Customer Reviews

The Poems of James Russell Lowell

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I have to admit that after reading about Russell's life I expected him to have been one of those undeservedly neglected poets, overshadowed a little perhaps by the very prominent crew he hung with--Longfellow, the guy-you-love-to-hate:Oliver Wendell Holmes. That just isn't the case: these are more exercises in puritan morality than anything else, the language he employs is too archaic. In the end, Lowell is more a didactic moralist than a poet.

Poor Poe's criticism of Lowell as more of a proselytizer than a poet was unfortunately correct, and his criticism should have garnered more respect than it received. But then, Lowell was in high standing with the society of the time, as Edgar most certainly was not.

Still, there is a freshness of breath and a spirit here that cannot be denied. Lowell has a few shavings of Whitman in his determination to say what he has to say in a cheerful manner, whether we like it or not. Some of these poems are like candy of a sort, (coated with plutonium occasionally), and some neat old-style encouragements to younger poets.

Lowell's letters are incredible. His assessment of readers, writers and poets alike are tremendously enjoyable. Maybe in the end he was more a man of the postal exchange. Anyway, this worth a read.
A much lesser Swinburne?