Green

Puttenham, in his Art of Poesie (1589) writes: 'But for all this, I do deny that the Eglogue should be the first and most auncient forme of artificiall Poesie, being perswaded that the Poet deuised the Eglogue long after the other drammatick poems, not of purpose to counterfait or represent the rusticall manner of loues and communication: but vnder the vaile of homely persons, and in rude speeches to insinuate and glaunce at greater matters, and such as perchance had not bene safe to haue beene disclosed in any other sort, which may be perceiued by the Eglogues of Virgill, in which are treated by figure matters of greater importance then the loues of Titirus and Corydon.'

What does Marvell achieve in turning to pastoral? Are there 'great matters' - as Puttenham puts it - which Marvell's poems address? How does Marvell conceive of the relationship between man and nature in the 'Mower' poems'? Does Marvell participate in the same sensibility of resemblance - in the 'Mower' poems and 'The Garden' in particular - as does Donne? How might Marvell be situated in a schematic history of the individual. Please think about this question in relationship to the handout that I gave you last time - with passages from Greville and Burton.

We will aim - in the second half of class - to explore some of the poetry of Henry Vaughan: we will be looking at his poems, 'Corruption,' 'Man,' 'The Retreat,' 'The Timber,' 'Cock Crowing,' 'Regeneration,' and 'The Search.' Text available on our site.