Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Influences

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, an American novelist, playwright, and poet in the 19th century, has become an American icon through his famous works, serving as a source of reassurance and connection for his readers. Longfellow's childhood consisted of observing the Maine coast and taking in the nature around him. These childhood memories were preserved and relayed in many of Longfellows notorious poems such as “My Lost Youth” and “Dedication”, many of which established him as a fireside poet: one who “wrote about American politics and New England landscapes.” As Longfellow’s family had been extensively involved in the American Revolution, many of his works included themes prevalent in the American Frontier. “Paul Revere’s Ride” for instance, was a poem written after Longfellow had spent a great deal of time learning about the
revolutionary war during the 1860s when the civil war was occuring. (The Old North Church) When he was 14, Longfellow enrolled in Bowdoin College, immersing himself in literary societies that engaged in frequent and enlightening conversations about contemporary and revolutionary writing, encouraging Longfellow to target his aspirations in becoming a writer. Impacted enormously by his literary and self exploration at Bowdoin, Longfellow began to publish.
His output was small, publishing essays and poems to papers such as the United States Literary Gazette and Portland Advisor. (Poetry Foundation) However, these publishings allowed Longfellow to travel across Europe in order to explore literature and language. This trip sparked Longfellows blend of American and European literary elements, setting up many of his future pieces. However, this successful period of Longfellows career would also prove to be one of the most tragic in his personal life. In 1835, Longfellow's wife, Mary Potter, suffered a miscarriage and died. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica) This tragic event was the beginning of the transformation of Longfellow's writing, “awakening a new sense of emotional expression” in his poetic works and allowing him to make an emotional connection with his readers. In 1837, Longfellow was again crushed when Frances Appleton, a young girl who he had met in Switzerland, rejected his marriage proposal. Once more, Longfellow focused on his work, increasingly incorporating emotion into his
poems. It was at this point in his career where Longfellows “sadness empowered him to” spread encouragement through his poems, most notably “A Psalm of Life”, “The Light of Stars”, and others published in Voices of the Night. In 1842, Longfellow traveled to Europe once more. This trip “inspired” poems of justice, such as “Poems on Slavery”, furthering Longfellows status as a fireside poet. By the 1840s, Longfellow had chiseled his craft and found his voice, finding stability in both his career and personal life. After marrying Frances Appleton and having six children with her, Longfellow became more focused on romance and tranquility, writing famous poems such as “To a Child” and “”. Longfellow also found success in writing poems about religion, using his writing to question and address Christianity in a modern society with “The Divine Tragedy.” (The Poetry Foundation) Despite his early success, Longfellow continued to grow as a poet, specifically in his writing of “Evangeline” and “The Song of Hiawatha” as he used heavy elements of heroism and emotion in his work, transforming the meaning that literary art could hold.