CRITICAL APPRECIATIONS by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This is not just one poem; it's a collection of five critical assessments of the poet James Russell Lowell, crafted by various literary scholars and critics from around the turn of the twentieth century.
The poem
"The proportion of his poetry that can be so called is small. But a great deal of it is very fine, very noble, and at times very beautiful, and it discloses the distinctly poetic faculty of which rhythmic and figurative is native expression. It is impressionable rather than imaginative in the large sense; it is felicitous in detail rather than in design; and of a general rather than individual, a representative rather than original, inspiration. There is a field of poetry, assuredly not the highest, but ample and admirable--in which these qualities, more or less unsatisfactory in prose, are legitimately and fruitfully exercised. All poetry is in the realm of feeling, and thus less exclusively dependent on the thought that is the sole reliance of prose. Being genuine poetry, Lowell's profits by this advantage. Feeling is fitly, genuinely, its inspiration. Its range and limitations correspond to the character of his susceptibility, as those of his prose do to that of his thought. The fusion of the two in the crucible of the imagination is infrequent with him, because with him it is the fancy rather than the imagination that is luxuriant and highly developed. For the architectonics of poetry he had not the requisite reach and grasp, the comprehensive and constructing vision. Nothing of his has any large design or effective interdependent proportions. In a technical way an exception should be noted in his skilful building of the ode--a form in which he was extremely successful and for which he evidently had a native aptitude ... Lowell's constitutes, on the whole, the most admirable American contribution to the nature poetry of English literature--far beyond that of Bryant, Whittier, or Longfellow, I think, and only occasionally excelled here and there by the magic touch of Emerson."--_W. C. Brownell_, in _Scribner's Magazine_, _February,_ 1907. * * * * * "Lowell is a poet who seems to represent New England more variously than either of his comrades. We find in his work, as in theirs, her loyalty and moral purpose. She has been at cost for his training, and he in turn has read her heart, honoring her as a mother before the world, and seeing beauty in her common garb and speech.... If Lowell be not first of all an original genius, I know not where to look for one. Judged by his personal bearing, who is brighter, more persuasive, more equal to the occasion than himself,--less open to Doudan's stricture upon writers who hoard and store up their thoughts for the betterment of their printed works? Lowell's treasury can stand the drafts of both speech and composition. Judged by his works, as a poet in the end must be, he is one who might gain by revision and compression. But think, as is his due, upon the high-water marks of his abundant tide, and see how enviable the record of a poet who is our most brilliant and learned critic, and who has given us our best native idyll, our best and most complete work in dialectic verse, and the noblest heroic ode that America has produced--each and all ranking with the first of their kinds in English literature of the modern time."--_Edmund Clarence Stedman_. * * * * * "As a racy humorist and a brilliant wit using verse as an instrument of expression, he has no clear superior, probably no equal, so far at least as American readers are concerned, among writers who have employed the English language. As a satirist he has superiors, but scarcely as an inventor of _jeux d'esprit_. As a patriotic lyrist he has few equals and very few superiors in what is probably the highest function of such a poet--that of stimulating to a noble height the national instincts of his countrymen.... The rest of his poetry may fairly be said to gain on that of any of his American contemporaries save Poe in more sensuous rhythm, in choicer diction, in a more refined and subtilized imagination, and in a deeper, a more brooding intelligence."--_Prof. William P. Trent_. * * * * * "In originality, in virility, in many-sidedness, Lowell is the first of American poets. He not only possessed, at times in nearly equal measure, many of the qualities most notable in his fellow-poets, rivaling Bryant as a painter of nature, and Holmes in pathos, having a touch too of Emerson's transcendentalism, and rising occasionally to Whittier's moral fervor, but he brought to all this much beside. In one vein he produced such a masterpiece of mingled pathos and nature painting as we find in the tenth Biglow letter of the second series; in another, such a lyric gem as _The Fountain_; in another, _The First Snow-Fall_ and _After the Burial_; in another, again, the noble _Harvard Commemoration Ode_.... He had plainly a most defective ear for rhythm and verbal harmony. Except when he confines himself to simple metres, we rarely find five consecutive lines which do _not_ in some way jar on us. His blank verse and the irregular metres which he, unfortunately, so often employs, have little or no music, and are often quite intolerable. But after all the deductions which the most exacting criticism can make, it still remains that, as a serious poet Lowell stands high. As a painter of nature, he has, when at his best, few superiors, and, in his own country, none. Whatever be their esthetic and technical deficiencies, he has written many poems of sentiment and pathos which can never fail to come home to all to whom such poetry appeals. His hortatory and didactic poetry, as it expresses itself in the _Commemoration Ode_, is worthy, if not of the music and felicity of Milton and Wordsworth, at least of their tone, when that tone is most exalted. As a humorist he is inimitable. His humor is rooted in a fine sense of the becoming, and in a profounder insight into the character of his countrymen than that of any other American writer."--_John Churton Collins_. * * * * * "He was a brilliant wit and a delightful humorist; a discursive essayist of unfailing charm; the best American critic of his time; a scholar of wide learning, deep also when his interest was most engaged; a powerful writer on great public questions; a patriot passionately pure; but first, last, and always he was a poet, never so happy as when he was looking at the world from the poet's mount of vision and seeking for fit words and musical to tell what he had seen. But his emotion was not sufficiently 'recollected in tranquillity.' Had he been more an artist he would have been a better poet, for then he would have challenged the invasions of his literary memory, his humor, his animal spirits, within limits where they had no right of way. If his humor was his rarest, it was his most dangerous gift; so often did it tempt him to laugh out in some holy place.... Less charming than Longfellow, less homely than Whittier, less artistic than Holmes, less grave than Bryant, less vivid than Emerson, less unique than Poe, his qualities, intellectual, moral and esthetic, in their assemblage and cooerdination assign him to a place among American men of letters which is only a little lower than that which is Emerson's and his alone."--_John White Chadwick_.
This is not just one poem; it's a collection of five critical assessments of the poet James Russell Lowell, crafted by various literary scholars and critics from around the turn of the twentieth century. Each piece evaluates Lowell's strengths—like his nature poetry, humor, patriotic verse, and critical insights—while also addressing his weaknesses, such as his inconsistent rhythm and a tendency for humor to undermine serious themes. Together, these assessments create a portrait of a writer who excelled in many areas but never fully ascended to the highest rank in any particular form.
Line-by-line
"The proportion of his poetry that can be so called is small..." — W. C. Brownell
"Lowell is a poet who seems to represent New England more variously than either of his comrades..." — Edmund Clarence Stedman
"As a racy humorist and a brilliant wit using verse as an instrument of expression..." — Prof. William P. Trent
"In originality, in virility, in many-sidedness, Lowell is the first of American poets..." — John Churton Collins
"He was a brilliant wit and a delightful humorist..." — John White Chadwick
Tone & mood
The overall tone strikes a balance between admiration and occasional sharpness. These critics clearly respect Lowell, but they aren’t just writing fan letters — each one has something to qualify or correct. The result feels like listening to a panel of knowledgeable judges who all agree the subject is quite good, yet differ on *how* good and *why*. The prose exudes a Victorian confidence, as these writers make bold comparative claims without hesitation, ranking poets like a sports commentator ranks athletes. The warmth is genuine, but so is the rigor.
Symbols & metaphors
- The crucible of the imagination — Brownell describes the creative process as a metaphor where feeling and thought come together to create something new. He argues that Lowell's crucible ran too cool, resulting in the two elements rarely merging completely, which makes his poetry feel more like a mixture than a true alloy.
- High-water marks of his abundant tide — Stedman describes Lowell's output as a tide—immense and strong, yet inconsistent. The masterpieces are the high-water marks, suggesting much of the tide consists of ordinary water. This metaphor is generous, recognizing both the vastness and the variability of the work.
- The poet's mount of vision — Chadwick's phrase describes the unique elevated perspective that poetry provides. It resonates with the biblical concept of a mountaintop revelation and implies that Lowell truly came alive — was most himself — when he reached that high vantage point, no matter what other roles he played.
- Laughing out in some holy place — Chadwick's image illustrates how Lowell's humor frequently interrupted the seriousness of his work. The "holy place" represents the realm of true poetic weight, while the laugh is the disruption that shatters it. This phrase stands out as the most memorable in the collection and encapsulates the core tension of Lowell's career.
- Fancy vs. imagination — A distinction that has deep roots in Romantic criticism, notably articulated by Coleridge. Fancy involves combining existing images in appealing ways, while imagination allows for the creation of something truly original. Brownell uses this distinction to explain why Lowell's poems contain many brilliant moments but often lack a sense of unity.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was a key figure in the American literary scene during the nineteenth century. He was a poet, critic, editor of *The Atlantic Monthly*, Harvard professor, and diplomat. By the time these evaluations were written (around 1900–1910), Lowell had been deceased for about fifteen years, and the critical consensus about his work was still evolving. The late Victorian and Edwardian era represented a period of reflection for American literature, as critics sought to determine which writers from before the Civil War deserved lasting recognition in the literary canon. Lowell's reputation was complex due to his wide-ranging contributions — from the satirical *Biglow Papers* to his nature lyrics, the *Harvard Commemoration Ode*, and his critical essays — alongside the perception that he had perhaps spread himself too thin. The critics mentioned here — Brownell, Stedman, Trent, Collins, Chadwick — were all notable literary figures in their own right, and their opinions significantly influenced how Lowell was understood and taught in the following generation.
FAQ
It isn't a poem in the traditional sense—there's no meter, rhyme, or stanzas. Instead, it's a collection of critical prose passages focusing on the poet James Russell Lowell. It was probably published under the title "Critical Appreciations" to compile authoritative views on Lowell's work, a typical format found in literary anthologies and reference books from the early twentieth century.
Lowell was a leading American writer in the nineteenth century. He helped launch *The Atlantic Monthly* in 1857, taught at Harvard, and held positions as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and then to Britain. He also wrote extensively in poetry, satire, and literary criticism. Alongside Longfellow, Holmes, Whittier, and Emerson, he was part of the New England literary circle known as the Fireside Poets.
The *Biglow Papers* consist of two series of satirical poems written in Yankee dialect. The first series criticizes the Mexican-American War (1846–48), while the second supports the Union cause during the Civil War. They gained immense popularity during their time and are regarded as Lowell's most original contribution to American literature, showcasing a groundbreaking use of everyday speech in serious political poetry.
It’s a lengthy ode that Lowell wrote and presented in 1865 during Harvard's ceremony honoring students and alumni who lost their lives in the Civil War. Several critics in this collection regard it as the best heroic ode in American literature. It receives particular acclaim for its tribute to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who commanded the renowned 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first Black regiment formed in the North.
Collins emphasizes this clearly: aside from straightforward, regular metres, Lowell's lines often feel awkward or disjointed. This was a genuine and commonly recognized flaw. Lowell frequently experimented with loose, irregular verse that sometimes felt beyond his control, leading to a clumsiness when compared to the refined musicality of poets like Poe or Tennyson. His true strength lay in his ideas and imagery, rather than the auditory quality of his lines.
He is referencing Wordsworth's well-known definition of poetry as "emotion recollected in tranquillity" — suggesting that a poet should allow their raw feelings to settle before writing, ensuring the poem is crafted through reflection rather than impulsive passion. Chadwick's argument is that Lowell wrote too quickly and revised too little, which resulted in some of his poems feeling unfinished or overly intense.
The distinction originates from Coleridge. Fancy refers to the skill of mixing existing images and ideas in clever and appealing ways — resulting in wit, embellishment, and delightful details. Imagination, on the other hand, is a more profound force that reshapes its materials into something truly original and cohesive. Brownell argues that Lowell possessed an abundance of fancy but only occasional flashes of imagination, which explains why his poems contain many brilliant lines yet seldom feel like perfectly unified works.
The rankings differ, but most agree that Lowell is just beneath the highest tier. Chadwick ranks him second only to Emerson among American writers. Collins describes him as "first" in originality and versatility but adds significant caveats. Trent places him higher than all his American peers except Poe in specific qualities. No one ranks him above Emerson, and several think he didn't reach his full potential due to his humor, haste, and inconsistent technique.