Thomas Bulfinch
Thomas Bulfinch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 15, 1796 Newton, Massachusetts |
| Died | May 27, 1867(aged 70) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Banker, writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Subject | Mythology and Fable |
Thomas Bulfinch(July 15, 1796 – May 27, 1867[1]) was an American author born inNewton, Massachusetts,known best forBulfinch's Mythology,a posthumous combination of his three volumes of mythologies.
Life[edit]
Bulfinch belonged to a well-educated merchant family of modest means.[2]His father wasCharles Bulfinch,the architect of theMassachusetts State Housein Boston and parts of theU.S. CapitolinWashington, D.C.
Bulfinch attendedBoston Latin School,Phillips Exeter AcademyandHarvard College,from which he graduated in 1814. His main career was with the Merchants' Bank of Boston.
Bulfinch's Mythology[edit]
Bulfinch published a reorganized version of the biblical book ofPsalmsto illustrate the history of the Hebrews. However, he is known best as the author ofBulfinch's Mythology,an 1881 compilation of his three previous works:
- The Age of Fable,or Stories of Gods and Heroes(1855)
- The Age of Chivalry, or Legends ofKing Arthur(1858)
- Legends ofCharlemagne,or Romance of the Middle Ages(1863)
Bulfinch's Mythologyis a classic work of popularized mythology, the standard for more than a century and still in print. The compilation, assembled posthumously byEdward Everett Hale,includes various stories belonging to the mythological traditions known as theMatter of Rome,theMatter of Britainand theMatter of France,respectively. Bulfinch wrote in his preface:
"Our work is not for the learned, nor for the theologian, nor for the philosopher, but for the reader of English literature, of either sex, who wishes to comprehend the allusions so frequently made by public speakers, lecturers, essayists, and poets, and those which occur in polite conversation."
The original volume was dedicated toHenry Wadsworth Longfellow,and Bulfinch described it on the title page as an "attempt to popularize mythology and extend the enjoyment of elegant literature". In his preface he outlined his purpose, which was
- "an attempt to solve this problem, by telling the stories of mythology in such a manner as to make them a source of amusement. We have endeavored to tell them correctly, according to the ancient authorities, so that when the reader finds them referred to he may not be at a loss to recognize the reference. Thus we hope to teach mythology not as a study, but as a relaxation from study; to give our work the charm of a story-book, yet by means of it to impart a knowledge of an important branch of education. The index at the end will adapt it to the purposes of a reference, and make it a Classical Dictionary for the parlor."
His obituary noted that the contents were "expurgated of all that would be offensive".
The versions Bulfinch gives for the classical myths are those inOvidandVirgil.His Norse myths are abridged from a work byPaul Henri Mallet(1730–1807), a professor at Geneva, translated byBishop Thomas PercyasNorthern Antiquities[3](London, 1770, often reprinted).
Bulfinch's versions of these myths are still being taught in many American public schools. Marie Sally Cleary, inThe Bulfinch Solution: Teaching the Ancient Classics in American Schools(1990), describes the book in the context of "democratizing" classical culture for a wider Americanantebellumreadership. The Bulfinch retellings were largely superseded in American high schools byEdith Hamilton's works on mythology, which were based directly on classical Greek texts.[4]
Notes[edit]
- ^His obituary is printed in full in Marie Cleary, “A Book of Decided Usefulness: Thomas Bulfinch’s ‘The Age of Fable,’”The Classical Journal75.3 (February 1980) (pp. 248-249).
- ^"Literary King's Chapel".KING'S CHAPEL.Retrieved2022-04-18.
- ^In full,Northern Antiquities: or, a Description of the Manners, Customs, Religion and Laws of the Ancient Danes, And Other Northern Nations; Including Those of Our Own Saxon ancestors. With a translation of theEdda,or system ofrunicmythology, and other pieces, from the ancientIslandic tongue.(London, 1770).
- ^Cleary 1980:248.
References[edit]
- Marie Sally Cleary,Myths for the Millions. Thomas Bulfinch, His America, and His Mythology Book.Kulturtransfer und Geschlechterforschung, 4. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2007. pp. xvi, 414.
External links[edit]
- Thomas Bulfinchat the Database of Classical Scholars
Works by or aboutThomas BulfinchatWikisource- Works by Thomas Bulfinch in eBook formatStandard Ebooks
- Works by Thomas BulfinchatProject Gutenberg
- Works by or about Thomas BulfinchatInternet Archive
- Works by Thomas BulfinchatLibriVox(public domain audiobooks)
- The Age Of Fable.Fully illustratedat theWayback Machine(archived February 6, 2010)
- The three works ofBulfinch's MythologyatThe University of AdelaideLibrary
- Thomas BulfinchatFind a Grave
