Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Summary

Biography EssayDuring his lifetime and for some years after his death, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was by far the most popular and widely read American poet in the world. Although his reputation today ... Read more

During his lifetime and for some years after his death, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was by far the most popular and widely read American poet in the world. Although his reputation today is greatly di... Read more

By far the most widely known and best-loved American poet of his time, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow achieved a level of national and international prominence possibly unequaled in the literary history o... Read more

In the following essay, originally published as a review of Sir Philip Sidney's “The Defence of Poetry” in North American Review, Vol. XXXIV, in 1832, Longfellow discusses the rol... Read more

In the following negative review of Newton Arvin's critical biography of Longfellow, Bewley asserts that “there is no important nineteenth century American poet who has written so little... Read more

In the following essay, Williams examines the scope of Longfellow's work, focusing on his lesser-known ballads, sonnets, odes, and elegies. The land of Song within thee lies,   &#... Read more

In the following essay, Elliot compares the work of Longfellow to that of Walt Whitman, maintaining that the two poets are complementary and instrumental to the development of an American poetic. Ther... Read more

In the following essay, Littlefield justifies the popularity of Longfellow's “A Psalm of Life” in light of critical derision and compares the poem to Benjamin Franklin's &#... Read more

In the following essay, Justus places Longfellow in context with other Fireside Poets such as William Cullen Bryant, James Russell Lowell, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. When Robe... Read more

In the following essay, the anonymous reviewer praises the scope of Longfellow's work and contends that “it is yet too soon to measure the whole obligation of American letters to him, an... Read more

In the following essay, Saintsbury counters the critical backlash against Longfellow's verse. When the news of Longfellow's death reached London, nearly a quarter of a century ago, the e... Read more