William Cullen Bryant was born near Cummington, Massachusetts, on November 3, 1794. He was the second son of doctor and state legislator Peter Bryant and his wife Sarah Snell, whose ancestors were passengers on the Mayflower.
At thirteen, Bryant wrote “The Embargo,” a satirical poem calling for the resignation of President Thomas Jefferson. The poem was eventually published in a pamphlet in 1808. At sixteen, Bryant enrolled as a sophom*ore at WIlliams College with the intention of transferring to Yale. During his time at Williams, Bryant wrote “Thanatopsis,” which was later published in The North American Review for September, 1817.
When Bryant was unable to attend Yale, he studied law under private tuition. He was admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-one and spent nearly ten years practicing in Massachusetts. During this time, he married Frances Fairchild. They were together for nearly fifty years.
In 1821, when asked to speak at Harvard’s commencement, Bryant wrote the beginnings of what would eventually become his first published book of verse. Poems is believed to have been published first in 1821, and was later re-published with additions in two volumes by D. Appleton and Company in 1862.
In 1829, Bryant and his wife moved to New York City, where he was an editor of the New York Review. Later that year he became editor in chief of the New York Evening Post, a position he held until his death. Bryant used the newspaper as a platform to call for the abolition of slavery, and was also an advocate for Abraham Lincoln, delivering the speech that would eventually secure his nomination and eventual presidency.
Bryant is considered an American nature poet and journalist, with ties to the Hudson River School of art. He wrote poems, essays, and articles that championed the rights of workers and immigrants, and he was frequently published by the North American Review. He is the author of several books, including The White-Footed Deer and Other Poems (I. S. Platt, 1844), and The Fountain and Other Poems (Wiley and Putnam, 1842). He died on June 12, 1878, in New York City.
Bryant’s influence helped establish important New York civic institutions such as Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Medical College. In 1884, New York City's Reservoir Square was renamed Bryant Park in his honor. Bryant was also the nephew of Charity Bryant, whose marriage to Sylvia Drake is thought to be one of the earliest same-sex unions in American history.
FAQs
William Cullen Bryant Quotes
Truth crushed to earth shall rise again. And the yellow sunflower by the brook, in autumn beauty stood. By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mould.
What did William Cullen Bryant believe in? ›
His political ideals had moved from the conservative Federalism of his youth to a faith in political liberalism and the rights of the common man. As editor of the Post he campaigned vigorously for the abolition of slavery, for the rights of organized labor, and for free trade, free speech, and a free press.
Did William Cullen Bryant marry? ›
At 26 Bryant married Frances Fairchild, with whom he was happy until her death nearly half a century later.
What advice does the poet Bryant seem to offer about how to live? ›
At the end of the poem, the speaker urges both dignity and trust in nature. One shouldn't approach death with fear, but instead as a source of serenity. The speaker urges the reader to “go not like the quarry-slave, at night, / Scourged to his dungeon,” when it is time to die.
What is the overall message of William Cullen Bryant's poem Thanatopsis? ›
The main idea of the poem, Thanatopsis, is that death is a natural part of both life and death. All living things, that were once nourished by sun and nature, return into the Earth in death. Therefore, we have nothing to fear when think about our own mortal ends.
What did William Cullen believe in? ›
Cullen's theory of sympathy under-pinned his description of the functions of the nervous system, which made up two-thirds of his lectures on medical physiology. As a theorist of sympathy and 'vitalism', he thus propounded a psychosomatic theory of illness and mind-body therapeutics.
What was William Bryant famous for? ›
Poet and editor William Cullen Bryant stood among the most celebrated figures in the frieze of 19th-century America. The fame he won as a poet while in his youth remained with him as he entered his 80s; only Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson were his rivals in popularity over the course of his life.
Was William Cullen Bryant a romanticist? ›
William Cullen Bryant (1794 –1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the liberal newspaper the New York Evening Post. Bryant was a major force behind the idea that became Central Park, as well as a leading proponent of creating the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
What is William Cullen Bryant's legacy? ›
In addition to his contribution to romantic poetry, his essays promoted liberal causes and profoundly shaped American thought and politics in the nineteenth century. He was a widely read, and popular figure of the era, and in his later years, served as president of the New York Homeopathic Society.
What are some fun facts about William Cullen? ›
Cullen was born in 1710 (the second son in a family of seven children).
- His first schooling was in Hamilton where his father was the factor of the Duke of Hamilton's large estate. ...
- It is perhaps unkind to note that the Duke spent more money on drugs for his horses and dogs than for his wife and children.
| William Cullen Bryant |
|---|
| Born | November 3, 1794 Cummington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1878 (aged 83) New York City, U.S. |
| Resting place | Roslyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Poet journalist editor |
6 more rowsObviously, Bryant may be read with Emerson and Thoreau as a pre- or proto-Transcendentalist.
What is William Cullen Bryant best known for? ›
William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) was an American poet and journalist. Born in western Massachusetts of New England Puritan stock, he practiced law in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, for a short time before achieving literary fame with the publication in 1817 of "Thanatopsis," his best known poem.
How did William Cullen Bryant use nature? ›
From Wordsworth and Coleridge, Bryant awoke to the power of nature itself to teach, guide, and inspire the individual's developing mind and spirit. His poetry especially reflected his life-long love of nature, especially in his use of scenic nature imagery.
What does the word Thanatopsis mean? ›
noun. a view or contemplation of death.
What is a famous quote from Thanatopsis? ›
Thanatopsis Death Quotes
- Quote #1. Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall, And breathless darkness, and the narrow house, (11-12) ...
- Quote #2. Yet a few days, and thee. The all-beholding sun shall see no more (17-18) ...
- Quote #3. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim. Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again, (22-23)
The world is not going to be saved by legislation. Failure to accord credit to anyone for what he may have done is a great weakness in any man. I love judges, and I love courts. They are my ideals, that typify on earth what we shall meet hereafter in heaven under a just God.
Was Thanatopsis written when William Cullen Bryant was 17 years old? ›
Thanatopsis, poem by William Cullen Bryant, published in the North American Review in 1817 and then revised for the author's Poems (1821). The poem, written when Bryant was 17, was his best-known work.
