Thomas Bulfinch, the American writer, is credited as being the person who made European mythology accessible to the common people in America. Such was the popularity of his works that till today, along with other classics such as “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Pilgrims Progress,” his book “The Age of Fable” is regarded as essential reading in order to understand the significance of religious mythology in European culture.
Bulfinch was born on July 15, 1796 at Newton, Massachusetts. He was the son of Charles and Hannah Bulfinch. The family belonged to Boston. Charles Bulfinch was a famous architect. He had designed the Massachusetts State House. The family of Thomas Bulfinch saw a reversal in its fortunes in the year he was born because of bad financial investments.
Thomas Bulfinch’s family was well-educated and respected and therefore even though they were not well off financially, Bulfinch received education at some of America’s premier institutions, such as Boston Latin School and Harvard College, from where he graduated in 1814.
Bulfinch tried his hand at various businesses without much success. In 1837, he landed a job as a clerk at the Merchant’s bank of Boston. He served in that position until he died. During the 1840’s, he was also the Secretary of the Boston Society of Natural History. His work did not make heavy demands on his time and it was during this period that he took up writing part-time.
Bulfinch stayed in a boarding house at Bowdoin Square in Boston. His room has been described as that of a student by his niece Ellen Susan Bulfinch. He was a voracious reader and his room usually had volumes of European classics strewn all over.
Bulfinch was a bachelor throughout his life. He lived all his life in Boston, except for a short time when he lived with his parents in Washington. After his working hours and a quick dinner, his time was spent researching classical myths and legends. He even went to the extent of corroborating the notes that he wrote with other mentions in literature and art.
Bulfinch wrote with the aim of making the mythologies accessible in a manner that provided information about an important branch of study and did so in a manner that the lay people found appealing. In this regard, he was different from his contemporaries, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne who adapted the myths to suit the reader’s tastes. Bulfinch always maintained his integrity with the classical sources of his knowledge.
Thomas Bulfinch began writing quite late in life. He wrote his first book, Hebrew Lyrical History when he was working on a religious text for Kings Chapel. The book was published in 1853.
In Hebrew Lyrical History, he has rearranged the Psalms in chronological order and has linked them to actual events in Jewish history. He was of the opinion that by doing this, he would be able to better involve the reader in the reading and it would help the reader to understand Jewish history better. Bulfinch wrote not for the theologian or the learned men but for the common person who had a love for English literature.
Bulfinch achieved literary success only in the 1850’s. His writing style was such that it combined the classical mythology with a contemporary outlook. It was a mix of useful knowledge and pleasurable information. He incorporated the phrases and idioms of the day into his narration. This technique of writing that he used was later expanded by John Dewey, who referred to it as the concept of “indirect interest.”
“The Age of Fable,” which was first published in 1855, is one of his most famous works. It is a part of a trilogy that also includes “Legends of Charlemagne” and “The age of Chivalry.” These three works together comprise Bulfinch’s Mythology.
The classical Greek and Roman myths that are present in Bulfinch’s Mythology are based on the works of writers such as Virgil. For Norse mythology, Bulfinch chiefly relied on Northern Antiquities by Mallet.
Bulfinch’s Mythology was devoid of sensationalist content like sex, gratuitous violence, and unfavorable remarks on particular ethnicities. In the book “The Age of Fable,” Bulfinch has included one hundred and eighty eight passages of myth ology related poetry, this was because in those days poetry and mythology were closely linked and one of Bulfinch’s objectives was to enlighten people so that they could understand poetry better and also recognize the references that speakers and writers often made and which had a mythological context.
In America, generations of school goers had their first introduction to mythology when they read Bulfinch. In fact, even today Bulfinch’s Mythology is part of the school curriculum in several American High Schools.
Bulfinch died on 27 May 1867. His body of work is important not only because it served to educate generations but also because it offers invaluable insight into the culture of 19th century American society.
