3. Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) - was born in Canterbury. He was a
contemporary of Shakespeare, both in history and in literature. He was a
skilled playwright and poet. He was the first writer in English to use blank
verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter. Marlowe was a student when he began
writing, but it is assumed he had yet another profession--that of a
spy. Marlowe's death was as mysterious as his life; he was supposedly killed
in a brawl over a check in a tavern. However, those involved, though initially
arrested, never came to trial and were let go without fanfare.
Marlowe wrote many plays, and they were performed at the Globe theater,
as were Shakespeare's plays. Doctor Faustus, Edward II, and Tamburlaine are
some of his best-known plays. His most famous poem is “The Passionate
Shepherd to His Love.”
4. “The Passionate
Shepherd to His Love”
Before you read, consider the title:
Why a shepherd? What do you know about
shepherds and their lifestyle?
A shepherd’s job is to tend to sheep. A shepherd
would live a fairly simple life out in the country,
largely away from society.
What feelings do sheep evoke? Sheep are often
seen as cute, innocent, and peaceful.
5. “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”
This poem is a great example of a pastoral poem, a poem that explores the fantasy
of leaving modern life behind to live in an idyllic rural setting.
What are some images that suggest that this is an idyllic setting?
How does the shepherd try to convince his beloved to “live with me and be my
love”?
Do you think he will be successful? Why or why not?
6. Elizabeth Barrett
Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) was admired for her
independence and moral convictions. She married Robert
Browning, another famous English poet. During their courtship,
she composed the poems that came to be known as “Sonnets
from the Portuguese,” which are considered to be some of the
greatest love poems ever written.
In addition to love poems, Barrett Browning is also known for
her poems that sought to bring attention to political and social
issues such as child labor and the abolition of slavery.
7. Sonnet 43, from “Sonnets from
the Portuguese”
Browning’s most famous poem, alternately titled “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me
Count the Ways,” is all about love, isn’t it?
Right from the first line, it’s apparent that the poem’s purpose is to articulate the
many ways in which the speaker loves the poem’s recipient.
As you read the poem, look for the poet’s use of literary devices such as
alliteration, the repetition of initial sounds of words; simile, comparisons using the
words “like” or “as”; and imagery, words and phrases that appeal to the five
senses.
8. Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was born in Ireland. His father was a famous doctor,
and his mother was a poet. He began writing poetry in college, and although his
first collection of poems was not hugely successful, it established him as a
writer. He embarked on a tour in the U.S. shortly after, meeting some of
America's established poets, including Walt Whitman. He became a proponent
of the aesthetic movement, which valued art for art's sake rather than for the
sake of politics or social viewpoint. He is known for his novel The Portrait of
Dorian Gray, which was widely criticized at the time for its apparent lack of
morality. His problems with accusations regarding a lack of morality continued;
at the height of his success, Wilde began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas. The
fact that Wilde was gay was an open secret, but when Douglas's father learned
of the affair, he openly accused Wilde of being a sodomite. Wilde reacted by
suing him for libel. As evidence of Wilde's homosexuality emerged at the trial,
Wilde's charge of libel was dismissed, and Wilde was arrested for gross
indecency. Wilde spent two years in prison and emerged a broken man. He died
just a few years later at the age of 46.
9. The Importance of Being
Earnest
The last of his four plays, The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed in
1895. The play is often studied for its critique of English society—especially its
social structure. However, the play also explores the institution of marriage, and, of
course, love.
10. The Importance of Being
Earnest
Here are the main characters you’ll meet in the play:
– Algernon Moncrieff
– Jack Worthing, Cecily’s guardian
– Gwendolen Fairfax, Algernon’s cousin
– Cecily Cardew
– Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother
11. The Importance of Being
Earnest
Algernon, who lives in the city, finds out that his friend Ernest is really named Jack.
When Algernon confronts Jack, Jack explains that he was adopted by Thomas
Cardew and eventually became guardian to the elder Cardew’s granddaughter.
However, when he’s in the city, he assumes the persona of Ernest, which allows
him to temporarily escape the obligations he has as Cecily’s guardian. He tells the
Cardews that Jack is his brother.
Algernon understands and admits he does something similar; he pretends to have
a friend named Bunbury who lives in the country. When he wants to escape the
city, he claims to be visiting his friend Bunbury.
12. The Importance of Being
Earnest
Things become complicated quickly!
Jack wants to marry Gwendolen, but she only knows him as Ernest, and part of the
reason she loves him is his name.
Algernon decides the wants to meet Jack’s ward, Cecily. He shows up at the
country house and introduces himself as Ernest, whom Cecily believes is Jack’s
younger brother.
Suddenly, both young women are in love with a man named Ernest, who doesn’t
exist!
13. The Importance of Being
Earnest
As you read and the complications start to unravel, pay attention to the different
types of love involved.
What points does Wilde make about romantic love? What does he think of familial
love?
14. Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was born in Higher Bockhampton.
You might recognize the titles of some of his novels, which
include Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Far from the Madding
Crowd.
His poetry is widely read and has influenced such poets as
Robert Frost and W.H. Auden.
Both his poetry and fiction are often regarded as having a strong
sense of sadness and/or fatalism, which is the idea that humans
are powerless to influence the future.
15. “Neutral Tones”
As you read this poem, which is about the end of a relationship, consider the
following:
Look at the title of the poem; a neutral tone often refers to color. How is color
used in the poem? What else does “tone” mean, and how does it apply to the
poem?
Which words and images work to portray fatalism in the poem?
16. Alice Monro
Alice Monro (b. 1931) is a Canadian writer. As
Canada is part of the British Commonwealth, she
is included in our study of English literature. She
is well known for her short stories and won the
Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013.
Monro’s work often explores issues related to
relationships and morality.
17. “Walker Brothers Cowboy”
The story is told in the first-person point of view. The narrator is recounting a time
in her childhood when she and her brother rode along with their father, who was a
salesman.
The father, who we later find out is named Ben, deviates from his route to visit a
woman named Nora. Nora is not expecting guests, yet she invites Ben and his
children into her home.
18. “Walker Brother’s Cowboy”
This event is clearly important to the narrator of the story. What does she learn
about her father?
What elements of love do you see in this story?
What comparisons are made between Nora and the narrator’s mother?
What words does Monro use to convey Nora’s attitude about seeing Ben and his
children?
What predictions can you make? Did Ben ever visit Nora again? Do Nora and Ben’s
wife ever meet?
19. Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood (b. 1939) is another Canadian writer. She is a poet,
novelist, essayist, and story writer. You may know her for The
Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel set in futuristic Boston, which has
been developed into a television series on Hulu.
Her writing is often noted for its qualities of isolation, suffering, and
feminism. In an interview with the New York Times, she noted that “My
women suffer because most of the women I talk to seem to have
suffered” (Margaret Atwood, 2021).
You are reading an extremely short poem this week. What does it say
about love?
Margaret Atwood. (2021). Poetry Foundation.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/margaret-atwood
20. Jane Austen
Jane Austen (1775-1817) is known for her novels, which include Pride
and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and several
others.
Austen lived in a time in which Romanticism, which emphasized a focus
on human emotion, began to emerge as a response to the
Enlightenment, which focused on reason and intellect. Themes in
Austen’s fiction typically exhibit the ideals associated with both
Romanticism and the Enlightenment.
21. E.M. Forster
Edward Morgan Forster (1879-1970) was born in London. His father died of
tuberculosis when Morgan, as he was known, was a year old. His mother,
anxious about her child’s health, became overprotective. As a result, he grew
up believing he was frail and did not realize until he reached middle age that
he was actually a healthy person.
As a child, Forster was often bullied as a result of his differentness, and he
became withdrawn. He became an observer of, rather than an active
participant of, his society. His works are often noted for their focus on the
effects of social class structure on relationships.
Forster’s novels include A Room with a View, Howards End, and A Passage to
India.
