CHARLES WESLEY Jesus, Lover of my Soul. This hymn was first published in Hymns and Sacred Poems (1740) as a hymn consisting of five eight-line stanzas, with the title In Temptation.' 1-4. These four lines have been altered in no less than twenty different ways. Because 'Lover' was thought undignified, later editors substituted such words as 'Refuge,' 'Saviour,' etc. What is the effect of such substitutions upon the beauty and pathos of the line? 2. This line has been changed as follows: To thy sheltering arms we fly, To thy sheltering cross we fly, Discuss these changes. 3. In some versions the line is altered in one of the following ways: While the billows near me roll, While the raging billows roll, While the threatening waters roll. Discuss the effect of these substitutions. Is it possible that by the original phrase 'nearer waters' Wesley meant to suggest the local and temporary troubles which perplex the individual, as local storms sometimes assail ships at sea? What accounts for the fact that a good hymn which is at the same time good poetry is extremely rare? How is a strict regard to dogmatic theology likely to affect the play of imagination essential to poetry? Point out the poetic qualities of this hymn, showing that the emotion it expresses is a universal one, that it is independent of any particular creed, and that it is simple, sincere, and deep. THOMAS GRAY Elegy written in a Country Churchyard. Gray probably began the Elegy in 1742, but did not finish it till 1750. He is thought to have had in mind the churchyard at Stoke-Pogis. 2. wind. Why better than winds, as it is sometimes printed? 11. bower. Exact significance? What line in L'Allegro helps to expla`n its meaning? 13. The rich were buried within the church; the poor without in the churchyard. 22 ff. With this compare Burns's The Cotter's Saturday Night, 11. 24-25 and II. 43-44. Which phrasing do you prefer, and why? 41. What custom, especially prevalent at that time, is here referred to? 43. provoke. Meaning? 56. Why did Gray change the original reading of Cato, Tully, and Cæsar to Hampden, Milton, and Cromwell? 93-96. What reminders of Milton, one of Gray's masters, are in this stanza? 113. What sound makes the line move slowly and heavily? 116. Here was originally inserted There scatter'd oft, the earliest of the year, By hands unseen, are show'rs of violets found; Why did Gray decide to omit this stanza? Why has the Elegy been, possibly, the most popular of English poems ? Has the subject-matter contributed much to this popularity? Are originality and depth of thought necessary to make a poem live? Is the Elegy more effective for dealing with lowly life? Show how the time, place, and surroundings are in thorough keeping with the thought expressed. What are the best-known stanzas? Why? Read the explanation of a felicitous phrase in Johnson's Elements of Literary Criticism, p. 196. Select the felicitous phrases in this poem. What lines are especially musical? Note the use of abstract nouns, a feature characteristic of the poetry of Gray's age. What would be gained, and what lost, by employing more concrete terms? What spirit animates the last stanza? The Bard was begun in 1754, but was not finished till 1757. This poem is possibly the best illustration in English of the Pindaric ode. The story on which the Ode is founded is not historical. 13. Glo'ster. 'Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hereford, had, in 1283, conducted the war in South Wales; and after overthrowing the enemy near Llandulo Tawr had reënforced the King in the Northwest.'. Hales. 28. Hoel, etc. Various unsuccessful attempts have been made to identify these bards. Perhaps it is sufficient to note that in most instances the names are Welsh. 55. Edward the Second, cruelly butchered in Berkley Castle.'Gray. This castle is near the Severn. 57. She-wolf of France, Isabel of France, Edward the Second's adulterous queen.' — Gray. Cf. Shakespeare's III Henry VI, I, iv. 60. Edward the Third, who successfully invaded France, but who afterwards died in Sorrow' and ' Solitude.' 67. Edward, the Black Prince, died some time before his father.' - Gray. 71. Magnificence of Richard the Second's reign.' — Gray. 79. Richard II was believed to have been starved to death. 83. The wars between York and Lancaster. 87. Henry the Sixth, George, Duke of Clarence, Edward, the Fifth Richard, Duke of York, etc., believed to have been murdered secretly in the Tower of London. The oldest part of this tower is vulgarly attributed to Julius Cæsar.' - Gray. 89. Consort's faith. Margaret of Anjou was the wife of the Meek Usurper, Henry VI. She struggled hard to save her husband and his crown.' 93. The silver boar was the badge of Richard Third; whence he was usually known in his own time by the name of the Boar.' - Gray. 99. half of thy heart. Eleanor, wife of Edward I, died suddenly in 1270, about five years after his conquest of Wales. 109-110. 'It was the common belief of the Welsh nation that King Arthur was still alive in Fairyland, and would return again to rule over Britain. Gray. The Welsh regarded the prophecy as fulfilled by the accession of the Tudors to the throne of Britain. 115. form divine, Elizabeth. 128. buskin'd measures, Shakespeare's. 131. Milton. 133. The succession of poets after Milton's time.' — Gray. 137. What line from Lycidas is here recalled? Name some of the famous odes in English. What is the form of the Pindaric ode? See Johnson's Forms of English Poetry, Chapter IV. What are the advantages and what the disadvantages of the highly artificial stanza form of the ode? What is the effect of the varying length of the lines? What lines serve as a refrain? Are there any defective rhymes? What phrases show Gray as a close student of Milton? The poem met with cold reception on account of its alleged obscurity. Is the charge just? WILLIAM COLLINS A Song from Shakespeare's Cymbeline. Cymbeline, IV, ii. This poem is based on Compare this with Shakespeare's Fear no more the Heat o' the Sun. What lines from the two poems express similar thoughts? Which poem shows the deeper feeling? What phrases from L'Allegro are here recalled? Have any of the words here employed now gone out of general poetic use? Ode to Evening. 7. brede. Meaning? What is the effect of the peculiar metrical form employed? Would the poem have gained or lost had it been written in rhyme? Are the details well chosen to reflect the spirit of evening? Do they blend into a whole, or do they form a number of separate pictures? Point out the lines where the sound best reflects the sense. What echoes of Milton and of Gray do you note? Do any of the phrases seem artificial? Is the ending especially appropriate? OLIVER GOLDSMITH The Deserted Village. 1. Auburn. In writing this poem Goldsmith has undoubtedly drawn upon the experiences of his youth at Lissoy, Ireland. In the schoolmaster he has probably portrayed his old teacher, one Paddy Byrne. There is nothing, however, distinctly Irish about the village. 12. decent. Meaning? 28. smutted, by being induced to make signs on his face, while holding a saucer blackened on the under surface. This is an old English country trick. 122. vacant. Meaning? 141. Where else has Goldsmith portrayed the character of the village preacher? To what extent was Goldsmith indebted to Chaucer's picture of the poor parson? See The Prologue, 11. 225 ff. 181. With this compare the description of Sir Roger de Coverley at the close of the service. Which description is the kindlier? 193 ff. What different qualities in this description of the schoolmaster make it one of the best parts of the poem ? 209. tides. Meaning? 232. The twelve good rules. 1. Urge no healths; 2. Profane no divine ordinances; 3. Touch no state matters; 4. Reveal no secrets; 5. Pick no quarrels; 6. Make no comparisons; 7. Maintain no ill opinions; 8. Keep no bad company; 9. Encourage no vice; 10. Make no long meals; 11. Repeat no grievances; 12. Lay no wagers.' 265. What do you think of Goldsmith's argument? Are such conditions as he describes the necessary outcome of manufacture and trade, with the consequent increase in wealth? 316. artist. Meaning? 344. Altama. The Altamaha in Georgia. Can you see any reason for Goldsmith's choosing this stream? 418. Torno's cliffs. 'There is a river Tornea flowing into the Gulf of Bothnia, and forming a part of the boundary between Sweden and Russia. There is also a Lake Tornea in the extreme northern part of Sweden. Pambamarca is said to be a mountain near Quito.' — Rolfe. 427-430. These lines were added by Dr. Johnson. Do they make a good ending? What qualities combine to make Goldsmith easy reading? What are some of the most quotable couplets? What passages illustrate his ability to pass rapidly from one emotion to another? What lines show Goldsmith's keen observation of minute, but significant details? Discuss the statement made by Macaulay that the village is English in its prosperity and Irish in its adversity. What evidence exists in the poem that Goldsmith's knowledge of America was defective? Is the poem classic or romantic in the following respects: the meter; the diction; the attitude toward nature; the attitude toward society? Compare Goldsmith's attitude toward the poor with Gray's. |