Howard Pyle

Snow-Bound Howard Pyle

Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl is a classic narrative poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, famed for capturing a period in American history which was already ebbing away. This edition includes twenty illustrations by famed artists of the era.

The narrative consists of a family living in what would later be known as the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead, a large home in rural Massachusetts. During a harsh winter, as a blizzard of snow rages outside for three days, the family are snowed in and take to telling one another stories. The atmosphere of warmth, conviviality and rural solidarity were felt to depict an era which was fast becoming history - as the USA rapidly modernized, its homely past dissipated.

This edition includes the author's introductory preface, wherein he attributes inspiration for Snow-Bound to his family members. His boyhood, which he describes as a time of isolation from the wider world, was the quintessence of country life; Whittier mentions days out fishing, hunting and traversing the vast wilderness.

A surprising success immediately after its release, Snow-Bound did much to elevate its author as a 'Fireside Poet'. Hitherto famous for his support and campaigns for the abolition of slavery, this poem - published soon after the Emancipation Proclamation - represents the beginning of a new phase in Whittier's life. He would spend his remaining years as a celebrated poet, who significantly influenced many American poets and authors.