A Wife In London - Thomas Hardy Flashcards
Structure
Split into 2 sections representing 2 different stages - ‘The Tragedy’ and ‘The Irony’
Complicated rhythmic pattern
Themes
War
Tragedy and grief
Context
Set during the 2nd Boer War (1899 - 1902)
I - The Tragedy
The title of the 1st stanza gives an immediate insight into the heavy themes within the poem which helps to build apprehension within the reader. Through this line, he clearly shows his disapproval for the war
She sits in the tawny vapour
The phrase ‘she sits’ is purposely in 3rd person as to not only represent the subject but all the women who were widowed in the war. It’s written in 1st person as to heighten the drama as well,as to reflect her passivity as she is powerless to change what is to come. The phrase ‘tawny vapour’ is symbolic and somewhat ominous. Tawny is a yellow brown colour which is an appropriate way to describe the London smog which was polluted due to the constant burning of coal and wood. A good example of pathetic fallacy
That the City lanes have uprolled
This line suggests that a fog has rolled up from the Thames. The word ‘uprolled’ is like to have been invented by Hardy, reflecting his concise yet imaginative style of writing
Behind whose webby fold on fold
The fog is described as ‘webby’ like a spider web which holds connotations of suffocation and entrapment. The repetition of ‘fold’ heightens the drama, making the fog seem endless and inescapable
Like a waning taper
The street-lamp glimmers cold
The noun ‘taper’ may refer to the ray of light becoming weaker as the gas in the lamps run out. The phrase ‘glimmers cold’ is an oxymoron in itself as ‘glimmers’ has a connotation of light and warmth which is the opposite of ‘cold’
A messenger’s knock cracks smartly
The hard ‘c’ sounds are onomatopoeic as it simulates the knocking, which breaks the anxious mood surrounding the scene
Flashed news is in her hand
Of meaning it dazes to understand
The verb ‘flashed’ indicates such a fast speed that we assume she has been blindsided by the news she has received which we assume is the dreaded telegram and the shock paralyses her mind. The word order is purposely inverted, as to bring more emphasis to the object rather than the subject and the verb which is an example of anastrophe
Though shaped so shortly:
It’s a short compact phrase that reflects the harshness of the telegram and its inadequacy to convey such a difficult message. This line is difficult to say aloud as if to replicate her mind that was finding it difficult to comprehend what was happening
He - has fallen - in the far South Land …
Like the use of she in the beginning, the pronoun ‘he’ refers to a universal husband showing how many hundreds befell this horrible fate. The static punctuation may reflect the way the telegrams were written in morse code using dots and dashes or it could also represent her sobs as she paused whilst reading. The verb ‘fallen’ is a common military euphemism for death and it’s ironic that such gentle language is used to describe such a violent event
II - The Irony
The poet often used very cruel twists of fate in his poems and this is no exception
‘Tis the morrow; the fog hangs thicker
The ‘fog’ could have a double meaning as it could mean either a literal fog of the fog of grief covering her, suggesting that her claustrophobic feeling has become even worse and her grief more profound. Another example of pathetic fallacy
The postman nears and goes
It adds to the sense of distance in the poem as the postman never quite reaches the wife. It highlights how mundane their job is compared to the terrible tragedy she has experienced, showing how people’s lives continue as normal whilst these women live in constant despair
