Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Vietnamese poetry wikipedia , lookup
Performance poetry wikipedia , lookup
Pastoral elegy wikipedia , lookup
Romantic poetry wikipedia , lookup
English poetry wikipedia , lookup
Yemenite Jewish poetry wikipedia , lookup
South African poetry wikipedia , lookup
Topographical poetry wikipedia , lookup
5/18/2012 Explicating Poetry Renaissance Poetry Sonnets, Pastoral, Metaphysical, Cavalier • Explication of poetry is a technique to help readers understand, analyze, write about, and talk about poetry. There are multiple steps to successfully explicating a poem, and this technique can be used for any poetic form to help your understanding: • 1. Read, re-read, and read again. Always annotate! – Annotation serves as your reminder of what you thought as you read each time. It also provides an opportunity to “discuss” the poem and its ideas with the author. Explicating Poetry • 2. Examine the situation in the poem. – Who is the speaker? To whom is s/he speaking? What is the subject of the poem? What is the tone? How is it related to the subject? What is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject? How do you recognize the tone? • 3. Examine the structure of the poem. – Does the poem’s emotional punch or climax come at the beginning or the end? If the end, how does the author build to it? If the beginning, what comes as a result of it? What kind of sentence structure is there? What does that tell you? What kind of punctuation is there? What is the movement of the poem (are ideas developed chronologically, through cause and effect, circularly)? Explicating Poetry • 4. Examine the language of the poem. – What kind of language is used (formal, simple, unusual, colloquial)? What allusions are present? What kind of figurative language is used? • 5. Examine the musical devices in the poem. – What is the rhyme scheme? What effect does it have? What is the rhythm? Is it consistent? What is the effect of this? What “sound effects” are used? • 6. Write! – It is important to get your ideas down on paper and go through a re-write process to clarify them and make them more concise. Francesco Petrarch • 1304-1374 • B. Arezzo, Italy • Poet, Scholar and Humanist during the Italian Renaissance • His sonnets became a model of poetic form for all of Europe ITALY 1 5/18/2012 Petrarchan Sonnet Form • Consists of two parts: – Octave (8 lines) • Introduces a problem or situation which leads to conflict or doubt in the reader • Introduced in the 1st quatrain and developed in the 2nd quatrain – Volta • The turn, or transition, between the two main parts. Found at the beginning of the Sestet. – Sestet (6 lines) • Comments on or proposes a solution to the problem put forth in the Octave TUSCANY Petrarchan Sonnet Form Petrarchan Sonnet Form • Written in Iambic Pentameter – A 10 syllable line in which stresses alternate and there were 5 stressed and 5 unstressed syllables in each line – Stresses and caesuras are marked on the Keats’ line below: ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / • Sonnets have a strict rhyme scheme • Octave: Only one option – abbaabba • Sestet: Many options in Petrarchan Sonnets – – – – – – cdcdcd cddcdc cdecde cdeced cdcedc cdedce To swell the gourd, and plump the ha- zel shells Petrarch Sonnet 3 Era il giorno ch’al sol si scoloraro Per la pieta del suo factore i rai, Quando i’ fui preso, et non me ne guardai, Che i be’ vostr’occhi, donna, mi legaro. Tempo non mi parea da far riparo Contra colpi d’Amor: pero m’andai Secur, senaa sospetto; onde I miei guai Nel commune dolor s’incominiciaro It was on that day when the sun’s ray Was darkened in pity for its Maker That I was captured, and did not defend myself, Because your lovely eyes had bound me, Lady. It did not seem to me a time to guard myself Against Love’s blows: so I went on Confident, unsuspecting; from that, my troubles Started, amongst the public sorrows. Petrarch Sonnet 3 Trovommi Amor del tutto disarmato Et aperta la via per gli occhi al core, Che di lagrime son fatti uscio et varco: Pero al mio parer non li fu honore Ferir me de saetta in quello stato, A voi armata non mostrar pur l’arco. Love discovered me all weaponless, And opened the way to the heart through the eyes, Which are made the passageways and doors of tears: So that it seems to me it does him little honour To wound me with his arrow, in that state, He not showing his bow at all to you who are armed. 2 5/18/2012 “London, 1802” - Wordsworth A B B A A B B A C D D E C E Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee: she is a fen Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower, Have forfeited their ancient English dower Of inward happiness. We are selfish men; Oh! raise us up, return to us again; And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power. Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart; Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea: Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free, So didst thou travel on life's common way, In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart The lowliest duties on herself did lay. Spenser - Major Works • The Faerie Queen, an epic poem that tells the stories of six knights, each of whom represent a moral virtue. • Amoretti, the only Renaissance sonnet sequence that celebrates a happy relationship that ends in marriage. Interlocking Rhyme Scheme • Spenserian sonnets are unique in the rhyme scheme. • Quatrain 1: a b a b • Quatrain 2: b c b c • Quatrain 3: c d c d • Rhyming Couplet: e e Edmund Spenser • 1552ca-1599 • B. London, England • Attended Cambridge and earned a master’s degree. • Spent most of his life in Ireland and his poetry was greatly influenced by his time there. • Apparently died in poverty. Spenserian Sonnets • Still 14 lines • Broken into 4 parts – 3 quatrains – 1 rhyming couplet • Also written in iambic pentameter ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / My love is like to ice, and I to fire Content • Each quatrain addresses the poem’s central idea, thought, or question. • The couplet provides an answer or a summation. • The volta occurs in either line 9 or line 13 at the beginning of the rhyming couplet. 3 5/18/2012 A B A B B C B C C D C D E E Sonnet VII Fayre eyes! The myrrour of my mazed hart, What wondrous vertue is contaynd in you, The which both lyfe and death forth from you dart, Into the object of your might view? For, when ye mildly looke with lovely hew, Then is my soule with life and love inspired: But when ye lowre, or looke on me askew, Then doe I die, as one with lightning fyred. But, since that lyfe is more then death desyred, Looke ever lovely, as becomes you best; That your bright beams, of my weak eies admyred, May kindle living fire within my brest. Such life should be the honor of your light Such death the sad ensample of your might. William Shakespeare • c. 1564-1616 • b. Stratford-uponAvon, England • Playwright, Poet, Actor • Most famous for his plays • All but 2 of his 154 sonnets were published in 1609 Shakespearean Sonnets • 1609 Quarto only source of most 152 Shakespearean Sonnets. • There are 3 categories of poems in this Quarto: – 1-126 are addressed to The Fair Youth – 127-152 are addressed to The Dark Mistress – A Lover’s Complaint a 329 line poem written in Rhyme Royal Shakespeare’s Addressees • The Fair Youth (sonnets 1-126) – An unnamed young man – Written to in loving and romantic language – Some suggest this may be a homosexual love, others find support that it is platonic, or father-son love Shakespearean Sonnet Form • Still 14 lines • Broken into 4 parts – 3 quatrains – 1 rhyming couplet • Written in iambic pentameter: • The Dark Lady (sonnets 127-152) – Given this name because of she is described as being dark haired – The sonnets written about her express infatuation and are more sexual in nature ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / ˘ / Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? 4 5/18/2012 Sonnet 18 Shakespearean Sonnet Form • Rhyme Scheme: – – – – Quatrain 1: a b a b [introduces question] Quatrain 2: c d c d [tentative Quatrain 3: e f e f answers] Rhyming Couplet: g g [final answer] • Volta: – The turn or transition in line 9 which marks a shift in focus or thought Sonnet 18 EF EF G G But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest, Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Sonnet 18 Sonnet Activities • Read the following sonnets and use the notes to identify the subject, the rhyme scheme, the structure, the volta, and use of other literary devices. You should be able to recognize the format/author of a sonnet based on the form. • Spenser: Sonnets 30 & 75 (pgs. 320-321) • Shakespeare: Sonnets 18, 29, 116 & 130 (pgs. 326-330) • Petrarch: Sonnets 90 & 292 (pgs. 336-337) A B A B Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath too short a date. C D C D Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometimes declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed. Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometimes declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed. But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest, Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Intro to Pastoral Poetry • Based on a Classical works by poets of Ancient Greece and Rome - who were admired by Renaissance writers. (Just like the Humanists! – See Renaissance Background Notes) • Feature an idealistic characterization of nature (especially shepherds and their charges) and the simple life. 5 5/18/2012 Intro to Pastoral Poetry • Often use a romantic tone and deal with ideas of love and seduction. • Utilize metrical patterns and rhyme schemes that make the poems seem musical. • Imagery is one of the most frequently used literary devices in Pastoral Poetry. Pastoral Poets • Christopher Marlowe – First great English playwright, most famous for Dr. Faustus. – Attended Cambridge University on scholarship. – Accused of atheism, espionage, counterfeit, treason, and murder. – Died in a tavern brawl at the age of 29, possibly murdered for political reasons. Pastoral Poets • Sir Walter Raleigh – Origin of the romantic ideal/cliché of spreading a coat on the ground for a lady. – A favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, but fell out of favor when he secretly married and was imprisoned along with his wife. – Led several expeditions to the New World. – Imprisoned and tried for treason by King James, eventually beheaded. Pastoral Poems • Read Marlowe’s “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” and Raleigh’s “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” (pgs. 314-316 of the textbook). • Answer the following for each: • • • • • Who is the speaker of the poem? Who is being addressed? What is most important to this speaker? What literary device characterizes this poem? How does this poem qualify as Pastoral? Pastoral Poems Metaphysical Poetry • Compare the formats of the poems – notice the parallel subjects. • Interpretation: Why does the nymph reject the shepherd? How might he have persuaded her to run away with [him] and be [his] love? • Evaluation: Is the nymph justified in her response? • The scholarly atmosphere of the humanist movement of the Elizabethan and Renaissance period also fostered great reflection or religion and the meaning of life. • Metaphysical Poetry is primarily devotional and often mystical in content, even though it frequently deals with ideas of physical love and relationships. – Is a style of lyric poetry. – Characterized by abstract thinking. – Experiments with language – which sometimes makes it difficult to understand. 6 5/18/2012 Metaphysical Poetry • Traits of Metaphysical Poetry – Simple, conversational vocabulary, but complex sentence structure. – Metaphysical conceits: a type of extended metaphor comparing very dissimilar things. – Paradoxes: statements that seem to contradict themselves. – Disruptions of poetic meter, or intentionally created “roughness” or unevenness. – Witty and imaginative plays on words. Metaphysical Poets Ben Jonson One of the most important literary figures of the Renaissance, at the time he was more well-known than Shakespeare! Primarily a playwright, but prior to his writing career he worked as a bricklayer and joined the British Army. Killed an actor in his company in a duel, but avoided hanging by reading a Biblical passage in Latin, and thus was tried by a Church court. Famous for satirical work in his plays and an attempt to avoid clichés and stock jokes. Wrote poetry that reflected on more serious concerns of life, such as the death of a child. “Meditation 17” • Read Donne’s metaphysical meditation on pg. 522. As we do, Look for any metaphors, and especially the metaphysical conceit. • Answer the following questions: – What overall statement about life is Donne making in this meditation? – Identify as many metaphors as you can, including the metaphysical conceit. – What effect does the comparison made in the conceit have? – Identify a paradox. Metaphysical Poets • John Donne – Popular Anglican priest – we’ll look at one of his religious writings. – Studied at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, but never received a degree because he was born Roman Catholic. – Secretly married for love, and because his wife was the young daughter of his boss, he lost his job and became poor. – Like many metaphysical poets, focuses on ideas of love, death, religion “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” • Read Donne’s poem on pg. 518-520 of the textbook. Use your footnotes and take the time to understand each line of the poem. • Answer the following questions: – To whom is Donne speaking in this poem? – How does Donne characterize his relationship with this person? How does it compare to the relationships of others? – What is the metaphysical conceit in this poem? What is being compared and to what effect? – What other characteristics of metaphysical poetry are present in this poem? Identify, with specific textual evidence, at least 2. Cavalier Poetry • “Song: To Celia,” along with Jonson’s other works pave the way for a group of poets called the Cavalier poets. This group was so-called because they were known for their use of the themes of love, war, honor, and courtly behavior. • This type of poetry is often referred to as Carpe Diem Poetry because they often advocated the philosophy of living for the moment. • The group referred to themselves as the “sons of Ben” or the “tribe of Ben” in homage to Ben Jonson, whom they considered to be their literary father. 7 5/18/2012 Cavalier Poetry • Cavalier Poetry is lyric poetry, meaning that it is subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme scheme and meter which reveals the poet’s thoughts and feelings to create a single, unique impression. • It contains an abundance of figurative language (hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and personification) as well as the use of sound devices (alliteration, assonance, rhyming, meter, repetition, etc.). • Because of this, Cavalier Poetry is a good place to practice explicating poetry. “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” – Herrick, pg. 534 • Read and annotate this poem. Focus your thinking using the explication technique outlined earlier and by considering how this poetry compares and contrasts to Metaphysical Poetry. • On your own, annotate the poem and begin to go through the explication process. Take notes, but rather than writing, we will discuss this together. Prepare some talking points for this discussion. • Talking points can always be written in a paragraph or two for a more complete and polished understanding! “Song: To Celia” • Read and explicate Jonson’s poem on pg. 528 of the textbook. Perform a side-by-side annotation on a separate sheet of paper. – 1. Read and annotate, 2. Examine the situation, 3. Examine the structure, 4. Examine the language, 5. Examine the musical devices, 6. Write - in this case an outline of your ideas. – Does it qualify as a metaphysical poem? How is it different (if it is!) from Donne’s Metaphysical Poetry? Be specific in your characterization. “To His Coy Mistress” • Read and explicate “To His Coy Mistress” on pg. 532 of the textbook. Follow the 6 steps: Read and annotate, examine the situation, examine the structure, examine the language, examine the musical devices, and write. • Your writing should involve the preparation of a thesisstyle statement. You should also prepare a couple of questions for a fishbowl discussion involving the poem and Cavalier poetry to be held tomorrow. Answer these questions with about a paragraph response considering your own points and thoughts on the poem. • Some focusing questions to help you prepare a thesis: – Is the author persuasive in his argument? – How does the author use figurative language in the poem? 8