Death of Second Wife Fanny Appleton Longfellow
Poet involved
What happened
Fanny Appleton Longfellow, the wife of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, tragically died in 1861 at their home in Craigie House, Cambridge, Massachusetts. She succumbed to severe burns after her dress caught fire while she was sealing locks of hair for their daughters. Her death profoundly affected Longfellow, plunging him into deep grief and influencing his subsequent poetry. This loss marked a significant turning point in his life, as he grappled with the emotional aftermath of losing his beloved partner.
Literary impact
This devastating tragedy plunged Longfellow into prolonged grief, leading him to grow his signature beard to hide scars and channeling sorrow into works like the sonnet 'The Cross of Snow'. It shifted his focus toward translation, such as Dante's Divine Comedy, and infused later poetry with deeper introspection on loss and memory. The event humanized his public image while underscoring themes of endurance.
Source: Wikipedia
