CURRENT CONTENTS:
Pass/fail(getting by)
Pass/fail(getting by)
"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark"
"La Belle Dame Sans Merci"
"The Raven"
"Diary of Samuel Pepys"
Authors' Note: During the author's stint as a university science major, a modicum of knowledge of the liberal arts was putatively assured by subjecting students to pass/fail survey courses. "Getting by", as in the above described English class, seemed to be the modus operandi of students, and occasionally of teaching staff.
Authors' Note:
bard: archaic term for a Celtic poet or wandering minstrel, currently applied primarily to the ‘Bard of Avon’, i.e. William Shakespeare
bodkin: a pointed instrument or pin, with archaic use to indicate a stiletto or other dagger
A question asked in Hamlet's most famous soliloquy is …
"Who would fardels bear?"
Fardel is derived from fardeau, the French word for “burden”.
Authors' Note:
rêverie (rehv-uh-REE): French for ‘dream, daydream’
grotesque: term adopted from French for an ancient Roman decorative artform rediscovered in Rome in the 15th century. Grotesques depict fantastical scenes and figures; the related adjective highlights the bizarre and even frightening nature of the images
grot: poetic variant of ‘grotto’
merci (mehr-SEE): French for mercy, forgiveness
The usual critical view is that the protagonist of the poem, transfixed by the 'faery's child', has been trapped and victimized. However, Keats' description in his poem written in 1819 (but taking place in a mythical medieval past), leaves little doubt that the 'Belle Dame' is underage. The societal view of what constitutes child molestation / statutory rape seems to have changed over time.
Authors' Note: Edgar Allan Poe wrote his best-known poem, "The Raven", in 1845. "The lost Lenore", and “quoth the Raven, ‘nevermore’ ” are famous phrases repeated in the poem.
An established classic, the poem will likely remain in the pantheon of poems ad infinitum (evermore).
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