Outre-Mer
Outre-Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea is a prose collection by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It was the first major work by Longfellow and it was inspired by his travels in Europe as a young man. The term "outre-mer" is French for "overseas".
Overview
In preparation for his employment as a professor of language at his alma mater Bowdoin College, Longfellow traveled to Europe.[1] His stay there may have inspired Outre-Mer. It is his first published literary work after previously publishing academic texts.[2]
After Longfellow received a professorship at
Publication history and reception
Longfellow, who was experimenting with prose writings, published the first parts of Outre-Mer in pamphlet form in the 1830s.
The book was not particularly successful. The indifferent reception, as well as his duties as a Harvard professor, prevented Longfellow from producing significant literary works until 1838, with his poem "
Longfellow would later work with publishers Ticknor and Fields in Boston, which reissued Outre-Mer and most of his other early writings in the 1850s.
References
- ^ Arvin, Newton. Longfellow: His Life and Work. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1963: 26.
- ^ Williams, Cecil B. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964: 66.
- ^ Wagenknecht, Edward. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Portrait of an American Humanist. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966: 6.
- ^ Wagenknecht, Edward. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Portrait of an American Humanist. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966: 7.
- ^ Wagenknecht, Edward. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Portrait of an American Humanist. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966: 162.
- ^ a b Williams, Cecil B. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964: 109.
- ^ Williams, Cecil B. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964: 114.
- ISBN 0-395-27602-0
External links
- 1893 edition of Outre-Mer at Google Book Search