|
E211: British Literature to 1760 Herrick and Crashaw Study Questions, Combined Alfred J. Drake | 423 UH | TW 12:45-1:45 | ajdrake@ajdrake.com Robert Herrick, "Corinna's Going A-Maying" 1. What is the speaker's design upon Corinna? What stages of rhetoric does he follow to accomplish his wish? 2. How might a reader take the emphasis of the poem differently than the imaginary recipient Corinna? In other words, if we read this poem contemplatively, what "message" does it suggest to us? Robert Herrick, "The Hock-Cart, or Harvest Home" 3. To whom besides the Earl of Westmoreland is the poem addressed? What seems to be the speaker's attitude toward those other addressees? 4. What social vision can you draw from this poem--that is, what is the ideal state of society according to Herrick's speaker? Robert Herrick, "Upon the Nipples of Julia's Breast" 5. Compare this poem to the treatment of the beloved's material qualities you are familiar with from conventional Petrarchan lyric--how does Herrick's poem differ in this regard? Richard Crashaw, "On the Wounds of Our Crucified Lord" 6. The imagery of this poem is rather grotesque, with Jesus' wounds envisioned as "mouths" and "eyes." What seems to be the goal, in religious terms, of such a poem? 7. Do you find it effective? Why or why not? Richard Crashaw, "The Flaming Heart" 8. What fault does the speaker find with the painting of Saint Teresa--how does he suggest it misrepresents her, and how would he change the painting? 9. At what point does the speaker transition to invoking Teresa as a pattern for his own life? What qualities does he want to draw from her? Edition: Abrams, M.H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vols. 1A, 1B, 1C. 7th. edition.
|