author
Hiram Corson
1828–1911
A pioneering American literature professor, he helped shape the study of English at Cornell and became especially known for bringing poetry to life through reading aloud. His work centered on writers like Shakespeare and Robert Browning, with a strong belief that literature should be heard as well as studied.
2 Audiobooks
The Voice and Spiritual Education
by Hiram Corson
An Introduction to the Study of Robert Browning's Poetry
by Robert Browning, Hiram Corson
About the author
Born on November 6, 1828, in Pennsylvania, Hiram Corson built a long career as a teacher, lecturer, and literary scholar. Before joining Cornell, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution's library and later taught in Philadelphia and at St. John's College in Annapolis.
In 1870 he joined Cornell University, where he taught English language and literature for more than three decades and became one of the university's early influential humanities professors. He was widely associated with the study of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Tennyson, and especially Robert Browning, and he was remembered for emphasizing the spoken power of poetry in the classroom.
Corson also wrote books on literature and criticism, and his papers at Cornell show the breadth of his interests and correspondence across the literary world of his time. He died on June 15, 1911, leaving behind a reputation as a devoted teacher who helped give literary study a lasting place in American higher education.