The Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In his lifetime Longfellow was recognized as one of the America's great poets, though he became temporarily less fashionable after his death. A great admirer of the European tradition, he contributed greatly to the American intellectual life against the contemporary grain of isolationalism.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Classics

912 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1882

About the author

Extremely popular works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet, in the United States in his lifetime, include The Song of Hiawatha in 1855 and a translation from 1865 to 1867 of Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow educated. His originally wrote the "Paul Revere's Ride" and "Evangeline." From New England, he first completed work of the fireside.

Bowdoin College graduated Longefellow, who served as a professor, afterward studied in Europe, and later moved at Harvard. After a miscarriage, Mary Potter Longfellow, his first wife, died in 1835. He first collected Voices of the Night (1839) and Ballads and Other Poems (1841).

From teaching, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow retired in 1854 to focus on his writing in the headquarters of of George Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the Revolutionary War for the remainder.

Dress of Frances Appleton Longfellow, his second wife, caught fire; she then sustained burns and afterward died in 1861. After her death, Longfellow had difficulty writing and focused on from foreign languages.

Longfellow wrote musicality of many known lyrics and often presented stories of mythology and legend. He succeeded most overseas of his day. He imitated European styles and wrote too sentimentally for critics.

Reviews

[Descending Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with this one, because it's poetry and because it's 848 pages, where every page is completely filled with text, poems, sonnets, plays, you get your money's worth with this collection. It's hard too give highlights because there is so much going on, but here's some. Highlights ~ "A Psalm of Life" "The Light of Stars" "Burial of the Minnisink" "The Lunatic Girl" "The Village Blacksmith" "The Rainy Day" "The Cross of Snow" "Evangeline" "The Song of Hiawatha" "The Ladder of St. Augustine" "Tales of a Wayside Inn" "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls" and "The Bells of San Blas".

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this intimidating tome from the library knowing that I would have to send it back months before I could ever read it in its entirety. However, I gave it my best shot, did much preliminary skimming, and left certain sections largely untouched while I greatly enjoyed others. I discovered many new favorite poems, and had the pleasure of recognizing several I had read during my youth.

I love Longfellow's poetry; he was a masterful writer whose vivid thoughts and observations came alongside deeply moving emotion. Many of his verses and songs were a joy to read and ponder; the words were sweet to whisper because they sounded so pretty.

It's not likely that I'll again pick up an enormous volume of a poet's complete works; I henceforth shall be content to tackle a "favorite" or "selected" edition of verses of any given poet. I'm sure I'll prefer the luxury of savoring the beautiful words slowly over rushing through a giant book so I can get it back to the library on time!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Longfellow! One of my most favorites.