James, Henry. “The Story of a Year.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1865/03/the-story-of-a-year/308744/. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017.
Henry James is a renowned author who wrote about the transatlantic culture. His main theme is about the clash between the naive energy of the New World against the old degradation of the Old World. His ideas can be seen in “The Story of a Year,” which is a short story about John Ford and his fiancee Lizzie Crowe. After being engaged, John leaves to participate in the Civil War. During the time that John is absent, the narrative focuses on Lizzie, who begins to conceive doubts about her engagement. She meets another man named Mr. Bruce and falls into a relationship with him. …show more content…
However, as the Civil War began to approach, he turned to writing about nationalistic events. In his famous Revolutionary poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” he called for courage in the upcoming conflict, raising American patriotism and morale. Longfellow describes the famous night during which Revere rode throughout the country to warn Americans of the approaching British. The beginning of the poem depicts Revere asking his friend to signal him with one lamp if the British were arriving by land and two lamps if the British were arriving by sea. Once the friend sees that the British are approaching by sea, he warns Revere, who rides from town to town to spread the message of “defiance not of fear.” The third-person narrative that Longfellow employs set his poem apart from others. Instead of giving a first-hand account of Revere’s ride, Longfellow establishes a narrator that tells the famous tale. The reason for the inclusion of a narrator is to create a mysticism around the story, making it feel like a campfire story rather than a historical event. The element of making history feel like a fictitious story helps to define American literature as literary works that serve to influence the development of the nation. “Paul Revere’s Ride” serves to recount the story of a crucial point in the American Revolution. By passing down the story of Revere’s bravery and heroism, Longfellow sets a pattern of patriotism and pride that is seen throughout American literature, which affects future American authors. As a result, the works of the future authors serve to recount the perseverance and ethics of their ancestors, creating a sense of unique American patriotism that could not exist in other nations. The peculiarity of the establishment of America, such as the difficulties of Paul Revere and other revolutionists, allowed literature in the new country to flourish and develop exclusive characteristics that are
Henry James is a renowned author who wrote about the transatlantic culture. His main theme is about the clash between the naive energy of the New World against the old degradation of the Old World. His ideas can be seen in “The Story of a Year,” which is a short story about John Ford and his fiancee Lizzie Crowe. After being engaged, John leaves to participate in the Civil War. During the time that John is absent, the narrative focuses on Lizzie, who begins to conceive doubts about her engagement. She meets another man named Mr. Bruce and falls into a relationship with him. …show more content…
However, as the Civil War began to approach, he turned to writing about nationalistic events. In his famous Revolutionary poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” he called for courage in the upcoming conflict, raising American patriotism and morale. Longfellow describes the famous night during which Revere rode throughout the country to warn Americans of the approaching British. The beginning of the poem depicts Revere asking his friend to signal him with one lamp if the British were arriving by land and two lamps if the British were arriving by sea. Once the friend sees that the British are approaching by sea, he warns Revere, who rides from town to town to spread the message of “defiance not of fear.” The third-person narrative that Longfellow employs set his poem apart from others. Instead of giving a first-hand account of Revere’s ride, Longfellow establishes a narrator that tells the famous tale. The reason for the inclusion of a narrator is to create a mysticism around the story, making it feel like a campfire story rather than a historical event. The element of making history feel like a fictitious story helps to define American literature as literary works that serve to influence the development of the nation. “Paul Revere’s Ride” serves to recount the story of a crucial point in the American Revolution. By passing down the story of Revere’s bravery and heroism, Longfellow sets a pattern of patriotism and pride that is seen throughout American literature, which affects future American authors. As a result, the works of the future authors serve to recount the perseverance and ethics of their ancestors, creating a sense of unique American patriotism that could not exist in other nations. The peculiarity of the establishment of America, such as the difficulties of Paul Revere and other revolutionists, allowed literature in the new country to flourish and develop exclusive characteristics that are