E212: British Literature since 1760

Walter Savage Landor Study Questions

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"Mother, I cannot Mind my Wheel"

1. How much does this brief poem reveal about the speaker's situation and state of mind, and how much do you think it conceals?

"Rose Aylmer"

2. This is a formal stanzaic poem with an elegiac message. Why do you suppose Landor is content with such brevity on such a subject?

"Past Ruined Ilion"

3. Who is "Ianthe"? (Try an internet search for the name's classical significance.) The poet offers the time-worn claim that verse will immortalize the poem's subject. In this case, how much comfort does that provide?

"Twenty Years Hence"

4. What attitude towards life and death does this poem suggest? How does it characterize the relationship between the speaker and the beloved as time goes on?

Edition: Abrams, M.H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 2. Seventh edition. New York: Norton, 2000.