Who were the Fireside/Schoolhouse poets?

What distinguished their work from other American romantics?

How did their work reflect romanticism?

Who were key figures in this group?

What were their major works?

Why are they still relevant today?

Who?

• Group of New England poets • “schoolhouse” poets refers to

privileged backgrounds and college education

• Wrote poems that were easy to memorize and recite

Who were the key figures?

• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow• William Cullen Bryant• John Greenleaf Whittier• James Russell Lowell• Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow• Born- Portland, Maine 1807• Death-1882• He was a traveler, linguist, and romantic• Created myths from American historical events in

his poems• Wrote “The Song of Hiawatha” and “Paul Revere’s

Ride.”• Translator and scholar in several languages• In the 1870s school children celebrated his

birthday like a national holiday -(“The Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow”)

William Cullen Bryant• Born- Hampshire County, Massachusetts on November 3,

1794 • Died- New York, June 12, 1878• Came from cultured family- ancestors came over in the

Mayflower• Began writing at 10• At age 13 wrote- “ The Embargo” and “The Spanish

Revolution”• 1812 wrote “An Ode to the Fourth of July” • Age 18 wrote “Thanatopsis” • 1834- traveled to France, Italy, and Germany• 1849- Traveled to Egypt and Syria• His poetry is filled with “religion of the woods.”

-(Biography of William Cullen Bryant )

John Greenleaf Whittier

• Born- December 17, 1807 in Haverhill, MA

• Died- September 7, 1892• First poem in print- 1826 in the

Newburyport Free Press • Abolitionist• Wrote for the Atlantic Monthly• Wrote “Snow-Bound” in 1866

-(Curtis, Howard W.)

James Russell Lowell

• Born- 1819• Died-1891• Abolitionist • Wrote for the Atlantic Monthly• Wrote- “The Vision of Sir Launfal” in

1848– Often used in school text– One of the key American Arthurian Texts

-(L., A. C.)

Oliver Wendell Holmes• Born- August 29, 1809• Died- October 7, 1894• Graduated from Harvard University and studied

law• Then got a degree in medicine form Cambridge in

1836• Poems are serious, elegant, and in good cheer• Wrote- “The Last Leaf” and “The Autocrat of the

Breakfast Table” followed by “The Professor at the Breakfast Table” and “The Poet at the Breakfast Table”

• Wrote with mirth• Wrote “Old Ironsides” about a ship that was about

to be abandoned• Wrote war lyrics during the Civil War

-("Oliver Wendell Holmes." )

What distinguished their work from other American romantics?

First American poets to rival British poets for popularity

Wrote with rhyme and metrical cadences Poems easy to memorize and recite Poems referenced American legends,

scenes from American home life, and current politics as the subjects

Recited at school or alongside a fire

(“A Brief Guide to the Fireside Poets”)

How did their work reflect romanticism?

• Wrote about nature• Associated being in the country with

independence, moral clarity, and purity• Incorporated American legends into poems

which was valued in the Romantic Era• Explored the vast, unknown American

lands in poems• Proved that American poetry could hold

American subjects but still have conventional style

• Wanted to prove that they were as intelligent as the British

(“American Romanticism”)

Major Works

• Hiawatha by Longfellow• Evangeline by Longfellow• Snow-Bound by Whittier• Old Iron Sides by Holmes• Vision of Sir Launfal by Lowell• Thanatopsis by Bryant• Paul Revere’s Ride by Longfellow

Lasting Impact

Most popular poets of their time Longfellow was the most known

Honored with bust in West Minster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner Wrote about abolition of slavery, which brought the

issues to the public’s attention Paved the way for Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry

David Thoreau and Walt Whitman (The Fireside Poets)

Poems are still taught in school today Thanatopsis, The Vision of Sir Launfal

Sources “American Romanticism.” WiZiQeducation.online. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr.

2010. <http://www.wiziq.com/ tutorial/ 235-American-Romanticism>. “Biography of William Cullen Bryant.” Great Authors of 19th Century

Literature. LoveToKnow Corp., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.2020site.org/ literature/ william_bryant.html>.

“A Brief Guide to the Fireside Poets.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <http://www.poets.org/ viewmedia.php/ prmMID/ 5654>.

Curtis, Howard W. “John Greenleaf Whittier a Brief Biography.” Welcome to the Haverhill Library. Haverhill Public Library, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.haverhillpl.org/ Departments/ special/ jgwhittier.html>.

“The Fireside Poets: America’s First Literary Stars.” The Fireside Poets. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <http://www.huffenglish.com/ powerpoints/ The%20Fireside%20Poets.ppt.>.

L., A. C. “James Russell Lowell.” James Russell Lowell. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.lib.rochester.edu/ Camelot/ auth/ lowell.htm>.

“Oliver Wendell Holmes.” 19th Century Poets. LoveToKnow Corp., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http:///www.2020site.org/ poetry/ owh.html>.

“The Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Maine Historical Society, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. <http://www.hwlongfellow.org/>.