Maud Muller by John Greenleaf Whittier
The poem tells the story of a young woman named Maud Muller who is forced to marry an old man due to her family's financial situation. She is unhappy in the marriage and longs for love and companionship, but feels trapped by her circumstances. Maud meets a lawyer who is charming and handsome, and they begin a romantic affair. However, their social differences make it impossible for them to be together, and Maud is left heartbroken when the lawyer leaves her. The poem explores themes of love, class, and societal expectations, highlighting the limited options available to women in 19th-century America.
By John Greenleaf Whittier · First published 1854 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Narrative · 1,130 words
First lines
The recollection of some descendants of a Hessian deserter in the Revolutionary war bearing the name of Muller doubtless suggested the somewhat infelicitous title of a New England idyl. The poem had no real foundation in fact, though a hint of it may have been found in recalling an incident, trivial in itself, of a journey on the picturesque Maine seaboard with my sister some years before it was written. We had stopped to rest our tired horse under the shade of an apple-tree, and refresh him with water from a little brook which rippled through the stone wall across the road. A very beautiful young girl in scantest summer attire was at work in the hay-field, and as we talked with her we noticed that she strove to hide her bare feet by raking hay over them, blushing as she did so, through the tan of her cheek and neck.
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is written in verse, employing rhyme and meter, characteristic of poetry.
- Romanticism — Themes of longing, nature, and idealized love reflect the principles of Romanticism.
- Narrative — The poem tells a story with characters, a setting, and a plot, typical of narrative forms.
- Lyric — The poem expresses personal emotions and thoughts, aligning with the lyric genre.
Tags
Poem · Nature · Feminism · Social Commentary · Romance · Tragedy · Loss · Regret · Mortality · Existentialism · Philosophical · Symbolism
What this Textopian page supports
Maud Muller is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, dated 1854 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: John Greenleaf Whittier
- Date: 1854 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Narrative, Lyric, Idyll
- Length: 1,130 words
- Structure: 1 section, 56 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Maud Muller by John Greenleaf Whittier
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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