During the nineteenth century, many new authors blossomed in America. They strayed away from that of classical European literature, and instead created their own, unique form of literature. The most popular and greatly appreciated form of literature was poetry. America gave birth to several great poets during the nineteenth century including William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Although each of these poets emerged at approximately the same time, each one had their own style of poetry, which is why they are each celebrated for their significance in the American literature revolution.
William Cullen Bryant was a gifted child who expressed interest in poetry at a young age. He was truly, the first mature American Romantic. Bryant's poetry had many influences. A major influence included English Romanticism. Bryant held an interest in the philosophies of deism; these philosophies played a role in Bryant's works. The surrounding, or geography, in which Bryant wrote also influenced his poems. Like many poets of his time, Bryant lived in Massachusetts, where he was able to find the metaphors needed to express the relationship between human life and nature. Although his poetry is now outdated, his poems still are widely read and he is still widely honored. Bryant was, in many ways, the "father of American poetry".
Second, is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Besides Robert Frost, Longfellow may be considered the most popular American poet. Before him, no other poet had associated a connection with the term "popular". He was popular on several accounts, but most notably for his appeal to audiences. Unlike Bryant, his poems were often inspired by American legends. He soon became associated with the symbolic American Poet. He was appreciated not only in America, but in England as well, where a marble image of him was placed in the Poets" Corner in Westminster Abbey, London.
