John Greenleaf Whittier: His Life, Genius, and Writings

The biography traces the subject's family background and New England roots, recounting childhood memories, schooling, and early publishing efforts, and follows a career as editor and poet marked by active involvement in the anti-slavery movement and the social costs of that stance. It describes residences and landscapes associated with different periods, later years of retreat and continued literary output, and collects personal anecdotes and contemporary impressions. The analytic section examines poetic voice, moral convictions, and Quaker faith, considers recurring themes of freedom and rural life, and evaluates style, themes, and the enduring qualities of the subject's verse and prose.