Beyond Romanticism: Tuckerman's Life and Poetry

by Eugene England

This biography of American poet Frederick Goddard Tuckerman focuses on his development as both a "Romantic," whose work was influenced by Keats, Emerson, and Tennyson, and as an "anti-Romantic," in the mold of Hawthorne, Melville, and Dickinson. Using previously unexamined letters, family records, and notes by Tuckerman, Eugene England traces the poet's unique combination of Anglican rationalism, legal training, and skill in natural observation (under the tutelage of his brother Edward, a noted botanist), all of which caused him to depart from the orthodox Emersonian Romanticism in unusual and instructive ways. England examines Tuckerman's challenging resolution to basic aesthetic and epistemological dilemmas posed by Romanticism and demonstrates that his poems are a first-rate artistic achievement of continuing value. Beyond Romanticism includes a general bibliography as well as a complete bibliography of Tuckerman's writings and works about him and his poetry.

314 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

A remarkable teacher, writer, and human being, Eugene England (1933-2001) profoundly influenced thousands of students, readers, and colleagues. A tireless advocate of what he called “great books and true religion,” he co-founded Dialogue, the first independent Mormon scholarly journal, and the Association for Mormon Letters. His thought-provoking personal essays explored the issues of belief, peace, poverty, race, gender, academic freedom and community. An eternal optimist, he encouraged dialogue between conservatives and liberals, skeptics and believers, traditionalists and postmodernists during the decades-long culture wars. England’s life and work reveal a faithful scholar and loyal critic who followed the admonition of Apostle Paul: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”