Longfellow and Holmes

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Longfellow and Holmes

• 1807-1882 1809-1894

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

• Born in Portland, Maine
• Wealthy, religious family
• Studied at Bowdoin College (with Hawthorne as
  classmate)
• Continued studies in Europe
• Became a professor of French and Spanish at
  Harvard
• Later quit to focus on writing

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Longfellow Cont

• 1st wife died of miscarriage
• Married again 7 years later
• Happily married for 18 years, had 6 kids
• 2nd wife died by accidentally setting her dress
  on fire
• Longfellow tried to save her, got badly burned
  himself.
• Most popular poet in America
• Still is a household name

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Oliver Wendall Holmes

• Descendant of Anne Bradstreet
• Upon the Burning of our House
• Became a law student, but turned to medicine
• teach him about humanity
• Wrote poetry- heard poetic meter in beating
  hearts
• Light, comic poetry
• Founded magazine The Atlantic Monthly