Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poems and Other Writings

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was the most widely read and admired American author of the 19th century. His books were extraordinarily popular during their time and were well-known both domestically and overseas. For the first time in more than 25 years right now. Americas greatest popular poet is fully portrayed in Poems and Other Works. These poems helped to shape American mythology: The characters and phrases from verses like A Psalm of Life and The Childrens Hour which have influenced culture include Evangeline in the prehistoric forest Hiawatha by the shores of Gitchee Gumee the midnight ride of Paul Revere the Hesperus disaster the village blacksmith beneath the spreading chestnut tree the strange courtship of Miles Standish the young girl Priscilla and the hesitant John Alden. Longfellow was a multilingual scholar who was continually attracted by the legends and historical oddities. His numerous poems on literary themes which include heartfelt odes to Dante and Chaucer verse translations of works by Michelangelo Lope de Vega and Heinrich Heine and his ambitious verse dramas are notable for their scope and ambition especially The New England Tragedies (also full). This volumes unique feature is the publication of Longfellows book Kavanagh a study of small-town life and creative aspiration that Emerson hailed as a significant contribution to the growth of American fiction. The anthology is completed with a number of essays which attest to Longfellows interest in forging an American national literature.