The Legacy of John Greenleaf Whittier or the Art of Storytelling

Abstract

A study on how nature and folklore shaped Whittier’s regional writings throughout his life in 19th century New England. The thesis aims to reconsider the poems and prose of the Quaker poet by shifting the perspective from his value as a literary man to the pioneer work he had achieved by recording the folklore of his native land and singing of his surroundings, thus placing emphasis on an anthropological re-evaluation of Whittier in an epoch in which both traditions and country living were progressively abandoned.