The Movement When Larkin wrote “An Arundel Tomb,” in 1956, he was one of a group of young poets in England known as the Movement. The term was first used in an article in the literary magazine The Spectator in 1954. Larkin’s name was not mentioned, since The Less Deceived, the volume that made him…
Tag: The United States of America
An Arundel Tomb – Literary Devices
Rhyme The poem is rhymed and follows a regular rhyme-scheme of abbcac; that is, line 1 (designated a) rhymes with line 5; line two (designated b) rhymes with line 3; and line 4 (designated c) rhymes with line 6. Most of the rhymes are perfect, or true rhymes, in that the sounds correspond exactly to…
An Arundel Tomb – Themes
Love The theme of love is first hinted at in the last two lines of the second stanza, in which it is revealed that the earl and his wife are depicted as holding hands. This detail is celebrated twice: the reference to the “sharp, tender shock” that the speaker feels when he first notices it,…
An Arundel Tomb – Summary
Stanza 1 The first two lines of “An Arundel Tomb” describe the stone effigies of two figures, an earl and a countess, lying side by side on top of their tomb. Their faces are not distinct, and the formal, dignified clothes in which the sculptor has represented them (“their proper habits”) are shown only vaguely….
A Mystery of Heroism – Analysis
Stephen Crane and Joseph Conrad first met on October 15, 1897, beginning a warm friendship that lasted until Crane’s untimely death in 1900. The two men discussed their work, reviewed each other’s writings, and exchanged literary advice. Though Conrad was fourteen years older than Crane, he began writing late in life, following a long career…
A Mystery of Heroism – Setting
The Civil War By 1860, conflict between the North and the South over states’ rights, slavery (in both newly acquired territories and in existing states), and the economic dominance of the North had led to bitter debate. Emotions ran high and voices of compromise and reason were often ignored. Before Lincoln was even elected, some…
A Mystery of Heroism – Irony – Realism – Literary Devices
Irony Crane’s work often makes use of irony (a contradiction between what appears to be, or what one expects, and reality). In this story there are many ironic elements. First of all, the story of a man’s journey through heavy artillery fire to get a drink of water is in itself ironic. In a story…
A Mystery of Heroism – Themes
Heroism In ‘‘A Mystery of Heroism’’ and many of his other short stories (including The Red Badge of Courage) Crane grapples with the definition of heroism. What makes a hero a hero? Is the conventional definition of heroism truly valid? Crane uses Collins’s opinions about heroism as a way of poking fun at the conventional…
A Mystery of Heroism – Characters
The Captain Like the colonel, the captain of Collins’s company is surprised by Collins’s request but does little to talk him out of it, merely asking him, ‘‘Can’t you wait?’’ Both the captain and the colonel are unsure whether Collins is really serious about his request. Fred Collins Fred Collins is a Civil War infantryman…
A Mystery of Heroism – Summary
Crane begins ‘‘A Mystery of Heroism’’ by setting the scene, describing the field of battle. At the top of a hill the artillerymen rush about, firing and reloading their guns, while below the hill the infantrymen of A company await their turn to fight. The infantrymen look onto ‘‘a fair little meadow,’’ and just beyond…