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HenryWadsworthLongfellow(1807-1882)•ThemostinfluentialAmericanpoetofhisday.ThePoet•Mostpopularpoetofthe19thcentury•Famousforhislongnarrativepoems(“TheMidnightRideofPaulRevere”,“Hiawatha,”“TheCourtshipofMilesStandish”)•FirstAmericantohavehisbustputinPoet’sCornerWestminsterAbbeyHisLife•BorninPortland,Maine•AttendedBowdoin•Professorofmodernlanguage@Harvard•WenttocollegewithFranklinPierceandNathanielHawthorneTragedy•wife#1(Mary)diedofmiscarriage•wife#2(Fanny)diedinafirefromwhichhetriedtorescueher.•Scarsonhisfacearecoveredbybeardinhislateryears.•Hewrote&translatedsonnetstohelpeasepainofwife’sdeath.DidYouKnow?In1867,HenryWadsworthLongfellowbecamethefirstAmericantocompleteatranslationofDanteAlighieri'sInferno.Heisthebestknownofthefiresidepoet.Heisnowrememberedasthegrayoldpoetof“thechildren’shour”.•Hewasalsoanoutstandingscholarandadistinguishedprofessor.Hewassoreveredthathis75thbirthdaywascelebratedinschoolroomsacrossthecountry.•Whenhedied,amemorialbustwasplacedinthePoet’sCornerofWestminsterAbbeyinEngland.HisistheonlyAmericansohonored.•LongfellowwasthemostwidelyreadpoetintheEnglish-speakingworldformorethan100years,memorizedbymillworkersandroyaltyalike.•GenerationsofchildrenlearnedtoenjoypoetrythroughLongfellow’scarefullycomposedverse.HislifeandhisworksHewasborninPortland,Maine,ofawell-to-doandstronglyFederalistfamily.HewaseducatedinprivateschoolsandatBowdoinCollege.Hisliterarycareerbeganearly.Whenhispoemwaspublishedhewasonly13yearsold.•BirthplaceofHenryWadsworthLongfellow,cornerofForeandHancockStreets,Portland,1896•Longfellow'sfatherwaseagertohavehissonbecomealawyer.•ButwhenHenrywasasenioratBowdoinCollegeat19,thecollegeestablishedachairofmodernlanguages.•Therecentgraduatewasaskedtobecomethefirstprofessor,withtheunderstandingthatheshouldbegivenaperiodoftimeinwhichtotravelandstudyinEurope.After4yearsofstudyinFrance,Spain,Italy,GermanyandEngland.HereturnedtoserveasprofessorofmodernlanguagesatBowdoinCollegefrom1829to1835.Duringthisperiodhetaught,editedtextbooks,andwrotearticlesonEuropeanliterature,whichappearedintheNorthAmericanReviewandotherperiodicals.•During1835and1836hewasinEuropeforthesecondtimetostudyGermanandScandinavianliterature,inpreparationfortheSmithprofessorshipofModernLanguagesatHarvard.•InMayof1826,thefair-hairedyouthwiththeazureblueeyessetoutforEuropetoturnhimselfintoascholarandalinguist.•HehadlettersofintroductiontomenofnoteinEnglandandFrance,buthehadhisownideaofhowtotravel.Betweenconferenceswithimportantpeopleandcoursesintheuniversities,Longfellowwalkedthroughthecountries.•HetravelledinSpain,Italy,France,Germany,andEngland,andreturnedtoAmericain1829.•At22,hewaslaunchedintohiscareerasacollegeprofessor.Hehadtopreparehisowntexts,becauseatthattimenonewereavailable.•Muchtributeisduehimasateacher.JustasheservedAmericainmakingtheworldconsciousofitslegendandtradition,soheopenedtohisstudentsandtotheAmericanpeopletheliteraryheritageofEurope.•HecreatedinthemthenewconsciousnessoftheliteratureofSpain,France,Italy,andespeciallywritingsfromtheGerman,Nordic,andIcelandiccultures.•In1831,hemarriedMaryStorerPotter,whomhehadknownasaschoolmate.WhenhesawheratchurchuponhisreturntoPortland,hewassostruckbyherbeautythathefollowedherhomewithoutcourageenoughtospeaktoher.•Withhiswife,hesettleddowninahousesurroundedbyelmtrees.•HeexpendedhisenergiesontranslationsfromOldWorldliteratureandcontributedtravelsketchestotheNewEnglandMagazine,inadditiontoservingasaprofessorandalibrarianatBowdoin.•In1834,hewasappointedtoaprofessorshipatHarvardandoncemoresetoutforEurope.Thistimehisyoungwifeaccompaniedhim.•Thejourneyendedintragedy.InRotterdam,hiswifedied,andLongfellowcamealonetoCambridgeandthenewprofessorship.•ThelonelyLongfellowtookaroomathistoricCraigieHouse,anoldhouseoverlookingtheCharlesRiver.ItwasownedbyMrs.Craigie,aneccentricwomanwhokeptmuchtoherselfandwassomewhatscornfuloftheyoungmentowhomsheletrooms.•Butshereadwidelyandwell,andherlibrarycontainedcompletesetsofVoltaireandotherFrenchmasters.•Longfellowenteredthebeautifuloldelm-encircledhouseasalodger,notknowingthatthiswastobehishomefortherestofhislife.•SevenyearsafterhecametoCambridge,LongfellowmarriedFrancesAppleton,daughterofNathanAppleton,andCraigieHousewasgiventotheLongfellowsasaweddinggift.•Themarriagewasahappyone,andtheLongfellowhousebecamethecenteroflifeintheUniversitytown.•TheyoungpeopleofCambridgeflockedtheretoplaywiththefiveLongfellowchildren-twoboysandthethreegirls.•Meantime,intheseveninterveningyears,heremainedaratherromanticfigureinCambridge,withhisflowinghairandhisyellowglovesandfloweredwaistcoats.•Heworked,however,withgreatdeterminationandindustry,publishing'Hyperion',aproseromancethatforeshadowed'VoicesoftheNight',hisfirstbookofpoems.•FromhisfriendNathanielHawthorne,Longfellowgotabriefoutlineofastoryfromwhichhecomposedoneofhismostfavoritepoems,Evangeline.•TheoriginalstoryhadEvangelinewanderingaboutNewEnglandinsearchofherbridegroom.LongfellowextendedherjourneythroughLouisianaandthewesternwilderness.ShefindsGabriel,atlast,dyinginPhiladelphia.•In1854,heresignedfromHarvardan