English Literature
From the Late Renaissance to the Rise of Romanticism
(17th and 18th centuries)
Student: Gheorghe Emilia Facultatea de Litere
-Galati217
1. Illustrate the characteristics of the l7th century lyric through textual ana lysis (open choice from Cavalier and Metaphysical poems). 2. Illustrate the characteristics of Milton’s pre!estoration verse through textual analysis an alysis (open choice). ". Illustrate the characteristics of Milton’s epic poems through textual analysis (open choice). cho ice). #. Illustrate the characteristics of the neoclassical satire through textual analysis (open choice). $. Illustrate the characteristics of the neoclassical essay through textual analysis (open choice). %. Illustrate the characteristics of !estoration drama through textual analysis (open choice). 7. Illustrate the characteristics of the 1&thcentury novel through textual analysis (open choice from the 'ritings of efoe !ichardson *ielding +terne.) &. Illustrate the characteristics of the 1&thcentury novel through textual analysis (open choice from the 'ritings of ,oldsmith -dge'orth urney /usten). /usten). 0. Illustrate the characteristics of the ,othic novel through textual an alysis (open choice) 1. Illustrate the shift from the neoclassical to the romantic cultural matrix through textual analysis (open choice from preromantic poems).
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!he Retreat "# $enr# %aughan %aughan
he primary theme of 3enry 4aughan5s 6he !etreat6 is encapsulated in the title. hile most people loo8 at the 'orld and their lives and 'ant to 8eep moving for'ard the spea8er of this poem 'ants to move 9ac8'ard at least in terms of his spirituality. he spea8er clearly 9elieves that he 'as closest to ,od 'hen he 'as 9orn than at any other time during his life. he reason for that he says is that he has gro'n to set his thoughts on things other than ,od and has developed his sinful nature. his poem is a meditation a9out sin and 'orldly concerns getting in the 'ay of man5s earliest connection to ,od. he first half of the poem is one very long sentence expressing :oy a9out those 'onderful early days of the spea8er5s life. he second half of the poem is similar to the first 9ut instead of :ust thin8ing a9out the happiness of those 6early days6 the spea8er expresses a deep longing to go 9ac8 to them. 3e 'ants to as the title suggests retreat to a 9etter and more enlightened time in his life a time 'hen he 'as closer to ,od. ;nfortunately he cannot do that 9ecause his soul has 9een here on earth too long and is too connected to the pleasures of this 'orld. 3e is no longer a9le to go 9ac8 9ecause the earthly desires of his soul get in the 'ay. It is clear that the spea8er 9elieves that one is closest to ,od in childhood 'hen the connection is closer or perhaps the separation is less. /s 'e gro' older that connection gro's more tenuous and that separation is 'ider. -ven 'orse 9oth of these things are caused 9y our o'n choices to succum9 to temptation and sin. y the time 'e are adults the connection is nonexistent and the separation has 9ecome an uncrossa9le chasm. his is the spea8er5s truth and he is not happy 'ith himself for letting his earth9ound desires get in the 'ay of more spiritual things li8e his connection to ,od and his more eternalminded thoughts. 3e 8no's that he may 9e alone in this 8ind of thin8ing and the last lines of the poem are the 9est reflection of his theme. ;nli8e ;nli8e those 'ho loo8 to the future 'ith anticipation anticipation and al'ays al'ays 'ant to move for'ard for'ard 'ith their lives this spea8er 'ants nothing more than to move 9ac8'ard returning to that earlier state of closeness 'ith ,od. 3e 'ants as the title says to retreat.
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L#cidas "# &ohn 'ilton
6
ust thin8 of a funeral. hile 'e have them to remem9er the dead they are really a9out providing solace for the living. e sho' slidesho's and videos of the deceased. e sing songs and tal8 a9out our ou r memories. It5s all in the name of healing and moving on. o n. ell ell Milton is pretty much saying the same thing. asically in order to get through the grieving p rocess Milton has to invent a story = a pastoral = that helps 8eep his friend alive in his mind. ?ur slidesho's songs stories and ceremonies 'or8 in the same 'ay. 'a y. hey all 6interpose a little ease6 /s a pasto pastora rall elegy elegy 6
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nd on a certain type of poetry. Milton5s 9est 9ud -d'ard ing (
aradise Lost "# &ohn 'ilton
Aaradise
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e never actually see Milton5s ,odD the only real thing Milton says a9out him is that he5s really 9right or that he5s li8e a giant light hidden a'ay some'here. ?ne of the 'ays in 'hich Milton indicates a particular character5s virtue is 9y ho' 69right6 they are. +o for example +atan refers to the 69right confines6 of 3eaven and Milton notes that 6,od is lightF /nd never 9ut in unappr unapproach oachGd Gd lightF lightF 'elt 'elt66 .?ther .?ther refere references nces to ,od5s ,od5s 6glori 6glorious ous 9right 9rightnes ness6 s6 are scatte scattered red throughout the poem. he idea of the 6one man6 is very important in Aaradise esus = he5s not called that yet 9ecause he has yet to 9ecome mortal and assumed that nameD he5s :ust the +on = volunteer to 9ecome mortal and die for man5s sins. Aaradise
'acFlecnoe "# &ohn *r#den
Mac *lec8noe is the poet8ing of the realm of nonsense. /fter many years as ruler ho'ever it comes time for him to step do'n. ;ltimately he chooses his son homas +had'ell a poet of unparalleled dreadfulness as a s his successor. +had'ell is the 'orst 'riter in all the land and thus the perfect man for the :o9. ;pon arriving in the city of /ugust (a.8.a.
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and ready to rule in his father5s footsteps +had'ell is poised to sin8 poetry to an even lo'er level. hat5s a 8ing 'ithout a 8ingdom homas +had'ell is heir to the throne of the 6realm of nonsense6 and this is the fictional setting in 'hich the poem5s action ta8es place. he 6realm of nonsense6 is pretty much exactly ho' you might imagine it to 9eE it is a place defined 9y 9ad poetry 9ad taste and complete s@ualor. ?nly +had'ell the 'orst 'riter in to'n is fit to ta8e over. ohn ryden going really out of his 'ay to call someone stupid. hat 9eing said ryden offers no shortage of hila hilari rious ous :o8e :o8es s :a9s :a9s :ape :apes s and and :est :estss at his his archr archriv ival al hom homas as +had' +had'el ell5 l5ss expe expens nse. e. 3e uses irony irony metaphor puns puns and even +had'ell5s o'n 'riting to cleverly s8e'er his victim easily 'inning this 9attle of 'its. allace +ha'n5s +ha'n5s character in he Arincess ride should have ta8en notes. /ll the great epic epic heroes heroes had a defining characteristic. ;nfortunately for +had'ell his is stupidity. ryden cleverly uses this moc8heroic motif to ma8e +had'ell appear as inept as possi9le. ryden uses a fe' of +had'ell5s o'n lines to point out his shoddiness as a 'riter. 3e5ll do anything for a cheap laugh ryden argues at the expense of good taste and genuine cleverness. hus +had'ell5s plays aren5t really 'or8s of art 9ut merely farces. elcome to the 'orld of 6Mac *lec8noe6 'hich contains more shout outs than sense. ryden thro's out numerous references to the classics including to numerous ,ree8 and !oman stories and myths and myths and the i9le. i9le. 3is entire poetic style is a shout out to the epic epic tradition tradition foll follo' o'in ing g in the the foot footst step epss of 3omer 4irgil 4irgil and and Milton Milton 'hile 'hile employ employing ing Chaucer 5s heroic couplets.. couplets /nd then of course ryden manages to name drop every single frea8ing -nglish literary figure 'ithin 1 years. Most of these references are pretty o9scureD guys li8e >ohn ?gle9y and homas e88er aren5t exactly heavy hitters in ritish literature. ut ryden does remind us of a fe' note'orthy names including the great play'right p lay'right en >onson. >onson.
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reface to Fa"les +ncient and 'odern "# &ohn *r#den
In this Areface ryden deli9erately compares ?vid to Chaucer as he 9elieves these t'o poets have a great deal in common and for this reason he chose to translate examples of the 'or8 of 9oth poets to ena9le his reader of this 'or8 to dra' their o'n conclusions a9out the relative merits of these poets. 3o'ever in his Areface he clearly states that he favours Chaucer over ?vid. ryden is very clear to state that he is 9iased to'ards Chaucer 9ut he also appeals to the reader to support his vie' that Chaucer Chauc er is superior. ryden thus argues that 9oth ?vid and Chaucer are distinguished in their understanding of the different emotions and characteristics 9elonging to humans and 9oth are a9le to create characters so convincing that the reader feels as if they are 8no'n to them personally. 3o'ever the crucial difference for ryden is that the characterisation of Chaucer5s characters are that much more vivid than ?vid5s characterisation as good as it is. ryden therefore 9ases his opinion that Chaucer is superior on this argument even though he states he has 6not time to prove6 it. hat is clear ho'ever is that ryden offers his opinion up to the reader and gives them the chance to ma8e their o'n mind upD the su9se@uent text of 'hich this is the preface includes examples of 9oth poets5 'or8 and the reader is thus free to 6clear6 ryden from 6partiality6 or not as the case may 9e.
!he ,a# of the th e ,orld "# ,illiam ongre.e
illi illiam am Congre Congreve ve is a super superimp import ortant ant play'ri play'right ght of the !estor !estorati ation on period period and a disciple of >ohn ryden5s. 3e is 8no'n for his comedies 'hich catered to the tastes of the timeE 9a'dy and full of sexual innuendo. 3mm. hat sounds soun ds 8ind of li8e comedy today. May9e some comedy themes are timeless
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Congreve5s popularity didn5t last long ho'ever. y the end of the !estoration period in 17 audiences 'ere turning a'ay from the 6Comedies of Manners6 that Congreve specialiBed in and the author pretty much much gave up on theater to'ard the end of his life. e hope he found a ne' old peoplefriendly ho99y ho 99y li8e shuffle9oard. shuffle9oard. Love for Love is Love is a comedy a9out love and money. It involves a romantic triangle 9et'een 4alentine his father +ir +ampson and the 'oman they 9oth fall in love 'ithE /ngelica. hings get really messy 'hen +ir +ampson 'ho is mad at his son for 'asting so much money proposes to /ngelica.;h yeah. hat sounds insanely a'8'ard. Love for Love is Love is a typical !estoration comedy. In it 'e find the usual themes of romance tric8ery and a focus on social class and social hypocrisy. The Way of the World is is considered to 9e Congreve5s most accomplished comedy. It 'as pu9lished right at the end of the !estoration period (in 17) at 'hich point theatrical tastes 'ere 9eginning to change. Congreve5s 'or8 fell out of favor soon after this play 'as performed. It too8 some time 9efore critics 9egan appreciating the 'or8 again. his is another comedy 'hose plot revolves around all sorts of romantic entanglements. he t'o lovers at the center of the playKMira9ell and MillamantK'ant to get married 9ut Millamant5s rich old aunt stands in the 'ay. he play focuses on the t'o lovers5 attempts to get around the aunt. illiam illiam Congreve5s Congreve5s
!om &ones "# $enr# Fielding
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realism that 'ould influence later 'riters such as Charles ic8ens and Mar8 'ain. Lou got itE this novel is om >ones. here are surprisingly fe' sym9ols in om >ones especially given ho' long the novel is. e thin thin8 8 that that part part of the the reas reason on for for this this rela relati tive ve lac8 lac8 of sym9 sym9ols ols is that that *iel *ieldi ding ng 8eeps 8eeps emphasiBing the importance of realism and 9elieva9ility in fiction. ones5s narrator is definitely first person since he says 6I6 all the time. In fact he ma8es references to his real life off the page as 3enry *ielding so 'e 8no' that the narrator is supposed to stand in for the author. (/s an example of the narratorFauthor 9lur chec8 out our notes on Charlotte Cradoc8 *ielding5s first 'ife on our list of 6!eferences.6) ut the narrator does not participate directly in the action of the 9oo8. 3e stands off to the side o9serving and commenting. hat5s 'hy he5s a 6peripheral6 narratorE he tells the story 9ut he5s not part of the central action. his offtotheside point of vie' allo's the narrator to speculate freely a9out 'hy the characters do 'hat they do. ut it also means that he often can5t say 'ith a hundred percent certainty that that he5s right a9out their motivations. +o for example the narrator says he5s not sure if ones is a comedy. /nd 9ecause it5s a classic comedy comedy 'e 8no' that it 'ill end 'ith a marriage and a happilyeverafter happ ilyeverafter for our hero. ones >ones specif specifica ically llyEE om >ones >ones is a picare picares@u s@uee novel. novel. 6Aicar 6Aicares@ es@ue6 ue6 comes comes from from the +panish +panish 'ord picaro meaning rogueD this form of 'riting started out in +pain in the sixteenth century. century. Aicares Aicares@ue @ue novels novels focus focus on lova9l lova9le e attract attractive ive antih antihero eroes es 'ho travel travel around around having having funny funny Page 16
adve advent ntur ures es.. hey hey also also tend tend to 9e supe super rlo long ng and and epis episod odic ic 'ith 'ithou outt the the same same stro strong ng 9eginningFmiddleFend structure that later novels ta8e on. he picares@ue is not really a popular genre no' (may9e 9ecause these 9oo8s get so long)D pro9a9ly the closest 'e come to it 'ould 9e >ac8 eroua erouac5s c5s ?n the !oad !oad.. ut om >ones fits in to this genre 9ecause om ('hile not 9eing a 9ad guy) 'anders around getting into a lot of trou9le much of 'hich is his o'n fault. 3e also li8es to 'ander and he is superattractive. he he 9ig 9ig myst mystery ery at the the star startt of om >one >oness surr surroun ounds ds our our hero5 hero5ss orig origin in stor storyE yE is om really the son of >enny >ones the servant and Mr. Aartridge the former schoolteacher /s an illegitimate child om can5t really expect to inherit a ton of money from +@uire /ll'orthy. he 'hole estate is going to go to the s@uire5s legitimate nephe' lifil. +o 'hat5s going to happen to om 'ho is technically lo'er class 9y 9irth 9ut 'ho is also still 9eing raised as an upperclass gentleman 3o' is he going to find any sta9ility in his life 'hen he is caught 9et'een high and lo' social positions and has no money to his name
ride and re/udice "# &ane +usten
In every single one of her novels /usten is al'ays letting readers follo' the money trail. +ay 'hat you 'ill a9out 'hether it ma8es sense that arcy goes for -liBa9eth there5s never any dou9t that the transfer and flo' of 'ealth is 9eing descri9ed fla'lessly. In Aride and Are:udice money means land o'nership. Most of the plot happens 9ecause people either o'n or don5t o'n the place 'here they live. he 'hole thing starts 9ecause ingley rando randoml mly y decid decides es to rent rent Jeth Jether erfi fiel eld. d. his his means means that that he5s he5s rich rich (9ec (9ecaus ausee he can can affo afford rd that suc8er 9a9y) 9ut that he5s not staying long (since he5s gotta go 9uy an estate of his o'n sometime). Mean'hile the ennets are hustling to get the girls married off 9ecause their house is going straight into Mr. Collins5 poc8et as soon as daddy dearest 8ic8s the 9uc8et and there5s nothing anyone can do a9out it. his is 'hy it5s so a'8'ard 'hen Mr. Collins visits (9ecause it :ust loo8s li8e he5s measuring for ne' drapes) and 'hy he proposes to -liBa9eth (he feels 9ad that he5s going to get the house and 'ants to ma8e it up to them). *inally there5s Aem9erley. Jo' that oneKthat5s o'ned outright 9y arcy 'ithout the stress of anyone coming to ta8e it a'ay and it is :ust heavenly and perfect in every 'ay. Chec8 out the novel5s other housesKthe Collinses5 small house
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he he narr narrat atio ion n typi typical cally ly stay stayss 'ith 'ith -liB -liBa9 a9et eth h alth althou ough gh it occa occasi siona onall lly y offe offers rs us information that -liBa9eth isn5t a'are of (li8e Charlotte5s pursuit of Mr. Collins). his third person vie' lends a cold dimension to the novel in the sense that dialogue opinions ideas and events dominate the story rather than emotions. -liBa9eth is the exception to this ruleKChapter "% for example is devoted entirely to her emotional transformation follo'ing her receipt of arcy5s letter. In contrast even though 'e do often get to hear the thoughts of others it5s usually in shorter less complex 9ursts. ?ne totally cool feature of the 'ay the 9oo8 is narrated is /usten5s use of a tric8y little doodad called 6free indirect discourse.6 his is 'hen a character5s thoughts or spo8en 'ords are reported 'ithout @uotation mar8s (or some other 8ind of indication li8e the phrase 6she thought6 or 6he said6). his lets /usten hoo8 the reader into some of -liBa9eth5s 9ad :udgment. (/nd the 9ad :udgment of 'ell everyone.) ever yone.) 3o' long 'ould 'e have gone along 'ith ic8ham5s lies if it 'eren5t for the 'ay every time he gives some long rationaliBation -liBa9eth5s voice pipes up through the narrator *or *o r example after ic8ham spins his so9 story 'e get this p assageE “Elizabeth allowed that he had given a very rational account of it, and they continued talking together, with mutual satisfaction till supper put an end to cards, and gave the rest of the ladies their share of Mr Mr Wickham!s Wickham!s attentions There could be no conversation in the noise of Mrs "hillips!s supper party, but his manners recommended him to everybody Whatever he said, was said well# and whatever he did, done gracefully$ !eading this novel is 8ind of li8e having a conversation 'ith someone 'ho says snar8y things in a deadpan vo ice 'hile constantly raising her eye9ro'. ut really really /uste /usten n is :ust :ust clearl clearly y amused amused 9y her charac character terss and their their nonsen nonsense se and committed to discretely pointing out their foi9les. It5s not that she hates them 9ut her narrator definitely 8eeps a distance and functions as an o9server 'ho is al'ays el9o'ing the reader to loo8 at the next funny thing. *irst 'e5ve got the overhead vie' meaning the narrator ta8es in the scene and sho's us the ridiculous in all its gloryE it5s funny to try to picture :ust ho' not 6short6 Mr. Collins5 6long speech6 'ould 9e. here5s also that great :o8e in the idea that the proposal is 6settled to the satisfaction of 9oth6 (9ecause the satisfaction is 8ind of pragmatic since Charlotte is Mr. Collins5 third choice and he5s her choice only 9ecause he5s got a :o9 and a house and it 9eats living at mom and dad5s). Jext 'e get to laugh at Mr. Collins more from Charlotte5s point of vie'. -ven though they aren5t in @uotes the 'ords a9out his 6stupidity6 and the lac8 of 6charm6 in his 6courtship6 are clearly her thoughts as he goes on and on in his pompous 'ay. *inally 'e circle 9ac8 around to the narrator moc8ing the characters again as 'e chec8 out ho' Charlotte is going to deal 'ith the fact that she can see ho' a'ful Mr. Collins is. Page 20
(/ns' (/ns'erE erE she5s she5s going going to deal deal 'ith 'ith things things on a purely purely matter matterof offa fact ct 9asis. 9asis.)) Lou can have your +eth Mac*arlaneE Mac*arlaneE this right here is comedy gold. e start start off 'ell. +ir illiam is a 'elloff guy 'ho even gets to ma8e a speech in front of the 8ing. ut chec8 out the long third sentence as the narrator masterfully goes from +ir illiam5s point of vie' (he no' finds actually 'or8ing for a living 6disgusting6 and moves to a house in the country) to an outside perspective on +ir illiam5s gro'ing egotism (all he does no' is 6thin8 'ith pleasure of his o'n importance6) and then finally rounds it off 'ith an amaBing :udgment on the 'ay clim9ing the social ladder creates a useless man out of an industrious one (+ir illiam is free from the 6shac8les6 of his 'or8 and no' :ust spends his time 9eing 6civil6). *unnyK9ut 'e5re not done yet. he pro9lem isn5t really :ust that +ir illiam himself has 9ecome totally purposeless ever since getting his 8nighthood and 9ecoming too high class for his 9usiness. he narrator next expands the issue further pointing to the culture at large 'hich is more than happy to go along 'ith +ir illiam and his ne' attitude. Chec8 out ho' 9ecause he5s all fancy and titled in the eyes of his neigh9ors he gets a fancier ad:ective to descri9e his 9ehaviorE instead of simply 6friendly6 he5s 9ecome 6courteous6 'hich also carries the pun of 6court6 (as in royal court) inside itKthe place 'here +ir illiam has pic8ed up his ne' status).
Franenstein "# 'ar# Shelle#
It though the frame story is exclusively set a9oard Captain alton5s ship in the froBen 'aters of the /rctic the events of the story happen all over -urope from ,eneva to the /lps to *rance -ngland and +cotland + cotland as 'ell as the university at Ingolstadt. he'. etter ma8e sure our passports are still valid.ut for all that 'e travel over half the glo9e *ran8enstein isn5t a travel diary. he most important setting ('e thin8) is still the froBen 'aters of the /rctic for t'o reasonsE(1) eing stuc8 in ice sounds li8e a pretty hellish experience. e5ve never experienced it personally 9ut 'e can guess. +o hellish in fact that it sounds sounds partic particula ularly rly remini reminiscen scentt of ante5s ante5s descri descripti ption on of the nin ninth th and inn innerm ermost ost cir circle cle of 3ell in 3ell in he he Inferno. Inferno. (e feel :ustified :ustified in 9ringing up ante 9ecause +helley has 4ictor 4ictor tell us that the monster 'as 6a thing such as even ante could not have conceived6) ?ur point is ante tells us that the ninth circle of hell is reserved for those 'ho have committed 9etrayal. /ll the sinners are stuc8 in froBen 'ater up to their shoulders or nec8s or Page 22
eyes or 'hatever depending on :ust ho' 9ad their 9etrayal 'as. +atan5s there of course stuc8 in the middle of the la8e and pouting. he 'orst 8ind of 9etrayal ante tells us is 9etrayal against your ,od. /nd isn5t trying to penetrate the secrets of natureKli8e 4ictor and alton doKa 8ind of 9etrayal of ,od (2) ,uess 'ho else gets stuc8 in ice he poor sailors of he !ime of the /ncient Mariner one of the landmar8 poems of Coleridge and ords'orth5s 170& a's..ut +helley 'as a savvy lady and 'e5re pretty sure she 8ne' 'hat she 'as doing. ecause there are so many different narrators the tone shifts slightly throughout the text. alton is a little more reserved and reportorialD *ran8enstein is fatalistic (6estiny 'as too potent6D the monster is enraged. ut everyone seems to agreeE 9ad things are going to happen. ?8ay. 3ands up out there if you did this at least once 'hile reading the 9oo8E (1) rolled your eyes (2) sighed 'ith exasperation (") shouted 6,et over it already -veryone has daddy issues6 or (#) all of the a9ove. Page 24
e hear ya +hmoopers really 'e do. *ran8enstein can 9e a challenging read for modern fol8s. he characters go on and on in complex sentences. hen they aren5t admiring the scenery they5re tal8ing a9out their you 8no' feelings all the time. /nd they do it in 'ays that 'ould ma8e us totally 'al8 out on our friends if they tried to pull that stuff. +till Mary +helley5s 'riting style does serve a purpose. In fact it serves t'o. Jature is a really 9ig deal. Considering that it encompasses everything around us 'e guess that5s 8ind of stating the o9vious. ut for the !omantics Jature 'as a really 9ig deal. ?f course Mary +helley5s hus9and Aercy 'as a leading figure in the !omantic literary movement so she 'ould naturally have 9een similarly influenced 9y the !omantic !omantic vie'point vie'point that the natural 'orld is something to 9e noticed admired and for oooo emo you guys. he !omantics put a premium on the importance of feelings in their 'or8 and Mary +helley is no exception. ?8ay sure 'e5re used to sharing everything from 'hat 'e ate for 9rea8fast to 'ho 'e5re listening to on +potify right no'. ut 'e don5t usually share our deepest thoughts and feelings. (hat5s a @uic8 'ay to get yourself 9loc8ed from most people5s ne'sfeeds.) ut the !omantics 'anted to remind readers that human emotions mattered too. e aren5t :ust rational 9rains 'andering around on t'o legs. egrounded in human experience as evidence of greater truths.
Eleg# ,ritten in a ountr# hurch#ard "# !homas Gra#
,ray5s 6-legy ritten in a Country Churchyard6 ta8es placeKyou guessed itKin a country churchyard. /nd that means that it 'as 'ritten among all the gravestones of the dead mem9ers of that church. It5s shaded 9y elm and ye' trees and there5s an o'l hooting in the 9ac8ground. +poo8y right ut it5s not supposed to 9e a spoo8y poemKthis isn5t isn5t a9out dead people coming 9ac8 to haunt the living it5s a9out ho' the living remem9er the dead. /nd as the spea8er imagines 'hat these dead people5s lives 'ere li8e the setting of the poem shiftsKthe spea8er imagines their everyday lives in their country cottages. Most of these people 'ere farmers so he imagines them plo'ing their fields and coming home to their 'ives and children at night. ut then the spea8er imagines 'hat people 'ill say a9out him 'hen he dies and the setting of the poem shifts again. Jo' 'e5re in the shoes of some passer9y 'ho happens to see the name of the poet on a gravestone and happens to as8 someone 'hat he 'as li8e. he spea8er imagines that he5ll 9e remem9ered mostly as a thoughtful guy 'ho loved nature 'ho 'as often seen lost in thought under a tree or 9y the cree8. Page 26
+o in spite of the poem5s title the setting really isn5t creepyto'n. he emphasis is on the average average everyday everyday simple simple 6country6 part of the setting. here are lots of trees and cree8s cree8s and farms and no ghosts in the graveyard at allKunless you count the memories of the past that 'e all carry 'ith us. he spea8er of 6-legy ritten in a Country Churchyard6 is a thoughtful pensive guy. 3e li8es to 9e alone. /t night. In graveyards. +o that he can thin8 a9out death. ,ood times. ut you 8no' the type right Lou might find someone li8e this spea8er in your local coffee shop 'earing all 9lac8 and may9e :ust a tad too much eye ma8eup reading Camus or +artre and thin8ing deep deep thoughts. ut there5s more to this spea8er than his argua9ly mor9id tendency to hang out in graveyards. 3e 'ants to ma8e sure that 'e all remem9er the lives of people 'ho lived 9efore us even the lives of simple country fol8s li8e the ones 9uried in the churchyard 'here the poem ta8es place. 3e 'ants to 9e conscious of the 'ay that he himself 'ill 9e remem9ered after he5s dead and gone and that means thin8ing carefully a9out ho' other people see him no'.
+ure this might seem mor9id 9ut the spea8er seems to 'ant to set himself apart from the 8ind of rich sno99y people 'ho :ust care a9out erecting huge monuments and mausoleums in their o'n honor after they die. Instead he 'ants to leave something less concrete 9ehind him in the memories of the people that he cares a9out. ,ray ,ray only only pu9l pu9lis ishe hed d his his most most famo famous us poem poem 6/n 6/n -leg -legy y ritte itten n in a Coun Countr try y Churchyard6 after some hac8 pu9lishers got hold of a copy and tried to pu9lish it 'ithout his permission. ,ood thing for us that they did or the 'orld might never have seen this poem 4arious famous 'riters and critics have argued a9out ,ray5s use of language since the time he 'as 'riting. +amuel >ohnson (yeah the guy 'ho 'rote the first ictionary of the -nglish language) once said that homas ,ray had t'o languagesE a pu9lic and a private language. Aoems 'ritten in his private language li8e the 6-legy6 'ere considered 'aaaaay 9etter. illiam ords'orth (yeah the poet 'ho 'rote 6intern /99ey6) said in his 6Areface to
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