author
Hiram Corson
1828–1911
A pioneering Cornell literature professor, he helped shape the teaching of English in American universities and became known for bringing poetry to life through spoken interpretation.
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 in Philadelphia on November 6, 1828, he worked as a teacher and also held posts at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian before moving fully into academic life. In 1870 he joined Cornell University, where he taught rhetoric, Anglo-Saxon, and English literature, and later became professor emeritus.
He was especially associated with Shakespeare, Browning, and the art of reading literature aloud. His books and lectures stressed the sound, feeling, and performance of poetry, which made him an influential and distinctive voice in literary study.
He died in Ithaca, New York, on June 15, 1911. Cornell preserved his papers, and his long career is remembered as part of the university's early intellectual history.