Lowell, << LOH uhl, >> James Russell (1819-1891), was an American author who played an important part in the cultural life of the United States during the 1800’s. In his own day, Lowell became best known as a poet, but he was also a noted editor, literary critic, lecturer, teacher, scholar, reformer, and diplomat.
Early career.
Lowell was born on Feb. 22, 1819, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was from a noted New England family. He graduated from Harvard University in 1838 as class poet.
Beginning about 1840, Lowell wrote poetry and prose for many magazines and newspapers. In 1843, Lowell and a friend, Robert Carter, founded The Pioneer, a literary magazine. They published works by such noted authors as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Lowell himself. The Pioneer showed promise of growing into a major cultural periodical. But after Lowell became ill, it failed financially and ceased publication after three issues. During the late 1840’s, Lowell contributed to several abolitionist publications, including the National Anti-Slavery Standard, which he helped edit, and the Pennsylvania Freeman.
Literary success.
Lowell reached the peak of his literary achievement in 1848. Three of his best-known poetic works—A Fable for Critics, The Biglow Papers, and The Vision of Sir Launfal-—were published then.
The author’s sense of humor dominates A Fable for Critics and The Biglow Papers. His humor and critical insight combine to make A Fable for Critics a good-natured verse satire on writers of his day, including Lowell himself. In The Biglow Papers, Lowell used humor for social criticism. This work consists of poems and prose notes that show Lowell’s opposition to U.S. involvement in the Mexican War (1846-1848). Hosea Biglow, the chief character, is an uneducated but practical-minded New England farmer who speaks in a rural New England dialect. Lowell’s comic treatment of this dialect earned him a lasting place among leading American humorists.
Lowell based The Vision of Sir Launfal on the legendary search for the Holy Grail, the cup or dish that Jesus used at the Last Supper. The poem has a moral and Christian theme. It represents Lowell’s early idealism, but it is not an example of his best poetry. The hero is Sir Launfal, a mythical British knight (see Launfal, Sir ). For quotations from the poem, see June .
Teacher and editor.
Tragedy struck Lowell during the years that he became known as a leading poet. Between 1847 and 1852, three of his four children died. His wife, Maria, died in 1853. Although Lowell remained optimistic, he suffered periods of despondency that continued even after his marriage to Frances Dunlap in 1857. For several years, Lowell’s grief over the deaths in his family hampered his ability to write. To earn a stable income, he took teaching and editing jobs.
In 1855, Lowell succeeded the famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as professor of modern languages at Harvard. He taught there from 1855 to 1872 and again from 1874 to 1876. From 1857 to 1861, he served as the first editor of The Atlantic Monthly. From late 1863 to 1872, he was coeditor of the North American Review. Under Lowell’s leadership, both magazines achieved major literary and intellectual importance.
Lowell continued to write poetry, but his most important literary work after about 1860 was increasingly in prose. His essays on such famous authors as Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, and William Wordsworth showed his sharp critical judgment and literary taste. Lowell also wrote outspoken articles on social issues, including the guarantee of full rights of citizenship to blacks.
During the 1860’s, Lowell wrote some significant poetry, including a second series of The Biglow Papers. This series reflected his antislavery position and his support of the North during the American Civil War (1861-1865). He also wrote two impressive long poems, the Commemoration Ode (1865) and The Cathedral (1869).
Political activities.
After the Civil War, Lowell became increasingly active in politics. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876 but declined an opportunity to run for Congress that year. Lowell supported the Republican presidential candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes. After Hayes became president, he appointed Lowell United States minister to Spain. Lowell held this post from 1877 to 1880 and then served as minister to England until 1885. During his years in Spain and England, Lowell became a popular figure in European society and a spokesman for American ideals of democracy.
In 1885, Lowell retired to Elmwood, the family home where he had been born. He lived quietly for the rest of his life but spoke at a number of public events. He died on Aug. 12, 1891.
Many volumes of Lowell’s writings appeared during his lifetime. But except for A Fable for Critics, the two series of The Biglow Papers, and a few shorter poems, his work has been largely forgotten. Most of his poetry fell short of excellence. But he followed his conscience on humanitarian and social issues and served his country and the world of learning well.
