The marvel that was, Andrew Marvell.

16/07/2013

The author himself

CONTENTS
1 2 3 4 Introduction Structure and style Context and summary of texts Themes and Textual techniques

Andrew Marvell is an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman, who name was also named Andrew Marvell. As a metaphysical poet, he is held a firm association with other metaphysical poets such as John Donne and George Herbert. Marvell was born in Winestead-in-Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire, near the city of Kingston upon Hull. The family moved to Hull when his father was appointed Lecturer at Holy Trinity Church there, and Marvell was educated at Hull Grammar School. A secondary school in the city is now named after him. His most famous poems include To His Coy Mistress, The Garden, An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland, The Mower's Song and the country house poem Upon Appleton House.

Structure and style

Marvells poetry is known to often witty and full of elaborate conceits in the elegant style of the metaphysical poets. Many poems were inspired by events of the time, public or personal. For instance, The Picture of Little TC in a Prospect of Flowers was written about the daughter of one of Marvell's friends, Theophila Cornwell, named after an elder sister who had died as a baby. Marvell uses the picture of her surrounded by flowers in a garden to convey the transience of spring and the fragility of childhood. Others were written in the past oral style of the classical Roman authors. Even here, Marvell tends to place a particular picture before us. In The Nymph Complaining for the Death of her Fawn, the nymph weeps for the little animal as it dies, and tells us how it consoled her for her betrayal in love. Marvell had keen eye for perspective, and explored the options that genre presented him with. His pastoral poems, including Upon Appleton House achieve originality and a unique tone through his reworking and subversion of the genre

Metaphysical poetry
The term metaphysical poetry refers to a specific period of time and a specific set of poets. In 17th-century England, there was a group of poets who, while they did form a formal group, have been considered the metaphysical poets and Andrew Marvell is one of the most influential poets in this field. The common thread is that they contain metaphors that are highly conceptual in nature. These metaphors are often tenuous, at best, in their comparisons of one thing to another, but they can leave the reader feeling enlightened.

Simranjeet Gill Deborah Line 5 Advance English

Context of writing
Marvells work extends far back to the seventeenth century, England, time where it saw itself in the middle of a bloody and destructive civil war. The turbulent political activity at the time has known to have greatly influenced several of this works. He was also part of metaphysical school through which we developed this writing style. Many poems were inspired by events of the time, public or personal.

To his coy mistress

This poem is considered one of Marvell's finest and is possibly the best recognized carpe diem poem in English. Although the date of its composition is not known, it may have been written in the early 1650s. "To His Coy Mistress" is divided into three stanzas and the narrator is an anonymous man speaking to an anonymous woman. The poem tells a story about a anonymous mans great desire and love towards a teasing/shy woman whom with he wants sex from and hence the poem takes the reader on a very descriptive and punctual embark.

The definition of love

In his poem "The Definition of Love," Andrew Marvell writes about unanswered passions, insisting that Fate itself acts against true love. Instead of Fate matching people up, Marvell believes that fate only tears people apart. Andrew Marvell's The Definition of Love is the epitome of irony. Marvell takes the feelings often associated with love and drowns them in a cool, lucid, dispassionate tone that borders on selfmocking.

Simranjeet Gill Deborah Line 5 Advance English

1 2

Main themes and Textual techniques featured in to his coy mistress and the definition of love
- Sex/love
Sex is one the most central themes conveyed through Marvells work and in specific, two studied texts. Marvell illustrates this notion this notion heavily through to his coy mistress as he builds on an idea on the woman denial for his sex or love as a crime. Marvell further emphasizes the idea with the heavy use of imagery and metaphoric language at the conclusion of the poem, where he quotes Now therefore, while the youthful hue Sits on thy skin like morning dew, And while thy willing soul transpires At every pore with instant fires, Now let us sport us while we may, And now, like amorous birds of prey which further emphasises and provides imagery about the writers sexual intents. This is further illustrates through the definition of love where he uses foreshadowing and

subjective language to emphasis the idea of His own definition which he portrays as almost the only real definition of love as the adds The to the the definition of love. The text illustrates this idea of love through the use of hyperboles and imagery to connect to the audience being. Hence love is one of the major ideas explored in Marvells works.

This idea is also evident in his text the definition of love as the writer takes the poem beyond reality as he quotes upon impossibility creating a paradox of infinity. The writer also uses another paradox as he quotes, through infinite, can never meet where we conveys the idea of their love as being parallel and hence conveying that his love which is so great will never meet.

- Time and immortality

Another concept that is heavily evident through Marvells works is referencing to time and immortality as he does it this to emphasis metaphysics and to almost take the idea of the poem beyond impossibility and so this is evident through to his coy mistress through various biblical illusions where he metaphorically emphasis the extent of his emotion as such he quotes, Love you ten years before the Flood, And you should, if you please, refuse Till the conversion of the Jews which through reference to the bible in other sense is a long time. The text also Thy beauty shall no more be found, Nor, in thy marble vault which symbolically imageries her coffin.

- The outsider
Finally another main idea that is present through Marvells poetry and especially to his coy mistress is the idea of the writer being outsider and not belonging to the story is the evident fact he will he will never receive the love/sex he so greatly desires hence setting him an outsider from his love.

Simranjeet Gill Deborah Line 5 Advance English