A Literary Tour of the United States

Beginning with poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, trace the remarkable legacy of Boston's literary artists. Among many, sample the work of African American poet Phillis Wheatley, novelist Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, and the "confessional" poets Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and Robert Lowell. Note the ways in which Boston's writers have used their creative powers to heal and unite the nation.

Here, take the measure of the wealth of literary giants who emerged within Massachusetts in the 19th century. Learn about the ideological movement of Transcendentalism in the work and influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson and others. Experience the work of Emily Dickinson, Margaret Fuller, Louisa May Alcott, and William Dean Howells.

Encounter a group of New England writers with particular connections to nature and the wild. Begin with transcendental philosopher Henry David Thoreau. Then, explore the life of Herman Melville and the experiences underlying his masterwork, Moby Dick; dive into the maritime tales of "regionalist" writer Sarah Orne Jewett; and experience the lyric poetry of Robert Frost.

Enter the rarified world of New York's high society in the 19th and 20th centuries. By examining the classic novels of Washington Irving, Edith Wharton, and Henry James, you'll see how writers used satire to skewer New York's monied class. Then chart the unruly spirit of the Jazz Age in the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and New York's latter day social elites feted by Truman Capote.

Track the literary expression of New York's immigrant communities, beginning with Abraham Cahan's The Rise of David Levinsky and Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, stories of social rise and the hardships of assimilation. In works by Julia Alvarez and Esmeralda Santiago, witness the struggle for freedom and identity in the writers' experience of bridging cultures.