Knowra James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was an American poet, critic, editor, and diplomat whose writing joined literary humor and political reform, especially abolitionism.
The Biglow Papers : A satirical series of poems and prose by Lowell, written in the voice of a New England farmer. Lowell used its dialect satire to attack the Mexican–American War and defend antislavery principles.
Maria White Lowell : An American poet and abolitionist who was James Russell Lowell’s first wife. Her poetry and antislavery commitments helped shape Lowell’s early reforming outlook.
Cambridge, Massachusetts : A city in Massachusetts, home to Harvard University and a major center of American intellectual life. Lowell was born and died in Cambridge, whose local speech informed his Yankee verse.
Abolitionism in the United States : A movement to end slavery in the United States through political, religious, and direct-action campaigns. Lowell’s poems and essays used satire and moral argument against slavery.
A Fable for Critics : A humorous 1848 poem that caricatures contemporary American writers and literary culture. It displays Lowell’s wit and his judgments of the writers he knew.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow : An American poet whose narrative and lyric verse made him one of the nineteenth century’s most widely read writers. Longfellow was Lowell’s friend and fellow member of the Fireside Poets.
Harvard University : A private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1636. Lowell studied, taught, and held a professorship at Harvard.
The Atlantic Monthly : An American literary magazine founded in Boston in 1857. Lowell served as its first editor, helping establish its early literary identity.
The Vision of Sir Launfal : A narrative poem by Lowell about a knight’s quest for the Holy Grail and the meaning of charity. Its ideal of humane generosity complements Lowell’s reform-minded public writing.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. : An American physician, poet, essayist, and humorist associated with the Fireside Poets. Holmes shared Lowell’s literary circle and his reputation for witty verse.
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