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Hyperion (Longfellow novel)

December 15, 2023

This article is about the 1836 novel by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. For other novels of the same title, see Hyperion (disambiguation) § In literature.

Hyperion: A Romance is one of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's earliest works, published in 1839. It is a prose romance which was published alongside his first volume of poems, Voices of the Night.

Paul Flemming, main character of Hyperion

Overview edit

Hyperion follows a young American protagonist named Paul Flemming as he travels through Germany. The character's wandering is partially inspired by the death of a friend. The author had also recently lost someone close to him. Longfellow's first wife, Mary Storer Potter, died in Rotterdam in the Netherlands after a miscarriage in 1836; Longfellow was deeply saddened by her death and noted in his diary: "All day I am weary and sad ... and at night I cry myself to sleep like a child."[1]

Hyperion was inspired in part by his trips to Europe[2] as well as his then-unsuccessful courtship of Frances Appleton, daughter of businessman Nathan Appleton.[3] In the book, Flemming falls in love with an Englishwoman, Mary Ashburton, who rejects him.[4]

Publication history edit

Longfellow's first prose work, Outre-Mer (1835), was met with an indifferent reception. Its lackluster performance as well as Longfellow's commitments to his Harvard College professorship prevented him from producing significant literary works for a time until his poem "A Psalm of Life" and Hyperion.[5] The novel was published in 1839 by Samuel Coleman, who would also publish Voices of the Night, though he went bankrupt shortly after. Longfellow was paid $375 for it and was optimistic. As he wrote to his father: "As to success, I am very sanguine... it will take a great deal of persuasion to convince me that the book is not good."[6]

As Longfellow's fame increased over time, so did interest in his early work. By 1857, he calculated Hyperion had sold 14,550 copies.[7]

Critical response edit

 
Hyperion was partly inspired by Longfellow's pursuit of Frances Appleton. She did not agree to marry him until 1843.

The initial publication of Hyperion met with lukewarm or hostile critical response. Its publication was overshadowed by Longfellow's first poetry collection, Voices of the Night, which was published five months later.[8] Critic Edgar Allan Poe briefly reviewed Hyperion in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine in October 1839 and concluded the book was "without design, without shape, without beginning, middle, or end... what earthly object has his book accomplished? — what definite impression has it left?"[9] In 1899, composer Edward Elgar sent a copy of the book to his Austrian colleague Hans Richter, noting it as "the little book ... from which I, as a child, received my first idea of the great German nations".[10] 20th-century literary scholar Edward Wagenknecht referred to Hyperion as a "disorganized Jean-Paul Richter kind of romance".[11]

The thinly veiled autobiographical elements of Hyperion did not go unnoticed; Frances Appleton was aware that she was the basis for the Mary character. Embarrassed by this, as biographer Charles Calhoun writes, she "displayed a new degree of frostiness toward her hapless suitor."[4] After receiving a copy as a gift from the author, she wrote in a letter: "There are really some exquisite things in this book, though it is desultory, objectless, a thing of shreds and patches like the author’s mind... The hero is evidently himself, and... the heroine is wooed (like some persons I know have been) by the reading of German ballads in her unwilling ears. "[12] Longfellow himself admitted the deliberate resemblance in a letter: "The feelings of the book are true; the events of the story mostly fictitious. The heroine, of course, bears a resemblance to the lady, without being an exact portrait."[13]

It was not until May 10, 1843, seven years after his wooing began, that Frances Appleton wrote a letter agreeing to marry. After receiving the letter, Longfellow was too restless to take a carriage and instead walked 90 minutes to her house.[14] They were married shortly thereafter. Nathan Appleton bought the former Craigie House as a wedding present to the pair and Longfellow lived there for the rest of his life.[15]

Analysis edit

Through the character of Paul Flemming, Longfellow airs his own aesthetic beliefs. In his dialogue, Flemming provides quips like "The artist shows his character in the choice of his subject" and "Nature is a revelation of God; Art is a revelation of man".[16]

The book often alludes to and quotes from German writers such as Heinrich Heine and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.[17] Goethe's Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1796) was a likely model for the book.[16] The book's descriptions of Germany would later inspire its use as a companion travel guide for American tourists in that country.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ Gioia, Dana. "Longfellow in the Aftermath of Modernism". The Columbia History of American Poetry, edited by Jay Parini. Columbia University Press, 1993: 72. ISBN 0-231-07836-6
  2. ^ McFarland, Philip. Hawthorne in Concord. New York: Grove Press, 2004: 59. ISBN 0-8021-1776-7
  3. ^ Sullivan, Wilson. New England Men of Letters. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1972: 192. ISBN 0-02-788680-8
  4. ^ a b Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004: 143. ISBN 0-8070-7026-2
  5. ^ Williams, Cecil B. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964: 114.
  6. ^ Madison, Charles A. Irving to Irving: Author-Publisher Relations, 1800–1974. New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1974: 18. ISBN 0-8352-0772-2.
  7. ^ Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004: 198–199. ISBN 0-8070-7026-2
  8. ^ Gioia, Dana. "Longfellow in the Aftermath of Modernism". The Columbia History of American Poetry, edited by Jay Parini. Columbia University Press, 1993: 77. ISBN 0-231-07836-6
  9. ^ Ljungquist, Kent P. "The poet as critic", from The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Kevin J. Hayes. Cambridge University Press, 2002: 12. ISBN 0-521-79727-6
  10. ^ Adams, Byron. Edward Elgar and His World. Princeton University Press, 2007: 64–65. ISBN 978-0-691-13446-8
  11. ^ Wagenknecht, Edward. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Portrait of an American Humanist. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966: 8.
  12. ^ Wagenknecht, Edward, editor. Mrs. Longfellow: Selected Letters and Journals of Fanny Appleton Longfellow. New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 58.
  13. ^ Hilen, Andrew, editor. The Letters of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1972: Volume II, 339.
  14. ^ Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004: 164–165. ISBN 0-8070-7026-2
  15. ^ Arvin, Newton. Longfellow: His Life and Work. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1963: 51.
  16. ^ a b Adams, Byron. Edward Elgar and His World. Princeton University Press, 2007: 65. ISBN 978-0-691-13446-8
  17. ^ Sachs, Henry Baruch. Heine in America. University of Pennsylvania, 1916: 144.
  18. ^ Zacharasiewicz, Waldemar. Images of Germany in American Literature. University of Iowa Press, 2007: 23. ISBN 978-1-58729-524-9

External links edit

December 15, 2023
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This article is about the 1836 novel by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow For other novels of the same title see Hyperion disambiguation In literature Hyperion A Romance is one of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow s earliest works published in 1839 It is a prose romance which was published alongside his first volume of poems Voices of the Night Paul Flemming main character of Hyperion Contents 1 Overview 2 Publication history 3 Critical response 4 Analysis 5 References 6 External linksOverview editHyperion follows a young American protagonist named Paul Flemming as he travels through Germany The character s wandering is partially inspired by the death of a friend The author had also recently lost someone close to him Longfellow s first wife Mary Storer Potter died in Rotterdam in the Netherlands after a miscarriage in 1836 Longfellow was deeply saddened by her death and noted in his diary All day I am weary and sad and at night I cry myself to sleep like a child 1 Hyperion was inspired in part by his trips to Europe 2 as well as his then unsuccessful courtship of Frances Appleton daughter of businessman Nathan Appleton 3 In the book Flemming falls in love with an Englishwoman Mary Ashburton who rejects him 4 Publication history editLongfellow s first prose work Outre Mer 1835 was met with an indifferent reception Its lackluster performance as well as Longfellow s commitments to his Harvard College professorship prevented him from producing significant literary works for a time until his poem A Psalm of Life and Hyperion 5 The novel was published in 1839 by Samuel Coleman who would also publish Voices of the Night though he went bankrupt shortly after Longfellow was paid 375 for it and was optimistic As he wrote to his father As to success I am very sanguine it will take a great deal of persuasion to convince me that the book is not good 6 As Longfellow s fame increased over time so did interest in his early work By 1857 he calculated Hyperion had sold 14 550 copies 7 Critical response edit nbsp Hyperion was partly inspired by Longfellow s pursuit of Frances Appleton She did not agree to marry him until 1843 The initial publication of Hyperion met with lukewarm or hostile critical response Its publication was overshadowed by Longfellow s first poetry collection Voices of the Night which was published five months later 8 Critic Edgar Allan Poe briefly reviewed Hyperion in Burton s Gentleman s Magazine in October 1839 and concluded the book was without design without shape without beginning middle or end what earthly object has his book accomplished what definite impression has it left 9 In 1899 composer Edward Elgar sent a copy of the book to his Austrian colleague Hans Richter noting it as the little book from which I as a child received my first idea of the great German nations 10 20th century literary scholar Edward Wagenknecht referred to Hyperion as a disorganized Jean Paul Richter kind of romance 11 The thinly veiled autobiographical elements of Hyperion did not go unnoticed Frances Appleton was aware that she was the basis for the Mary character Embarrassed by this as biographer Charles Calhoun writes she displayed a new degree of frostiness toward her hapless suitor 4 After receiving a copy as a gift from the author she wrote in a letter There are really some exquisite things in this book though it is desultory objectless a thing of shreds and patches like the author s mind The hero is evidently himself and the heroine is wooed like some persons I know have been by the reading of German ballads in her unwilling ears 12 Longfellow himself admitted the deliberate resemblance in a letter The feelings of the book are true the events of the story mostly fictitious The heroine of course bears a resemblance to the lady without being an exact portrait 13 It was not until May 10 1843 seven years after his wooing began that Frances Appleton wrote a letter agreeing to marry After receiving the letter Longfellow was too restless to take a carriage and instead walked 90 minutes to her house 14 They were married shortly thereafter Nathan Appleton bought the former Craigie House as a wedding present to the pair and Longfellow lived there for the rest of his life 15 Analysis editThrough the character of Paul Flemming Longfellow airs his own aesthetic beliefs In his dialogue Flemming provides quips like The artist shows his character in the choice of his subject and Nature is a revelation of God Art is a revelation of man 16 The book often alludes to and quotes from German writers such as Heinrich Heine and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 17 Goethe s Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre 1796 was a likely model for the book 16 The book s descriptions of Germany would later inspire its use as a companion travel guide for American tourists in that country 18 References edit Gioia Dana Longfellow in the Aftermath of Modernism The Columbia History of American Poetry edited by Jay Parini Columbia University Press 1993 72 ISBN 0 231 07836 6 McFarland Philip Hawthorne in Concord New York Grove Press 2004 59 ISBN 0 8021 1776 7 Sullivan Wilson New England Men of Letters New York The Macmillan Company 1972 192 ISBN 0 02 788680 8 a b Calhoun Charles C Longfellow A Rediscovered Life Boston Beacon Press 2004 143 ISBN 0 8070 7026 2 Williams Cecil B Henry Wadsworth Longfellow New York Twayne Publishers Inc 1964 114 Madison Charles A Irving to Irving Author Publisher Relations 1800 1974 New York R R Bowker Company 1974 18 ISBN 0 8352 0772 2 Calhoun Charles C Longfellow A Rediscovered Life Boston Beacon Press 2004 198 199 ISBN 0 8070 7026 2 Gioia Dana Longfellow in the Aftermath of Modernism The Columbia History of American Poetry edited by Jay Parini Columbia University Press 1993 77 ISBN 0 231 07836 6 Ljungquist Kent P The poet as critic from The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe edited by Kevin J Hayes Cambridge University Press 2002 12 ISBN 0 521 79727 6 Adams Byron Edward Elgar and His World Princeton University Press 2007 64 65 ISBN 978 0 691 13446 8 Wagenknecht Edward Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Portrait of an American Humanist New York Oxford University Press 1966 8 Wagenknecht Edward editor Mrs Longfellow Selected Letters and Journals of Fanny Appleton Longfellow New York Longmans Green and Co 58 Hilen Andrew editor The Letters of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Cambridge MA Harvard University Press 1972 Volume II 339 Calhoun Charles C Longfellow A Rediscovered Life Boston Beacon Press 2004 164 165 ISBN 0 8070 7026 2 Arvin Newton Longfellow His Life and Work Boston Little Brown and Company 1963 51 a b Adams Byron Edward Elgar and His World Princeton University Press 2007 65 ISBN 978 0 691 13446 8 Sachs Henry Baruch Heine in America University of Pennsylvania 1916 144 Zacharasiewicz Waldemar Images of Germany in American Literature University of Iowa Press 2007 23 ISBN 978 1 58729 524 9External links editHyperion at Project Gutenberg Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hyperion Longfellow novel amp oldid 1151020350, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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