I don't know if it was intentional or not, but despite of (and maybe because of) the intense rhyme scheme in "The Lady of Shalott," the entire work came across more as a story than a poem. Obviously poems can tell stories; that's not what I'm getting at. What I mean to say is when reading this poem, it struck me more like a Poe work rather than a Wordsworth or Keats. Perhaps it was just the emphasis on the repetition at the end of each stanza that reminded me of instances like in Poe's "The Raven" (The whole 'nevermore' bit).
I'm not sure. For some reason, the entire thing just threw me for a loop in general. I definitely liked it, it was just... an experience, for lack of a better term.
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I disagree. I think the same impulse of rhyme, rhythm, and repetition is present in a lot of Tennyson. Most notably what I think of is the charge of the light brigade, which is probably his most well known work. I think the tone might of Mariana might be tad darker than other Tennyson I've read, if anything.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this idea ties in with the fairy tale discussion we had on thursday. It reads more like a story because it is meant to expand upon the traditional fairy tale. Poe probably drew inspiration from poets like Tennyson, which is why it might remind you of his work. The rhyme scheme is melodic because its meant to be heard rather than read because of the nursery rhyme nature of most fairy tales.
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