On April 5, 1840, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow…yes, that Henry Longfellow, entertaining two dinner guests. The first, Reverend Horace Connolly, you’ve probably never heard of. The second, you probably have. Nathaniel Hawthorne…yes, that Nathanial Hawthorne, had brought Connolly to meet Longfellow for one specific reason, to repeat a story. A tragic story. A true, almost forgotten story that happened over 85 years prior.
Hawthorne wasn’t interested in writing anything about the story, but he thought that Longfellow might. He guessed correctly because Wadsworth would publish an epic poem based on it called Evangeline. Sales of Evangeline were so brisk, that Longfellow became the most famous writer in America.
Evangeline is based on an event that happened over 260 years ago—a tiny blip in history that many people don’t know about. But the story that Horace Connolly told Longfellow has significance for this audience because without it, Griddlecakes Radio might not exist. Why you ask? Well, sit back and listen to a story that I call, the Evangeline Connection.
The music in this podcast comes from Kevin MacLeod. who releases all of his music under a Creative Commons license. In order of appearance are:
- Angel Share
- String Impromptu #1
- Floating Cities
- Gymnopedie
- Danse Macabre