Pre-1900 s Poetry Comparison to a Prose Text : 14 poems

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1 Pre-1900 s Poetry Comparison to a Prose Text : 14 poems Structuring a poetry essay: Introduction -mention poems, brief overview of view of love presented within these and your prose text. Main Paragraphs: Link to the question in what form of love is presented. Is it a typical or atypical presentation for the time period and for the collection? How has the historical/social/cultural context of the poem influenced the poet? What are the language methods/techniques? Are the methods used to present the speaker typical when you consider the whole anthology? How does the structure and form support the viewpoint and the language used? Make a link to compare to Prose text or to another poem ( 2/3 poems overall) Key Terms : Also useful for unseen poetry comparison. Sonnet thoughts and feelings, allow creative tension associated with love poetry, became clichés Shakespeare Metaphysical absurd and complex arguments, hyperbolic, metaphors, intellectually stimulating Sexist and domineering attitudes Donne and Marvell. Cavalier Poets- supported royalist cause during the civil war, upper class life, carpe diem Lovelace Restoration Poetry Oppressive regime of Cromwell ended and morals loosened. Wilmott. Romantic Poetry- 17th to 18th century,nature often influences, complex ideas about love, simple language Burns, Keats and Byron. Victorian Poetry 18th 19th century can be earnest in values or more modern. Rosetti. Shakespearean Sonnet- Iambic pentameter, 3 verses, 4 lines each, then a couplet. Petrachan/Italian sonnet- Octave( 8 lines) and sestet (6 lines) Dramatic monologue no dialogue, assumed voice of narrator, direct reader address. Metaphysical logic to explain unexplainable, extended metaphor, intellectual,argumentative. Ballad- song that tells a story, simple language, certain phrases repeated. Elegy- rhyming couplets, sadness Lyric- short and song like, work out feelings, direct reader address.

2 Poem- Sonnet 116- Shakespeare Whoso list to hunt, I know where there is a Hynde- Wyatt View of Love- Idealistic Unrealistic, Naive, Romantic Contrasting typical male mysogynistic attitudes Forbidden, Unrequited, Obsessive, Mysogynistic Language- Structure and Form- Context- Link to Prose/Other Poems- Remover to remove - Polyptoton- Shakespearean Sonnet- 14 lines- 3 Written in the 1600 s, and is (repetition of words from same route quatrains and a rhyming couplet which often read at weddings, hugely but different endings ) suggests that may be a volta. popular. love is constant it will not change the The sonnets do not have titles same way that appearances do. Volta- Change in tone in couplet, and are generally referred to by Metaphor of natural elements- defensive and challenging, tone of their number in the sequence in Tempest - Love is unchanging, even in superiority. He knows that he has written which they were first published. stormy weather/through difficult times. poetry, and that men have loved in the Star love is unchanging and a guiding past. It remains questionable how eternal light in the sky. much the sonnets actually have Rosy Lips and cheeks - Time can take to do with Shakespeare s life to away beauty and youth, but not love what extent they can be read as Edge of doom - Hyperbole, power of autobiographical or to what love, lasts beyond death. extent they are in fact fictions, Personification of time as a foole written to impress. Caesars I ame - thought to be Henry 8 th, plural so multiple powerful men, status of women in society. Greek /Roman God Artemis/Diana Sacred animal is a deer, she is the goddess of hunting, also virginity. Trochaic substitution -(iambic rhythm is reversed) places emphasis on this opening line: sense that the speaker is delivering a purposeful & important message. Regular rhyme scheme, regularity of message. Petrarchan Sonnet Octave, Sestet 1 st Person male perspective, traditionally associated with love poetry, but the way the women is objectified would not be considered to be love for a modern reader. Link to view of love presented in other plays : such as Othello and Rome and Juliet. Written in the 1500 s- Henry the 8 th and Anne Boleyn in the Tudor period, divorce allowed for men. Wyatt was executed for riot against queen Mary. The Flea- Donne Selfish, Manipulative, Metaphysical, Jealousy, Male dominance. Hyperbolic- Sin in killing three Imperatives, urgency, needs to win argument. Metaphysical conceit - extended metaphor where the objects of comparison have no apparent connection, the Flea. Argumentative, intellectual. 3 Stanzas, 3 lines- holy trinity, God as authority for sex. Dramatic monologue- silent listener is the women, he speaks for her. Rhyming couplets - each time we get a new rhyme, we're also getting a new idea. The rhyme words are very simple, usually limited to one syllable: Pairs "me," "thee," and "be" at the end of the poem. He 1500 s s Metaphysical poetry - when the sonnet was typical. The poetry is about the profound areas of experience especially love. Poetry never published in his life.

3 manages to unite the couple in rhyme, if not in real life. To his coy mistress- Marvell Selfish, Manipulative, Seduction Personification hear times winged chariot We will make him run. Biblical Language- I would love you ten years before the flood Enjambment being chased by time. Dramatic monologue- like we are eavesdropping on an important conversation. Rhyming couplets and Iambic tetrameterformality reflects careful argument, but juxtaposes carpe diem (Seize the day) attitude. Metaphysical poem- imagery is used to convey complex ideas. Religious references to convince the women, such as the flood. The Ruined Maid - Hardy Naturalistic, Female attitudes/voi ce Atypical male view on women for era. Barriers to love, Social attitudes/ expectations Satirises dilemma facing country girls. Melia is the ironic pun as her name is latin for better, one of the only poems in the collection with a name. Alliteration attention to contrast of shoes / socks and bracelets / bright feathers different lifestyles and the cost of these. Explores women s limited choices, either morally ruined of financially/physically. Dramatic duologue- between two women indoctrinated by world they live in. Rhyming couplet- forced bluntness. Structure and speech makes it seem more light hearted then it is. Context: Victorian England may seem strict /moral, but drug taking, violent crime, prostitution, adultery all went on, only hidden. It was usually accepted /expected that men had sex outside marriage but women who did this were called fallen women and considered ruined. They were often shunned by polite society, banished from their families, or left without support, money or connections. Hardy was a Victorian realist, influenced by the Romantics and highly critical of what he considered to be a declining society. He was particularly focused on rural society and his novels explore tragic characters struggling against their social circumstances and passions. At an inn- Hardy Platonic, Romantic, Forbidden. Society s expectations and attitudes. Regretful/ Nostalgic. Colloquial dictation, similar to the Ruined Maid. Strangers sought -Sibilance = playful tone/fluidity of events Us more than friends -The dash suggests that, despite the assumptions of the people at the inn, there is a distance between the speaker and the woman. O severing sea and land, The regular rhyme scheme gives the poem a sense of completion, contrasting with the language that suggests the relationship never met its potential. Hardy does not deny the woman in his poem a voice, but he does assume that he knows her feelings and that he can speak for her. In doing so, he objectifies her like many of the earlier male poets-critical quote. Hardy s writing formed bridge between Victorian and modernism explored the hypocrisy of society. Wrote Tess of D Urbervilles- also received negative reviews for being pessimistic and preoccupied with sex. About Florence Henniker- visited Winchester with her, despite

4 O laws of men, - cries of regret, separated by social attitudes/expectations. having a wife, wanted more than just friendship. The Scrutiny- Lovelace Selfish, Objectifying, Male Attitudes. Social attitudes/ expectations towards women. Lady it is already morn lady is a trochee. Subtly alters Iams. If they have had sex, she has lost her honour is she a lady any longer? The speaker wants the woman to be promiscuous but he also requires her to be chaste, attitudes towards women. I must all other beauties wrong - The word beauties refers to women and reinforces their objectification by the speaker. All other suggests the scale of his plans. Like skilful minimalists that sound For treasure in unploughed-up ground - euphemism for virginity in women, objectification of women, women s role. Dramatic monologue structured like an argument. We do not hear the woman s voice, only the (male) speaker s. Lovelace is presenting an argument so, like him, he uses a regular rhyme scheme and meter.each stanza develops the speaker s argument. This gives it a sense of being calculated. Cavalier Poet- Supported the King, who in return supported their arts most were courtiers and their poetry was to be read at court. The term was originally applied to this group of poets as an insult, suggesting they were roistering gallants but it was claimed by those who supported Charles I. The poems were written as light and polished verse, usually as songs, allegorical references. They were intended to promote the crown or amuse the court, often romantic, bordering on erotic. A Song- (Absent from thee)- Wilmott Selfish, inconstant Ev'n sated with variety.final image is one of greed, gluttony and selfishness. He will return to the woman when he has had enough of the variety of other women, when he is sated, and if she is proven to be the most pleasant of them all. May I, contented, there expire.-he can breathe easily.he can die happy. Connotations of sexual climax. The word may suggests he is wishing for this, but not that he is actively choosing it. Faithless to thee, false, unforgiven And lose my everlasting rest. - The harsh f sounds are almost curse-like, the self-loathing of the speaker. The final consequence of his infidelity. He Form is a Restoration song: with Quatrains, ABAB rhyme scheme, Iambic tetrameter Ambiguous argues his infidelity is foolish and that it causes him mental torture and ultimate damnation but he also suggests he is unlikely to change and that he is choosing to act this way, typicality? Restoration After 19 years of exile, Charles II took the throne and the monarchy was restored. Theatres reopened after having been closed, Puritanism lost its momentum. The Merry Monarch, liveliness and hedonism, the general relief at the return to normality after over a decade of rule by Oliver Cromwell.

5 will lose: The contentment of being with his true love and His afterlife in heaven. Garden of Love - Blake Idealistic, Shameless, Religious. Barriers to love. Connotations of Green fertility, freedom. Black gowns - colour juxtaposition of death and decay. Thou shalt not, Gates of the chapel were shut - organised religion forbids natural pleasure. Spondees are also used to contrast tomb-stones against flowers, which metaphorically juxtapose death and life. The lack of rhyme in the last stanza, which also contains the longest lines, serves to emphasize the death and decay that have overtaken a place that once used to hold such life and beauty for the speaker. Arguments against religion not typical for time period. The Chapel, a symbol of corruption in the Church,dominates civilians into the restrictive, mechanical pattern of eighteenth century life and beliefs, Blake questions the morality of religion. Song ( ae fond kiss ) - Burns Selfless, Romantic Love and Loss Ae fond kiss, and then we sever This is a fond farewell and he wishes his love all the best. The pain is in the parting. Repetition of the first verse with addition of Alas, nothing has changed for the speaker: this is a goodbye, not a plea for change. It is a Scottish Folk song, more commonly known as a Scots song. Therefore, the terminology used in the poem is more rhyming rather than being appropriate, for it to flow well like a song. For example, the term Ae is rhymed with hay. This song was originally set to music. Features Strong vowels, link to Burns Scottish roots. Burns was a frequent traveller to Edinburgh and spent a considerable amount of time there. During his stay there, he established a non-sexual and non-physical, platonic love affair. He wrote the poem after his final meeting with her on before she left Edinburgh and moved back with her estranged husband in Jamaica.

7 She walks in beauty - Byron Idealistic,/ Unrealistic Forbidden, Romantic, Objectifying She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies - Hyperbolic praise of beauty, The sibilance of this line creates a sense of fluidity.the second line has two contrasting elements (dark/light) perfectly balanced. The alliteration here gives the line a musicality (this poem was originally set to music) and a sense of harmony. Raven trees another convention turned on its head; conventional beauty of the time was blonde/fair. It also allows him to compare this to the lightening of her face, but this is the second time Byron has opted for dark as beauty rather than light. Women s beauty is effortless, as shown in the structure. Enjambment- breathless at beauty. Line four starts with a stressed syllablemetrical inversion, the usual metre is inverted or reversed. This inversion allows the regularity of the rest of the poem to become more obvious, drawing attention to the perfect balance of the woman in the same way. Romanticism was a artistic movement (literature, music, the visual arts, etc.) which dominated European culture. Romanticism had many key features among which were: a recognition of the influence of the senses and of personal emotion that the heart (emotion) is considered more powerful than the head (logic/reason) an understanding of the deep power of the natural world All of these are features of Byron s poem. Byron is believed to have been inspired to write the poem after seeing a woman with very good looks at a fashionable London party. His poem is, a personal one which responded to a personal situation.

8 Remember -Rosetti Selfless, Romantic, Controlling, Love and Loss Barriers to love. Female attitudes. Remember me,but not too much or you ll be sad. Remember me - imperative, repetition like a refrain. Changes to only remember - The modification of remember reflects her loosening grip on the idea that she must be remembered, her movement towards allowing him to forget and be happy. the silent land - the gives it a sense of importance, leading to an understanding that this is heaven,euphemism for death. When you can no more hold me by the hand,nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. - Repetition of turn reinforces that she cannot turn from death. She cannot change her mind and stay. The cyclical nature of this rhyme scheme reflects the cyclical nature of the poem: things always come back to where they started. Life > death > life after death (in the form of memory). The regularity of the iambic pentameter reinforces the sense of control the speaker attempts to establish. Petrarchan sonnet Octave and a sestet. Yet if you should forget me for a while - The speaker s tone change: she gives up the need to be remembered. The sestet sees her wish her beloved happiness, even if that means she is forgotten s Victorian Poet Those she loved did not share her religion. We hear finally hear the voice of a woman. We know that woman in Victorian society were expected to play a passive role, subject to the control of dominant men. But, we can take an alternative reading of the poem that the speaker is possessed and controlled by the unnamed male. La belle dame sans merci - Keats The beautiful lady without mercy. Romantic, Courtly, Love and Loss Alone and pailey loitering foreboding and lonely Harvest - autumn, death and decay, euphemisms for death And made sweet moan.- erotic encounter The beautiful lady without pity is a popular character in folk tales, classical literature, Renaissance poetry and medieval ballads. She is a femme fatale, a siren, a Circe-like figure who attracts lovers only to destroy them with her supernatural powers. A ballad is an old fashioned form of poem that typically tells a story. They were meant to be performed out loud, sound like songs. The rhythm of the words, the rhyme scheme, the alliteration and repetition give them a music-like harmony. Keats uses a number of stylistic features of the ballad, such as simplicity of language, repetition and absence of detail. In line with tradition, Keats does not identify his questioner, or the knight, or the lady. Like some of the old ballads, it deals with the supernatural. Keats uses a questionand-response form. Romantic late to movement, used natural metaphors, as well as supernatural element. He wrote La Belle with the shadow of death hanging over him, in physical and emotional agony.

9 No sum quails eran bonae sub regon Cynarae- Dowson Obssessive, Unrequited, Suffering/ Loss Barriers to love I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion. - Obsession as a form of fidelity, or mocking his own lack of it. I cried for madder music and for stronger wine. Comparatives: he is taking more extreme measures to forget her or to cope with her absence. Hungry for the lips of my desire - lust/obsession or love Dowson uses mono or duo-syllabic words and allowing us to linger on the emotion of every line. Cynara always has an exclamation mark after it. This creates a natural-seeming caesura in the last line of each stanza, adding an additional half-beat onto our reading of the line and adding emphasis to her name. It is a moment of stillness in a poem full of movement. Victorian Decedent movement- combining intellect with sexual promiscuity. They were influenced by gothic novels, the sensuality of Romanticism and evocative language The Decadents built on the Romantic tradition of drunken partying and embraced drugs. Decadence alarmed those who valued traditional. It seemed to signify a society and culture threatened to its core with decline/decay.

The Scrutiny. By Richard Lovelace

The Scrutiny. By Richard Lovelace The Scrutiny By Richard Lovelace 1618-1658 The Scrutiny What do we understand from the title of the poem? What might be under scrutiny in this poem? Why should you swear I am forsworn, Since thine I vowed