The time has come to take another look at Longfellow. Christoph Irmschers newbook overturns the modern prejudice against Longfellow as the mere purveyor ofliter... » 

The time has come to take another look at Longfellow. Christoph Irmschers newbook overturns the modern prejudice against Longfellow as the mere purveyor ofliterary comfort food. Examining his unpublished papers alongside letterswritten by Longfellows fans both at home and abroad Irmscher offers a freshview of the poets connection with his audience. In chapters about his idea ofauthorship his travels and his translations Irmscher demonstrates thatLongfellow saw literature as a transnational conversation breaking down socialand linguistic barriers. For Longfellow the poet was less Emersonsliberating god than the distributor of cultural goods democratically sharedby authors and readers alike. Longfellow Redux is the first booklength studyof Longfellows poetry since 1966 and contains numerous illustrationsincluding unpublished pencil sketches by Longfellow himself. «