Massachusetts, the Bay State, is known for its quality of education and boasts several top institutions such as MIT and Harvard. It is also home to one of the most famous neighborhoods in America, Beacon Hill, with its Federal-style houses by 19th-century architect Charles Bulfinch.
But this state has a darker side too. It is the place where Alexander Graham Bell made the first long-distance telephone call and where Boston cream pie is from.
Boston’s Literary Legacy
From Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre stories to the transcendental philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Boston has long been a stomping ground for great authors. The city has also been home to publishing powerhouses and a literary culture that is still going strong.
According to Matthew Pearl, author of “The Dante Club,” a murder mystery inspired by an actual group of poets and writers led by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that met weekly to translate Dante’s Divine Comedy, Boston was at the center of America’s literary life from the late 1820s until the early 1900s (Brooks, p. 1). He believes that this concentration of publishing companies and writers helped give the city its literary heritage.
The most famous writer to come out of Boston is perhaps Henry David Thoreau, who wrote “Walden,” an account of his two-year experience living in a cabin near Walden Pond. Thoreau’s work was an important precursor to the American Transcendentalist movement. He was a leading figure in this movement, which had a profound impact on many American intellectuals including Ralph Waldo Emerson and his followers such as Walt Whitman and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
But as the American literary landscape began to shift toward a more progressive view, Boston’s status as the national publishing center started to wane. By the end of the 19th century, publishers like Ticknor and Fields and Houghton had left town and many of Boston’s old publishing houses were becoming defunct (Austin, p. 2).
This decline in the city’s literary outlook may have been due to a changing cultural climate that favored more traditional views of women and African Americans. In addition, there was a growing interest in New York as a publishing center and as a place where progressive ideas could be promoted.
Despite the declining fortunes of Boston’s publishing industry, there are still many opportunities for Boston residents to enjoy the literary culture that continues to thrive in the city. There are book festivals, lectures by Pulitzer Prize winners, poetry readings, and a wealth of superb programming at some of the country’s finest libraries.
Discovering the Haunts of Famous Writers in Boston
As any Bostonian knows, centuries of history have left behind a storied tapestry of ghosts and paranormal activity. It seems like you can’t go a block without encountering a building or location that is said to be haunted by spirits and strange events.
Many of the most famous writers in America lived or wrote in Massachusetts, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Their writings helped establish America’s literary heritage and are still a staple of high school curriculums and dusty library bookshelves. Their homes, which are now historic sites, are open to the public for tours, and their stories can be a fascinating way to learn more about these iconic authors.
Whether you’re interested in learning more about the Transcendentalist movement and the philosophy that inspired these renowned writers or simply want to read their works in their original setting, touring one of these historic houses is an amazing experience. The houses are a fascinating glimpse into American history and a great place to spend an afternoon in one of the most beautiful cities in America.
If you’re looking to visit the homes of a few of these famous writers, consider starting in Boston with Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord or Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Old Manse in Cambridge. All of these historic houses are affiliated with the American Writers Museum.
A few miles north of the city is The Mount, which was once the home of Edith Wharton. Her home is now open to the public for tours and is a must-see destination for fans of this famous writer.
Another historic site that’s associated with a notable author is Howard Street Cemetery. It’s believed that the grave of Mary Dyer, who was hanged in Boston Common in the 17th century, is haunted by her ghost. The graves of other prisoners from the time, as well as the graves of several colonists who were killed during the Revolutionary War are also in this historic cemetery. It’s also said that the Howard Street Cemetery is haunted by the spirit of Noah Webster, the dictionary pioneer who wanted to create a version of English that was distinct from England’s.
Boston’s Literary Districts
The City of Boston is lucky to have a rich literary legacy, with a variety of former residents who wrote everything from books to poems and essays. And while some of the writers who made their mark in town were confined to a few locations, like Beacon Hill and Harvard Square, others traveled far and wide, seeking inspiration outside the confines of the city’s center. This second map of literary Boston is a guided walk through the area that these authors would have visited or lived in, from the Transcendentalists’ home in Concord to the site of the oldest independent library in America.
To create this map, Lindner and his group worked closely with the City of Boston and numerous local writers and organizations, including Grub Street, one of the nation’s leading creative writing centers, and the Boston Book Festival. Tour company Boston by Foot and literary magazine Ploughshares is also involved with the project. The result is a map that celebrates both historic literary sites and the event venues and programs that host readings, conferences and other literary events throughout the area.
When the map was published, it became the first of its kind in the country to focus on literature as a distinct cultural district. A literary district is a specific geographical area that has a concentration of cultural facilities, activities and assets—similar to a downtown core or museum district. The MCC started this initiative in 2010, recognizing that a thriving creative sector is one of the strongest economic development tools available.
Lindner and his team hope that creating a literary cultural district will draw visitors to the city and give Bostonians pride in its unique literary history. The project could also inspire a generation of writers, he says, just as the creative cities and innovative economies initiatives have done.
However, a cynic might argue that the delineation of a branded cultural district (to quote the Globe again) is not so much an act of celebration or preservation as it is an attempt to cash in on people’s interest in seeming hip and cultured. After all, the MCC is a state agency whose mission is to drive economic growth.
The Haunts of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was the most popular American poet of his day and the most famous man from Massachusetts. He is remembered for his lyrical style and easy rhythm, and for subjects that the “everyman” could relate to. His poetry and narratives still hum in people’s heads like a favorite song.
Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, in 1807 to a prominent family. He was the son of a lawyer and grandson of General Peleg Wadsworth, a hero of the American Revolution. He attended private schools and graduated from Bowdoin College, where he immersed himself in languages and literature. After graduating, he traveled extensively in Europe, where the Old World seemed to him a kind of Holy Land. He became fluent in eight languages. His father’s library provided literary models of a neoclassical sort, and his family lore supplied him with New England lore dating back to pilgrim days.
When Longfellow returned to the United States, he began teaching language and literature at Harvard. He found that his pedagogical responsibilities stifled the poetic impulse. Nevertheless, the memory of his European wanderings helped him conceive Outre-Mer; A Pilgrimage beyond the Sea (1833-4).
Mary Storer Potter was Longfellow’s first wife and died in 1831. Four years later he married again. Despite the frustrations of his academic career, Longfellow seemed to enjoy what appears to have been a happy home life. He resided at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, the Craigie House, which was owned by the widow Elizabeth Craigie (a former apothecary general under George Washington during the Siege of Boston). He rented rooms there while he began his career at Harvard.
By the time he was in his mid-40s, Longfellow had become a full-fledged literary celebrity. His books sold in unprecedented quantities, and publishers — first Ticknor and Fields, then Houghton Mifflin — were constantly bringing out new editions at all price points to accommodate the ever-expanding book trade. He was also an active contributor to periodicals such as the Atlantic Monthly.
Post a Comment