De Gustibus Flashcards
Summary
Browning addressing his wife after life literally by referring to her as a spirit, but also metaphorically through romantic imagery as he reflects on their past, pragmatically foreshadowing their ongoing infinite future.
Rhyme scheme
Free verse, no steady rhythm representing Browning’s thoughts
Time
No specific time of day. However metaphorically Browning and his wife’s time together is eternal as he not only portrays their times together in life but also their future in the after life
Tone, speakers voice
Hopeful tone of voice for there to be an afterlife with his wife, this is portrayed through the use of asides e.g (if our loves remain)
Place
Browning’s mind, this poem is a reflection of browning’s happy times with his wife metaphorically portrayed through imagery
People
Browning and his wife, their eternal love
Patterns
Use of hyphen repetition ‘De Gustibus-‘ hyphen pragmatically portraying browning’s wife as dying but not yet dead, she still has time, therefore hyphen also metaphorically representing a pause, a time to stop nd reflect on his wife’s and his time together. Similarily ‘lost her-Calais)-‘ the hyphen metaphorically portraying although she is dead their love is not and will still go on.
Context
‘Is a castle, precipe-encurled’ reminding us of Browning’s love/appreciation for Ancient Greek/Culture found in Italy, Browning and his wife’s favourite place together .
