The Boston Athenaeum by Amy Lowell
The Boston Athenaeum is a literary society and library located in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1807. Amy Lowell was a prominent American poet and critic who was born in 1857 and died in 1925. Her book "The Boston Athenaeum" is a collection of poems that reflect her love for the city of Boston and its cultural heritage. The book was first published in 1908 and is considered a classic of American literature.
By Amy Lowell · First published 1912 · Genre: Biography, Historical, Non-fiction · 1,647 words
First lines
Thou dear and well-loved haunt of happy hours, How often in some distant gallery, Gained by a little painful spiral stair, Far from the halls and corridors where throng The crowd of casual readers, have I passed Long, peaceful hours seated on the floor Of some retired nook, all lined with books, Where reverie and quiet reign supreme! Above, below, on every side, high shelved From careless grasp of transient interest, Stand books we can but dimly see, their charm Much greater that their titles are unread; While on a level with the dusty floor Others are ranged in orderly confusion, And we must stoop in painful posture while We read their names and learn their histories.
What this Textopian page supports
The Boston Athenaeum is listed on Textopian as an essay by Amy Lowell, dated 1912 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Essay
- Author: Amy Lowell
- Date: 1912 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Biography, Historical, Non-fiction
- Length: 1,647 words
- Structure: 1 section, 25 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Boston Athenaeum by Amy Lowell
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Boston Athenaeum?
- How does this essay by Amy Lowell fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Biography first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Biography — Given that Amy Lowell is a well-known poet from Boston, it can be presumed that this book is a historical description of a notable location in her life - The Boston Athenaeum - making the genre Biography.
- Historical — It’s logical to assume that the book contains details about the historical aspects of The Boston Athenaeum.
- Non-fiction — The title suggests a non-fiction nature about the book since it refers to a real entity and not an imaginary or fictional one.
Tags
poetry · classic literature · American literature · Boston history · Athenaeum · literary criticism · book review · poetic form · meter · rhyme · sonnet · ballad