An Inquiry To Longfellow’s Poetry Under The Perspective Of World Literature

Firmly the best loved American romantic poet the world over was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1807–1882)who was a novelist,translator,playwright,and travel writer in the 19 th century. Longfellow was a great contributor to New England literary development, and was focused on by Chinese and even world literature reviewers.The key reasons of the popularity and significance of Longfellow’s poetry are that he has the gift of easy rhyme,and he writes on obvious themes which are easily understood, and full of joyousness, a spirit of optimism and faith in life. The study on Longfellow has become an important subject fulled of theoretical value and practical significance under the perspective of the world literature within the new world literature construction in the 21 st century.The whole dissertation is composed of eight parts. The introduction offers Longfellow’s research status at home and abroad, research method and purpose etc.Chapter Ⅰ is to discuss Longfellow’s poetry theory and his national and world literature view. Firstly, Longfellow chooses to show his poem view according to his writing that is an attempt to American poetry construction, which inherits European literature traditions and possesses Chinese poetry critical paradigm. Secondly, we discuss Longfellow’s poem art which covers his style, image, skill, literary form. Finally, we analyze national and world literature views in Longfellow poetry, and the dissertation argues that the views that “literature is national, but world is better” are beyond his times and cultural context, and are prospective.ChapterⅡ studies the relationships between European literature and Longfellow poetry. European literature is grand background and a drive of Longfellow’s writing. So, the dissertation maintains that Horace, Dante, Goethe, Shakespeare, and Dickens pay impacts to Longfellow.Chapter Ⅲ focuses on Longfellow’s influence in America literature. American literature is a branch of world literature. Longfellow introduced European literature to his motherland at the same time, He also is studied and regarded as authority by the subsequent writers under the perspective of world literature research such as Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Frost, Hemingway, Faulkner, Willa Cather who accepted Longfellow’s influence and gained their literary achievements.Chapter Ⅳ is to study the influences of Longfellow’s poetry in China which focuses on Longfellow’s poem translated by Guo Moruo, Zhao Luorui, Hu Shi, Mu Dan etc. The main researches think the modern and contemporary Chinese literature should be in harmony with different “otherness” of the literary community, and had better dissolve the culture of the Chinese literature aesthetic features into the big family of world literature to obtain the necessary world factors.Chapter Ⅴ is devoted to a study on utopian imagination between Longfellow and Chinese writers. The author discusses Chinese themes in Longfellow writing and his utopian imagination. Longfellow’s image construction is a common cooperation through the history of Chinese literature, writer and translator, his image that is “gentleman” is coincided to Confucian ideology in China. The paper also makes a case study that Wu Mi adapted Evangeline.Chapter Ⅵ mainly discusses the status and enlightenment of Longfellow poetry in world literature in the 21 st century. The author offers a new interpretation of “little Longfellow war” and makes an apology for Longfellow from the perspective of world literature. Then, the paper still agrues the 21 st century poetry need take Longfellow poetry tradition as a reference to guide the poetry’s innovation and not to forget the traditional culture essence.The conclusion presents summarization and generalization of the whole paper. In pointing out deficiency of this study,The author puts forward to the further research idea for the future.Main conclusions are as follows:Firstly: This dissertation explores Longfellow’s relations between national literature and world literature, and provides a guide and drive for Chinese literature walking from the edge of literature into the mainstream literature.Secondly: Longfellow absorbed the essence of European literature and Asian literature under the development trend of world literature, which reflected a new rational spirit: respecting other, opening practice, establishing the harmony between man and self, man and nature, syncretism and integration.Thirdly: the dissertation thinks that the worldly factors bring Longfellow into the world view. Longfellow absorbs the worldly factors that cover the external impact factors of Longfellow poetry and also includes Longfellow’s feedback and acceptance of the world. The world literature resources give birth to Longfellow, and to a certain extent, Longfellow also actively promotes the development of world literature.Fourthly: The world poetry developments in the 21 st century need Longfellow’s poetry tradition to guide the creation of poetry. Only those poems beyond the meaning of individual life and demands are eligible to enjoy the praises of world literature. Longfellow poetry characteristics imply that world literature’s developments still need to be guided partly within Longfellow poetry’ thought.