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Subject: BOOK REVIEW: Supernaturalism
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 23:44:38 EDT

Supernaturalism of New England by John Greenleaf Whittier with a new
Introduction by W.K. McNeil of The Ozark Folk Center, Mt. View, Arkansas.

(Baltimore: Clearfield Publishing, rpt. from Genealogical Publishing Co.'s
reprint. Paperback. 93 pp. Softcover with two introductions, $13).

One can almost see the New England poet on a winter's evening by the fire
with pen set in hand to retell the stories of the supernatural that entertained
our ancestors. Collected by Whittier as a source for creative writing,
"Supernaturalism of New England" was originally published in 1847, making him one of
the first to record the folklore of our ancestors. Gathering the stories as a
source for creative writing, he was one of the first people to record the
folklore of our ancestors. These tales of ghosts - some said to have appeared as
an omen of coming death - and witches, along with superstitions, reflect the
innocence of the period, giving entertaining pleasure then, as they often do
now.
It's been a while since I've read Whittier's poems, and while a favorite
cannot be chosen, "The Barefoot Boy" brings memories of a great uncle. The
reading of these tales should remind us all to seek out the folklore in our own
family heritage and include one or two in our family history for a future
generation to enjoy.

Reviewed by
Trevia Wooster Beverly
Tejas Publications & Research
Houston, Harris County, Texas

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Whittier, John Greenleaf
One of the best-loved American poets of the 19th century, John Greenleaf
Whittier, [b. Haverhill, Mass., Dec. 17, 1807,d. Sept. 9, 1892] achieved a
national reputation with his nostalgic poem "Snow-Bound" (1866), celebrating the
rural world of New England. A Quaker, Whittier began his career as a journalist
for William Lloyd Garrison, committing himself to the abolitionist cause in the
celebrated pamphlet Justice and Expediency (1833) and thereafter, throughout
the Civil War, in numerous polemics and volumes of patriotic verse. He is best
remembered today for such popular poems as "Maud Muller" (1854), "The Barefoot
Boy" (1855), and "Barbara Frietchie" (1863). The town of Whittier, Calif.,
was named for him in 1887.
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