"Elegy" - simplified Flashcards
1
Q
Author =
A
Thomas Gray
2
Q
Context =
A
In the shadow of Alexander Pope
Very self-critical, only published 13 poems in his lifetime
“Elegy” contains many terms which he coined in the English language
3
Q
Graveyard verse =
A
Often a poet walking around a graveyard at dusk/night on their own, reflecting upon mortality and transience of fame An impressive ruin/wild landscape Framing devices Sleeplike and deathlike states Subterranean spaces Nocturnal landscapes and dreams The charnelhouse Solitude
4
Q
Elegy form =
A
A poem of reflection, typically a lament for the dead
However, Gray’s poem does not read like a typical elegy as it does not mourn the dead
It reads more like an ode as Gray is just reflecting on death
5
Q
Themes =
A
Death Memory and the past The natural world Society and class Isolation
