Lydia (Howard Huntley) Sigourney Criticism
Lydia (Howard Huntley) Sigourney (1791-1865) was a prominent American poet, prose writer, and educator known as "the sweet singer of Hartford." Renowned for her moral integrity, religious themes, and patriotic values, she established herself as one of the first American women to successfully pursue a remunerative literary career, authoring over sixty-five books and numerous articles. Her works often explored death, religion, and history, with a particular focus on commemorative poetry, which resonated deeply with her contemporary audience.
Born in Norwich, Connecticut, Sigourney was heavily influenced by her early education under the mentorship of her father's employer, Mrs. Daniel Lathrop, a relationship she detailed in her Sketch of Connecticut, Forty Years Since and her autobiography, Letters of Life. Determined to support her family, Sigourney initially pursued teaching, establishing schools in Norwich and Hartford where she taught subjects beyond traditional feminine arts. Her literary debut, Moral Pieces, in Prose and Verse (1815), received critical acclaim, paving the way for her extensive publishing career.
Despite her husband's disapproval, Sigourney continued to write, often publishing anonymously or under pseudonyms. Her Letters to Young Ladies (1833) marked a turning point, allowing her to publish under her own name and achieve financial independence. Her editorial work for Godey's Lady's Book and her involvement with various periodicals cemented her reputation, attracting interest from contemporaries such as Edgar Allan Poe. Her travels in England brought her into contact with literary figures like William Wordsworth and Thomas Carlyle, enriching her international literary stature.
Sigourney’s major works are noted for their sentimental and moralistic tone. Her poetry, characterized by its elaborate language and focus on themes of loss, was both celebrated and criticized for its lack of originality. Nevertheless, her works, like Illustrated Poems (1849), solidified her as a national literary figure. While her popularity waned posthumously, her contributions have been reevaluated in recent years, particularly by feminist scholars. Critics such as Annie Finch and Nina Baym have highlighted her distinct literary voice and her role in shaping American women’s literary identity, while Dorothy Z. Baker emphasizes her use of domestic imagery to forge new paths for women poets. Today, Sigourney is recognized both for her limitations and her contributions to American literature, illustrating the shifting terrain of literary appreciation.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Lydia H. Sigourney
(summary)
In the following essay, Hart presents a study of Sigourney's life and works with excerpts from her prose, arguing that she has been underappreciated as a prose writer despite her prolific output.
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Lydia H. Sigourney
(summary)
In the following essay, Huntington briefly sketches Sigourney's life in an effort to account for her widespread popularity.
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The Sentimental Poetess in the World: Metaphor and Subjectivity in Lydia Sigourney's Nature Poetry
(summary)
In the following essay, Finch claims that Sigourney has been widely neglected recently because she fails to accommodate the predominant model of poetic subjectivity and instead describes nature poetically, but without using it as a means to her own self-expression.
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Reinventing Lydia Sigourney
(summary)
In the following essay, Baym claims that critics have failed to appreciate the extent to which Sigourney's writings express a very public (as opposed to domestic) program, which required Sigourney to assume particular social roles as a strategy to achieve a mass audience.
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Ars Poetica/Ars Domestica: The Self-Reflexive Poetry of Lydia Sigourney and Emily Dickinson
(summary)
In the following essay, Baker claims that both Sigourney and Dickinson use images of domesticity in attempts to forge an identity for the American woman poet.
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Lydia H. Sigourney
(summary)
- Further Reading