The
Fireside Poets (also known as the
Schoolroom or
Household Poets) were a group of 19th-century
American poets from
New England.
Overview
The group is typically thought to comprise
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
William Cullen Bryant,
John Greenleaf Whittier,
James Russell Lowell, and
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., who were the first American poets whose popularity rivaled that of
British poets, both at home and abroad. The name "Fireside Poets" is derived from that popularity: The Fireside Poets' general adherence to poetic convention—standard
forms, regular
meter, and
rhymed
stanzas—made their body of work particularly suitable for
memorization and
recitation in school and also at home, where it was a source of entertainment for families gathered around the fire. The poets' primary subjects were the domestic life, mythology, and politics of America, in which several of the poets were directly involved. The Fireside Poets did not write for the sake of other poets; they wrote for the common people. They meant to have their stories told for families. The Fireside poets were the last great popular poets. The Fireside Poets were the first group of American poets to rival British poets in popularity in either country, nearly surpassing
Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Most of the Fireside Poets lived long lives. A culminating event was the 70th birthday party of Whittier in 1877. Organized by publisher
Henry Oscar Houghton, then editor of the
Atlantic Monthly, the event meant to serve as a symbol for the magazine's association with the poets, most of whom were present for the celebration. Lowell had recently moved to Spain.
Mark Twain gave a now infamous after-dinner speech in which he
satirized the poets as uncouth drunkards.
Longfellow, Lowell, and Holmes are featured in the bestselling novel
The Dante Club by
Matthew Pearl, published 2003.
Gallery
Image:William Cullen Bryant.jpg|Bryant
Image:Oliver Wendell Holmes - Portrait.jpg|Holmes
Image:Henry wasdworth longfellow.jpg|Longfellow
Image:JamesRussellLowell.jpg|Lowell
Image:JGWhittier-loc.jpg|Whittier
