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Celia Thaxter

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nothing unsaid of the varying features of the ocean, whose waves were forever beating at her feet. With the minutest attention to detail; with the keenest observation for shades of difference; with an almost superfine susceptibility to climatic and meteorological changes, so that she might be termed a realist in word-painting, she at the same time possessed the glow and the imagination of the impressionist. Thus we see in her art the happy combination of the two schools. Certainly no one can read her poems without the conviction of certainty that she had seen with her own eyes what she described. There is something beyond the photographic accuracy of experienced observation always to be observed even in her simplest poems. She saw something more than the mere external forms of nature, and however much she may have delighted in these, it was not her sole object to reproduce them for other eyes. Beyond and within the external, she perceived the actuating soul: and it was this quality which gave the greatest value to her pictures of sea and shore.
354: 313:, and considering that they came from a group of islands, away from the mainland far enough to prevent frequent communication, the debuting work was received with almost as much surprise as pleasure. Although stray poems of the ocean had been published, signed with the name of "Celia Thaxter", still it was difficult for the critical reviewer of Boston to realize that the bearer of this name was actually a long time resident, if not exactly a native of those isles lying off the coast of New Hampshire. Her poetry appeared in the 510: 243: 254: 455: 492:, a scholar, who was also a lover of the sea, and one of the most competent judges of ocean nature painting of literati from that time. He failed to discover any lack of versatility in her work, and those who study her works as a whole, will note that there is hardly a moral idea, a practical point in ethics, or an emotion of the human heart, which has not been the subject of her pen, touched upon at least, with more or less freedom. 154: 1179: 433:. In 1881, she vacationed in Europe with her brother, Oscar. In the same year, Thaxter and her husband moved to the new home in Kittery Point. In March 1888, her friend Whittier hoped "on that lonesome, windy coast where she can only look upon the desolate, winter-bitten pasture-land and the cold grey sea" she could be comforted by "memories of her Italian travels". 895: 44: 181:. Thaxter became one of America's favorite authors in the late 19th century. Among her best-known poems are "The Burgomaster Gull", "Landlocked", "Milking", "The Great White Owl", "The Kingfisher", and "The Sandpiper". Many of her romantic poems are addressed to women; as such, she has been identified by some scholars as a 500:
In Thaxter's prose writing, the picturesque prevails, though with some marked exceptions; in all is a moral undercurrent which crops out more or less prominently in all of her productions—prose or poetry. She wrote some charming poems for children, with such an exquisite blending of the didactic with
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themes. Thaxter's "Two Sonnets," addressed to a woman, parallels the romantic passion present in Wharton's sonnet sequence "The Mortal Lease," addressed to a man. Thaxter frequently brings together natural imagery and romantic desires; in the poem "Alone," she writes "I would have given my soul to be
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Because Thaxter wrote so well of the sea, her graphic imagery impressed some critics with the idea that she wrote of nothing else. This was untrue: her poems were not confined to the sea, as will be remembered with the story of "A Faded Glove," "Remonstrance," "Piccola," and scores of other verses
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after his serious illness in 1868–69. Her life with Levi was not harmonious, and there were other periods of separation, She missed her islands, and so after ten years away, Thaxter moved back to Appledore Island. She became the hostess of her father's hotel, the Appledore House, and welcomed many
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Thaxter has done for the sea-shore and the varied aspects of ocean views and the rocky isles of her home, what Whittier has done for the milder aspects of the river on whose banks he dwelt. As he may be said to have exhausted the descriptive beauties of the Merrimac, Thaxter appears to have left
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Thaxter died suddenly while on Appledore Island. She was buried not far from her cottage, which burned in the 1914 fire that destroyed The Appledore House hotel. The Kittery Point home stayed in the family until the 1989 death of her granddaughter and biographer, Rosamond Thaxter. In 2008,
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The means of education were comparatively remote, and the permanent society of the islands for the greater part of the year offered very limited resources for a bright child. During the period of 1849–1850, she attended Mount Washington Female Seminary in
421:. He drowned in late summer 1879, three days after finishing his last sketch. Celia Thaxter discovered the painter's body, an apparent suicide. That same year, the Thaxters bought 186 acres (75 hectares) along Seapoint Beach on Cutts Island, 488:
Thaxter was happy to have attracted, very early in her literary career, the sympathy and admiration of some of the best writers and critics of the day: among the most enthusiastic of her admirers, was
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Karl, who had mental illness since childhood, traveled with Thaxter during the periods she returned to the islands, while the two younger sons traveled with the husband to
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Literary Eats: Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread, Ernest Hemingway's Picadillo, Eudora Welty's Onion Pie and 400+ Other Recipes from American Authors Past and Present
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the scenic and emotional, that the intended lesson was conveyed without exciting the natural repulsion of children to "morals," too obviously conveyed.
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also painted the flowers in her garden. Celia was present at the time of the infamous murders on Smuttynose Island, about which she wrote the essay
1076: 1053: 1019: 998: 977: 956: 1227: 1242: 169:; June 29, 1835 – August 25, 1894) was an American writer of poetry and stories. For most of her life, she lived with her father on the 1267: 1252: 935: 1154: 1092: 299:
Her first published poem was written during this time on the mainland. That poem, "Land-Locked", was first published in the
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Barbershops, Bullets, and Ballads: An Annotated Anthology of Underappreciated American Musical Jewels, 1865-1918
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at his Appledore Hotel. How she grew up to become a writer is detailed in her early autobiography (published by
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On September 13, 1851, at the age of 16, she married Levi Thaxter and moved to the mainland, residing first in
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selected "A Memorable Murder" for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American True Crime.
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who taught at Harvard University where he studied insect-associated fungi and Myxobacteria.
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literary and artistic notables to the island and to her parlor, including writers
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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The lost bell. A legend of the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea.
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Poet on demand: the life, letters, and works of Celia Thaxter
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American Women Poets of the Nineteenth Century: An Anthology
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Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary
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giving land pictures; not to mention her musical sonnets on
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Beneath the Second Sun: A Cultural History of Indian Summer
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Studwell, William Emmett; Schueneman, Bruce R. (1999).
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Idyls and pastorals, a home gallery of poetry and art.
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Nineteenth-Century American Women Poets: An Anthology
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was born in 1858, and went on to become a prominent
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The Woman's Story: As Told by Twenty American Women
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Hurst. 893: 567:The Nursery for youngest readers 152: 1161:Works by or about Celia Thaxter 930:. Univ of Massachusetts Press. 904:Holloway, Laura Carter (1889). 136: 761:Studwell & Schueneman 1999 691:Bennett, Paula Bernat (1998). 606:Stories and Poems for Children 585:My lighthouse, and other poems 1: 1141:Resources in other libraries 1117:Resources in other libraries 1071:. Rutgers University Press. 951:. Harvard University Press. 1228:19th-century American poets 1176:(public domain audiobooks) 459:Celia Thaxter in her Garden 425:, where they built a grand 193:Celia Laighton was born in 1284: 1243:People from Kittery, Maine 1029:Thaxter, Rosamond (1962). 1008:Sweeting, Adam W. (2003). 945:Radcliffe College (1971). 598:The poems of Celia Thaxter 490:Thomas Wentworth Higginson 383:Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 349:Return to Appledore Island 1136:Resources in your library 1112:Resources in your library 1042:Vallier, Jane E. (1982). 561:Among the Isles of Shoals 280:, built in 1856 near the 189:Early years and education 179:Among the Isles of Shoals 177:), and her book entitled 151: 118:Among the Isles of Shoals 66:Portsmouth, New Hampshire 41: 1268:American lesbian writers 1253:Poets from New Hampshire 922:Gollin, Rita K. (2002). 799:"Celia Thaxter Timeline" 270:Watertown, Massachusetts 1063:Walker, Cheryl (1992). 305:in 1861 and earned her 1170:Works by Celia Thaxter 1151:Works by Celia Thaxter 734:Radcliffe College 1971 517: 465: 444:The Library of America 361: 265: 250: 18:Celia Laighton Thaxter 612:Woman's heartlessness 512: 457: 357:Thaxter's cottage on 356: 256: 245: 211:Isles of Shoals Light 1238:American women poets 993:. Psychology Press. 528:Good bye, sweet day. 431:Kittery Point, Maine 331:New England Magazine 1037:. Wake-Brook House. 415:William Morris Hunt 395:William Morris Hunt 379:Nathaniel Hawthorne 375:Ralph Waldo Emerson 278:Celia Thaxter House 259:Celia Thaxter House 1258:Writers from Maine 1185:A Memorable Murder 854:Library of America 825:"Rosamond Thaxter" 555:A memorable murder 534:& Elsie Baker) 518: 466: 408:A Memorable Murder 393:, and the artists 362: 266: 251: 246:Thaxter's home in 1093:Library resources 1078:978-0-8135-1791-9 1055:978-0-914339-47-2 1021:978-1-58465-330-1 1000:978-0-7890-0766-7 979:978-1-4766-1252-2 958:978-0-674-62734-5 391:Sarah Orne Jewett 219:Appledore Islands 207:lighthouse keeper 160: 159: 16:(Redirected from 1275: 1248:Poets from Maine 1181: 1180: 1165:Internet Archive 1125:By Celia Thaxter 1082: 1070: 1059: 1048:. P.E. Randall. 1038: 1036: 1025: 1004: 983: 962: 941: 929: 911: 897: 896: 882: 876: 865: 864: 862: 860: 846: 840: 839: 837: 835: 821: 815: 814: 812: 810: 801:. Archived from 794: 788: 782: 776: 770: 764: 758: 752: 746: 737: 731: 714: 708: 697: 696: 688: 677: 671: 665: 659: 650: 647:Scharnhorst 2014 644: 638: 632: 591:An island garden 514:An island garden 437:Death and legacy 359:Appledore Island 308: 302:Atlantic Monthly 156: 140: 138: 114:An Island Garden 83:Appledore Island 79: 62: 60: 46: 32: 21: 1283: 1282: 1278: 1277: 1276: 1274: 1273: 1272: 1198: 1197: 1178: 1147: 1146: 1145: 1122: 1121: 1101: 1100: 1096: 1089: 1079: 1062: 1056: 1041: 1028: 1022: 1007: 1001: 986: 980: 965: 959: 944: 938: 921: 918: 903: 894: 890: 885: 877: 868: 858: 856: 848: 847: 843: 833: 831: 823: 822: 818: 808: 806: 805:on May 19, 2006 797:Mandel, Norma. 796: 795: 791: 783: 779: 771: 767: 759: 755: 747: 740: 732: 717: 709: 700: 690: 689: 680: 672: 668: 660: 653: 645: 641: 633: 629: 625: 619: 617: 507: 498: 452: 439: 351: 339:Our Young Folks 306: 240: 235: 199:Isles of Shoals 191: 171:Isles of Shoals 142: 139: 1851) 134: 130: 87:Isles of Shoals 81: 77: 76:August 25, 1894 64: 58: 56: 55: 37: 28: 27:American writer 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1281: 1279: 1271: 1270: 1265: 1260: 1255: 1250: 1245: 1240: 1235: 1230: 1225: 1220: 1215: 1210: 1200: 1199: 1196: 1195: 1187: 1182: 1167: 1158: 1144: 1143: 1138: 1133: 1127: 1123: 1120: 1119: 1114: 1109: 1103: 1102: 1091: 1090: 1088: 1087:External links 1085: 1084: 1083: 1077: 1060: 1054: 1039: 1026: 1020: 1005: 999: 984: 978: 963: 957: 942: 936: 917: 914: 913: 912: 889: 886: 884: 883: 881:, p. 265. 866: 841: 816: 789: 787:, p. 230. 777: 775:, p. 145. 765: 753: 751:, p. 293. 738: 736:, p. 442. 715: 713:, p. 263. 698: 678: 666: 664:, p. 264. 651: 649:, p. 166. 639: 637:, p. 190. 626: 624: 621: 616: 615: 609: 602: 594: 588: 582: 576: 570: 564: 558: 552: 546: 540: 535: 525: 519: 506: 505:Selected works 503: 497: 494: 451: 448: 438: 435: 350: 347: 239: 236: 234: 231: 213:, and then on 190: 187: 158: 157: 149: 148: 144: 143: 132: 128: 127: 125: 121: 120: 111: 107: 106: 103: 99: 98: 95: 91: 90: 80:(aged 58) 74: 70: 69: 54:Celia Laighton 52: 48: 47: 39: 38: 35: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1280: 1269: 1266: 1264: 1261: 1259: 1256: 1254: 1251: 1249: 1246: 1244: 1241: 1239: 1236: 1234: 1231: 1229: 1226: 1224: 1221: 1219: 1216: 1214: 1211: 1209: 1206: 1205: 1203: 1193: 1192: 1188: 1186: 1183: 1175: 1171: 1168: 1166: 1162: 1159: 1156: 1152: 1149: 1148: 1142: 1139: 1137: 1134: 1132: 1129: 1128: 1126: 1118: 1115: 1113: 1110: 1108: 1105: 1104: 1099: 1098:Celia Thaxter 1094: 1086: 1080: 1074: 1069: 1068: 1061: 1057: 1051: 1047: 1046: 1040: 1035: 1034: 1027: 1023: 1017: 1013: 1012: 1006: 1002: 996: 992: 991: 985: 981: 975: 972:. 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Retrieved 844: 832:. Retrieved 828: 819: 807:. 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Index

Celia Laighton Thaxter

Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Appledore Island
Isles of Shoals

Isles of Shoals
lesbian
Portsmouth
Isles of Shoals
White Island
lighthouse keeper
Isles of Shoals Light
Smuttynose
Appledore Islands
South Boston

Watertown

Celia Thaxter House
Newtonville
Watertown, Massachusetts
Newburyport
Celia Thaxter House
Charles River
Newtonville
Roland
mycologist
Atlantic Monthly

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