William Cullen Bryant is the first great American poet. He belongs to Wordsworth's school of nature poets. Bryant's verse, chiefly reflective and descriptive, is characterized by elevation, simplicity, and moral earnestness. His range is narrow. His communion with nature often leads him to the grave, but no other American poet invests it with as much majesty as is found in Thanatopsis. His strict Puritan training causes him to present the eternal verities in his poetry. Unlike Irving, Cooper, and the minor writers, his object is not entertainment.
The influence of steam, the more rapid emigration westward, the increase of the democratic spirit, and the beginning of the modern era with its strenuous materialistic trend in the administration of Andrew Jackson marked a great change in the development of the nation. The taking of our vast southwest territory from Mexico was an event second only in importance to the Louisiana Purchase.
REFERENCES FOR FURTHER STUDY
HISTORICAL
In addition to the American and English histories suggested on pp. 60, 61,
the following may be consulted: Burgess's The Middle Period, 1817-1858;
Coman's The Industrial History of the United States, Chaps. VI. and VII.;
Bogart's Economic History of the United States, Chap. XIV; Sparks's The
Expansion of the American People.
LITERARY
Richardson's American Literature.
Trent's A History of American Literature.
Wendell's History of Literature in America.
Stanton's A Manual of American Literature.