On this day in history, June 11, 1920, Irving Howe was born. To celebrate his birth I turned to the American National Biography which led me to an entry by Shirley Laird. The ANB offers portraits of more than 17,400 men and women – from all eras and walks of life – whose lives have shaped the nation. Learn about Irving Howe below.
Howe, Irving (11 June 1920-5 May 1993), literary critic and historian, was born in New York City, the son of David Howe and Nettie Goldman, grocery store operators and later garment workers. Irving Howe was married twice, first to Arien Hausknecht, with whom he had two children, and later to Ilana Wiener.
Howe became a socialist at fourteen, joining a faction led by Leon Trotsky. He graduated from City College of New York in 1940, claiming that he spent more time talking to fellow radicals than he spent in class. He completed a year and a half of graduate study at Brooklyn College before being drafted into the army in 1942; he served in Alaska for two or three years. When he returned to New York after the war, he began to publish articles in the Partisan Review, Commentary, and the Nation. In 1953 he founded Dissent, a political and literary journal that he edited for many years. In that year he became an associate professor of English at Brandeis University and also was appointed a Kenyon Review fellow. Leaving Brandeis in 1961, he spent 1961 to 1963 as a professor of English at Stanford University. From 1963 to 1970 he was professor of English at Hunter College of the City University of New York, where he was named in 1970 Distinguished Professor of English.
Howe wrote or contributed to more than forty books, the most noteworthy of which are works of literary criticism. His first study, Sherwood Anderson (1952), was an analysis of Sherwood Anderson’s work and a rebuttal of Lionel Trilling’s assault on the realist movement in modern literature. Howe reveals himself a capable historian in his portrait of Anderson’s childhood in Ohio, and he is charitable in dealing with Anderson’s indistinctness and sentimentality. Howe’s next book, William Faulkner: A Critical Study (1952), provides a sensible and balanced preface to William Faulkner. Another high point of Howe’s literary career is Thomas Hardy: A Critical Study (1967), particularly his interpretation of Hardy’s Jude the Obscure.
Howe’s political writing includes a wide variety of subjects: Politics and the Novel (1957); The Critical Point: On Literature and Culture (1973); Trotsky (1978); and The American Newness: Culture and Politics in the Age of Emerson (1986). Based on three lectures on Ralph Waldo Emerson that Howe gave at Harvard University in 1985, The American Newness reflects his earlier optimism and pays tribute to some of his heroes such as Marx, Trotsky, and Ben-Gurion. One of Howe’s most enduring pieces is an essay published in Commentary in 1968, “The New York Inte
1. Heracles (Hercules)
When Heracles was born, he made enemies with Hera, one of the most powerful gods of Greek Mythology. When Heracles was a baby, Hera sent two serpents down upon him, but Heracles crushed both of them with his bare hands. As Heracles enters manhood, he accomplishes the impossible “Labours of Heracles”. Heracles eventually dies when the centaur, Nessus tricks his wife into poisoning him. During his moments of life, Heracles makes a funeral pyre for himself. As the flames engulfed this legendary hero, Zeus lifts his son up into the sky and Heracles takes his rightful place as a God of Olympus.
Heracles Crushing the Serpents
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Heracles Wrestling Cerebus, the Guard of the Underworld
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2.Thor
This warrior god of Norse Mythology was the son of the “mighty Odin”, king of gods. Thor is one of the most powerful gods of Asgard. Thor wields a short hammer called Mjolnir which has the ability to launch thunderbolts and it magically returns to the wielder whenever it is thrown. Thor travels around in a magical chariot that scorches the Earth as it soars through the sky. Thor is also known as a dangerous enemy toward the giants.
Thor Fights the Giants
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Marvel’s Adaption of Thor
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3. Achilles
This hero of the Trojan Wars is one of the most well known figures of Greek Mythology. Achilles was the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus. When Achilles was a child, Thetis dangled Achilles on a mystical fire and started to burn away her son’s mortal half, her practice was interrupted by Peleus who was appalled at the sight. Thetis successfully burned away most of Achille’s mortal half except one small weakness, her son’s heel. Achilles set out to the Trojan War and won many victories for the Greeks. Achilles challenged Hector, prince of Troy to a duel and defeated him. After this event, he dragged Hector’s around Troy refusing to bury the warrior. This action offended the Gods and it eventually lead to his downfall. Paris, Hector’s brother shot an arrow guided by the god Apollo into Achilles’s heal. Then the great warrior fell, never to rise again.
Achilles Offends the Gods
- Note: Prince Hector’s dead body
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Death of Achilles
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4. Robin Hood
This legendary outlaw of English folklore known by people everywhere. Robin Hood is mainly known for his adventures with his outlaw group, the “Merry Men”. Robin Hood is known to have lived in the Sherwood Forest of Nottingham-shire. He is known mainly for his “stealing from the rich, and saving the poor.” Robin Hood is known as a skilled archer and in many tales, the enemy of the sheriff. Whether this figure is real or not, he has clearly earned a place in the top 5 mythical figures.
The Memorial of Robin Hood
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The Classic Disney Adaption of Robin Hood
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5. King Arthur
King Arthur, the legendary leader of the Britons is a classic symbol of chivalry and the Medieval Age. According to most Medieval histories and romances, he lead the defense of Britain from the Saxons during the 6th century. Many mystical figures surround the tales of King Arthur such as the wizard Merlin, the enchantress Moran Le Fay, and the mysterious Lady of the Lake. Arthur also wields the infamous Excalibur which makes the user win every duel and its scabbard enables the user to be invincible. At peak of his power, Arthur established the Round Table and the mystical kingdom of Camelot prospered. Arthur’s kingdom eventually fell after knights were corrupted and the king passed away.
King Arthur and the Holy Grail
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King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake
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