New England - Background Of Literature (1950)

[Applause] [Music] New England said a New England author has a harsh climate a barren soil a rough and stormy coast and yet we love even with a love passing that of dwellers in more favored region what kind of a region is New England which has inspired such love in the hearts of its people it is a region rich in a rugged kind of natural beauty the beauty of quiet Grove like God's first temple the beauty of Hills rock-ribbed in ancient as the Sun the beauty of a stern and rockbound coast and the beauty of quiet harbors but New England is more than natural beauty it is a region rich in early American culture it was the first section of America to be extensively settled and to establish an American culture it was the first section of America to champion religious and political freedom all these things are part of the background of New England literature New England authors wrote about the natural beauty of their region they wrote about their own culture a culture preserved and enriched by the oldest schools and universities in our land and they wrote about their tradition about the struggle for American freedom the full flowering of New England literature is in the works of a group of writers who lived in the nineteenth century a thorn Whittier Emerson Longfellow parole Alka Holmes Bryant and lower their works reflect the region they knew and loved if we want to read about the natural beauty of New England we can find it in the poetry of William Cullen Bryant who wrote to him who in the love of nature holds communion with her visible forms she speaks of various language we can read Bryant's beautiful interpretations of nature in his immortal lines to a waterfowl he who from zone to zone guides through the boundless sky by certain flight in the long way that I must tread alone will lead my steps aright part of the natural background of New England life and New England literature is the sea John Greenleaf Whittier wrote through my being seems to flow the breath of a new life the healing of the seeds Ralph Waldo Emerson invites us to behold the sea the open the plentiful and strong Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who was born in a seacoast town wrote the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me to his home in Cambridge Longfellow brought his impressions of Field & Stream Harbor and village in this house now a literary shrine Longfellow wrote many of the poems that we read today in this room Longfellow sat and worked here he paused in the day's occupation to laugh and talk with his own children as he tells us in the beautiful poem that is known as the children's hour long fellows poetry came from his impressions of what he saw about him his him tonight was written while looking through this window I heard the trailing garments of the night sweep through her marble halls and so New England writers found inspiration in their surroundings John Greenleaf Whittier in his poem snowbound gives us a picture of New England life in this farmhouse in winter as he remembered it from his own boil in snowbound we read of the poet's home and family around this hearth as Whittier tells us in snowbound the family gathered shut-in from all the world without we sat the clean winged hearth about content to let the north wind roar in snowbound we read not only about the beauty of the snowfall but about the character of the hardy and resourceful people who live in a New England environment a famous place in the New England environment is this small lake near Concord Massachusetts it is called Walden Pond and it was made famous by one author Henry David Thoreau the role lived a quiet life near the pond recording his teen observations of nature in pharaoh's book Walden he describes the pond in winter and in summer out of Thoreau's experiences here came his love of Solitude simplicity and independence in Pharaoh's writings we find more than descriptions of nature we find an attitude toward living that became part of an American philosophy of life the philosophies of living that many New England writers expressed were part of New England's cultural background Harvard University was an important center of New England's cultural life Emerson Thoreau Longfellow Oliver Wendell Holmes and James Russell Lowell were among the distinguished scholars and professors of Harvard hub of New England's cultural life was the city of Boston today Austin is still an important cultural center as it was in the days of New England's leading men of letters equally famous as a center of culture and learning was the little town of Concord near Boston in the 19th century many writers met and exchanged their ideas in this old New England town nathaniel hawthorne lived in this house called the old man's where he wrote his short stories mosses from an old man's Louisa May Alcott's home was also in Concord today the children that come to look at Miss Alcott's home are much like the children she wrote about in her books little men and little women Concord was also the home of the greatest teacher of ethics in American literature Ralph Waldo Emerson in Emerson's essays on thought and conduct he tried to help people live fuller more meaningful lives these young people today live in a world still influenced by Emerson's thinking he wrote essays on success books friendship manners and perhaps his most famous self-reliance in his vigorous essays Emerson was expressing part of New England's cultural background the key to New England's culture was the Puritan background of simple pioneer settlements in these Puritan houses in Salem we can see the kind of setting Nathaniel Hawthorne used in The Scarlet Letter a story of Puritan times The Scarlet Letter gives us a vivid picture of the character of the early Puritans their Stern moral code their strict concern with human behavior these ideas became part of New England culture and New England literature there was still another great influence in New England literature the background of American freedom Emerson expressed that ideal of freedom in is conquered to him here once at this bridge near Concord the embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard round the world familiar with historic landmarks such as the old Statehouse in Boston New England writers were keenly aware of their glorious heritage of freedom as Emerson wrote for thought the Veil the plow or sail or land or life if freedom fail Oliver Wendell Holmes expressed his idea of freedom in his poem old Ironside in the poem the famous old ship is a symbol of the American struggle for freedom of the Seas in another poem of freedom all Revere's ride wearied of the Old North Church Longfellow tells us how the signal lanterns were to be hung in this steeple one if by land and two if by sea where and other Patriots are part of the theme of freedom in the literature of New England that literature reflects New England life in New England surrounding the background of natural beauty the background of early American culture and learning the background of freedom these are part of the literature of New England [Music]