The Literary Style of Henry Adams - Research Paper Example

of the of the Concerned English 26 February Henry Adams Introduction It goes without saying that Henry Adams happened to be a really versatile personality and a person of many talents. This American author was a noteworthy historian, author and critic. Though Henry Adams was lucky in the sense that he was born in an accomplished and influential family, this towering writer, considering his talent and versatility, definitely deserves to stand on his own as an esteemed personality in the annals of American history. Adams was in a Classical sense a man of intellectual temperament, and the literature created by him extends a true insight into the intricacies and complexities of his time. Life Henry Adams was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 16 February 1838 (Adams 17). His father, Charles Francis Adams was a writer and an influential diplomat (Adams 19). Henry’s mother was Abigail Brown Brooks (Adams 19). Henry Adams was the grandson of the sixth American President, John Quincy Adams, and the great grandson of John Adams, the second American president (Adams 21). There is no denying the fact Henry was born in an environment marked by opportunity, influence and accomplishment. Henry was definitely influenced by this propitious family standing, which facilitated certain advantages to young Henry. It is said that Henry Adams used to spend a significant time in summers, at his grandfather’s home, which was known to be a hub of culture and wealth. The personal library at the disposal of Adams family was considered to be the largest collections of books on varied subjects and topics in those times (Adams 41). Henry Adams spent hours in the family library, satisfying his voracious appetite for knowledge, by reading books on a variety of subjects like astronomy, the Roman and Greek literature, physics, politics and mathematics (Adams 41). It goes without saying that young Henry’s readings extended to him a sound grounding in the essentials of Western civilization. Henry also accrued ample exposure to the intricacies of politics and diplomacy, courtesy his father’s position as a congressman and a politician, and a Vice Presidential candidate in 1848 (Adams 43). Henry joined Harvard in 1854 and turned out to be an able student (Adams 47). However, it needs to be mentioned in those times marked by rigid college regulations, Henry managed to avoid being a stringent conformist (Adams 46). Henry was chosen the Class Day Orator on his graduation in 1858 (Adams 49). He also used to write for Harvard Magazine and tried a hand at acting in Hasty Pudding Club (Adams 49). The very fact that Henry Adams graduated sans any academic distinction made it difficult for people fathom the depth and extent of his knowledge and versatility. Henry went to Germany to study law; however, his lack of proficiency in German led him to travelling across Europe for two years (Adams 64). When Henry Adams returned to America, his father got appointed by President Lincoln as a minister to Great Britain (Adams 21). In the mean time, while Henry left with his father, as his secretary, to England, the Civil War had already begun (Adams 21). Henry Adams aspired to solicit a commission in the army, but at the request of Charles, his elder brother, who was himself an army officer, Henry decided to stay in England to support the Union cause (Adams 83). During this time, as a writer, Henry got published some reports in the New York Times. During his stay in England, Henry Adams also met John Stuart Mill and Sir Charles Lyell, who urged him to study the works of Herbert Spencer and Auguste Comte (Adams 101). These readings were to reorient the mindset of Adams towards science, economics and politics. During this time Henry also managed to get published three well received articles in North American Review (Adams 103). On his return to America in 1868, Henry Adams actively served as a reporter in many news papers. He aspired to be an avid commentator on and critic of his times. In 1870 he left for Boston to serve as an educator at Harvard and as an editor of North American Review (Adams 125). As an educator, though his assignments were affiliated to medieval period, he was remarkably modern in his approach, always urging his students to think critically. In 1872 he married Marian Hooper (Adams 139). Literary Works and Characteristics As a Historian In 1876, he was required to conduct a course in the history of the United States of America, from the period 1789 to 1840. Henry Adams reputation as a historian primarily rests on the material he developed for the books on this course that included History of United States during the Administrations of Jefferson and Madison that comprised of 9 volumes, a portrait of John Randolph, The Writing and the Life of Albert Gallatin, and Documents Relating to New England Federalism (Levenson 3). To understand the nature of the American democracy that was fast evolving in his times, Henry Adams as a historian, continued to delve on and elaborate on the United States nascent nationalistic period (Levenson 5). In his historical writings, Henry Adams continued to ponder on the challenge of administrating and leading a society that was egalitarian in its moorings, yet was remarkably marked by a deep seated yearning for the aggrandizement of power. In the mean time in 1885, his wife, Marian Hoper committed suicide, which totally devastated Adams (Adams 234). There is no denying the fact that many influential intellectuals of those times gravitated to Adams place to hold discussions on varied subjects like history, politics, science and economics. As a Writer In 1884, Henry Adams wrote a novel, Esther, which was published under a pseudonym (Decker 203). This novel delves on the relationship and tensions between religion and science, an issue that attracted Henry Adams throughout his life. The hallmark of this novel is that its plot seems to be culled from a romantic comedy of contemporary times, irrespective of the fact that it was written in 1884. In Esther, Henry Adams creates a story line that is marked by personality clashes and emotional tensions, which unravel in a background defined by larger debates on art, science, religion and politics (Decker 207). Though Esther has all the elements of an intensely romantic story, yet it is actually something much more than that. In this novel Henry resorts to a romantic narrative to debate on the essence of much greater issues. In 1904 Henry Adams published his other work that is Mont-Saint-Michel and Charters. It happened to be a study of the architecture, spirit and essence of the Middle Ages. In Mont-Saint-Michel and Charters, Virgin of Charters comes out as a symbol of the unity defining the Middle Ages. In this work Henry Adams seems to have lost himself in the essential essence of the Middle Ages to achieve a vantage point from which he could make a sense of the movement of humanity to his times (Decker 69). No doubt, this vantage point turned out to be the thirteenth century Christendom. Adams tried to make a sense of the united Christendom as depicted in the Medieval cathedrals. Adams believed that the architecture of the Medieval times expressed a deep emotional stirring defining the human aspiration to grasp the infinite while trying to come to terms with one’s own littleness (Decker 70). Adams was peculiarly aspired by ideological unity underlying the Medieval Ages, aptly symbolized by Virgin Mary. However, it goes without saying that Henry Adams is most known for his memoir, The Education of Henry Adams written in 1918. Henry Adams was posthumously awarded with the Pulitzer Price for this work in1919. Henry Adams sought his inspiration from a dynamo that he saw in an exhibition in France (Rowe 47). To this day The Education of Henry Adams remains one of the best written American biographies. This time Henry’s inspiration was not the virgin of the Middle Ages, but a scientific contraption, which virtually symbolized the essential flux, dynamism and human stirrings of his times (Rowe 47). To Henry Adams, a dynamo symbolized the 20th century spirit of innovation and diversity, an era which was soon to be redefined and changed by the unfurling world of science and creativity (Rowe 67). In a dynamo Henry recognized the anarchy and variety that marked the twentieth century history, so unlike, the unified, blissful and complacent world of the Virgin of the Medieval times (Rowe 67). To a great extent, The Education of Henry Adams portrays the frustration and unrest marking Henry’s psyche, trying to come to terms with an era that was fast modernizing yet at the same time segregating. It marked Henry’s transition from a world of certainty and peace, courtesy his social standing, to a world that was sans any certainties. Conclusion Henry spent his last years in Washington amidst his family members and surrounded by the political and intellectual elites of his times. The literary style of Henry Adams was no doubt ironic, with a smattering of bitterness and anguish. Yet, in conclusion it would be apt to say that he was a romantic at heart, who was desperately trying to make a sense of the chaos that accompanied his times and age. Works Cited Adams, James Truslow. Henry Adams. New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1933. Print. Decker, William Merrill. The Literary Vocation of Henry Adams. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990. Print. Levenson, JC. The Mind and Art of Henry Adams. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1957. Print. Rowe, John Carlos. Henry Adams and Henry James: The Emergence of Modern Consciousness. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1976. Print. Read More