unobtrusively, to explore the expressive possibilities of unhackneyed [sic] meters and stanzas.
Copyright 1997. Used by permit.
Despite the obvious spelling issues of thinking in German but writing in English, the above account is succinct and accurate [GT].
A detailed critical analysis can be found the Poetry Foundation Website.
Longfellow himself and his poems were viciously attacked by Modernist poets of the early 20th century: Longfellow for not being socialist; his poems being metrical; subjects tended to be non-political and targeting the middle class rather than the intellectual elite. A recent defense of Longfellow and his works is now available at The National Park Service. The essay by Mathew Gartner argues that a re-evaluations of Longfellow's life and works by contemporary readers, scholars, and poets are taking place and counters the positions of Modernist and Post-Modernist scholars and poets.
Click below to read the essay at The National Park Service.
Click below to read the essay at The National Park Service.
