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Housman was born in Burton-On-Trent, England, in 1865, just as the US
Civil War was ending. As a young child, he was disturbed by the news of slaughter from the former British colonies, and was affected deeply. This turned him into a brooding, introverted teenager and a misanthropic, pessimistic adult. This outlook on life shows clearly in his poetry. Housman believed that people were generally evil, and that life conspired against mankind. This is evident not only in his poetry, but also in his short stories. For example, his story, "The Child of Lancashire," published in 1893 in The London Gazette, is about an child who travels to London, where his parents die, and he becomes a street urchin. There are veiled implications that the child is a homosexual (as was Housman, most probably), and he becomes mixed up with a gang of similar youths, attacking affluent pedestrians and stealing their watches and gold coins. Eventually he leaves the gang and becomes wealthy, but is attacked by the same gang (who don't recognize him) and is thrown off London Bridge into the Thames, which is unfortunately frozen over, and is killed on the hard ice below. Housman's poetry is similarly pessimistic. In fully half the poems the speaker is dead. In others, he is about to die or wants to die, or his girlfriend is dead. Death is a really important stage of life to Housman; without death, Housman would probably not have been able to be a poet. (Housman, himself, died in 1937.) A few of his poems show an uncharacteristic optimism and love of beauty, however. For example, in his poem "Trees," he begins Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Hung low with bloom along the bow Stands about the woodland side A virgin in white for Eastertide and ends Poems are made by fools like me But only God can make a tree. (This is a popular quotation, yet most people don't know its source!) Religion is another theme of Housman's. Housman seems to have had trouble reconciling conventional Christianity with his homosexuality and his deep clinical depression. In "Apologia pro Poemate Meo" he states In heaven-high musings and many Far off in the wayward night sky, I would think that the love I bear you Would make you unable to die [death again] Would God in his church in heaven Forgive us our sins of the day, That boy and man together Might join in the night and the way. I think that the sense of hopelessness and homosexual longing is unmistakable. However, these themes went entirely over the heads of the people of Housman's day, in the early 1900s. The best known collection of Housman's poetry is A Shropshire Lad, published in 1925, followed shortly by More Poems, 1927, and Even More Poems, 1928. Unsurprisingly, most collections have the same sense and style. They could easily be one collection, in terms of stylistic content. All show a sense of the fragility of life, the perversity of existence, and a thinly veiled homosexual longing, in spite of the fact that many of the poems apparently (but subliminally?) speak of young women. It is clear from these works that women were only a metaphor for love, which in Housman's case usually did not include the female half of society. More Poems contains perhaps the best statement of Housman's philosophy of life, a long, untitled poem (no. LXIX) with oblique references to the town of his birth, Burton-on-Trent, and statements like And while the sun and moon endure Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure... Indeed, how much more pessimistic can one be? Not only a poet and storyteller, Housman was a noted classical scholar. He is known for his extensive translations of the Greek classics, especially Greek plays by Euripides and Sophocles. Unfortunately, the bulk of his manuscripts were lost in a disastrous fire in his office at Oxford, which was caused by a lit cigar falling into a stack of papers. There were rumors that Housman was hidden in a closet with a young boy at the time, and therefore did not see the fire in his own office until it was too late to extinguish it. The Trustees of the college, however, managed to squelch the rumors, and Housman's academic tenure was not threatened by the incident. Now only a few gems of his poetic translation remain. One of the finest is from Sophocles' Alcestis, which begins Of strong things I find not any That is as the strength of Fate... Indeed, a comment on Housman's sense of fatalism. Housman is considered a minor poet, primarily because of his use of rhyme and meter, and frequent and effective use of imagery and symbolism. (It is generally accepted that major twentieth-century poetry must inevitably go beyond the strictures of late-nineteenth century styles, so any poet using such styles can only be classed as minor.) Nonetheless, I like him. I can forgive his sexual orientation, especially since my own father and brother share it (and sometimes I wonder about myself!) His wonderful poetry and other writings stand apart, by themselves, in their unique and special splendor. |
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A Shropshire Lad Shropshire: A Place of Imagined Sexual Contentment Published in 1869, A.E. Housman’s stands as one of the most socially acclaimed collections of English poetry from the Victorian age. This period in B 2. Shropshire : A Place of Imagined Sexual Contentment Published in 1869, A.E. Housman’s A Lad stands as one of the most socially acclaimed collections of English poetry from the Victorian age. This period in 3. To An Athlete Dying Young By A Dying young is thought to be one of the most tragic of circumstances. The thoughts of lives wasted, dreams unattained, memories never conceived. It is sad fate uncontrollable by any earthly being. Mos 4. Analysis Of To An Athlete Dyin “To An Athlete Dying Young” The time you won your town the race We chaired you through the market-place; Man and boy stood cheering by, And home we brought you shoulder-high. To-day, the r 5. Housman's "To An Athlete Dying Young" Dr. Larry Brunner A. E. Housman's "To an Athlete Dying Young," also known as Lyric XIX in A Shropshire Lad, holds as its main theme the premature death of a young athlete as told from the point of vie 6. Housman's "To An Athlete Dying Young" Dr. Larry Brunner A. E. Housman's "To an Athlete Dying Young," also known as Lyric XIX in A Shropshire Lad, holds as its main theme the premature death of a young athlete as told from the point of vie 7. To An Athlete Dying Young Analysis of A. E. Housman’s “” Dying young is considered by most to be one of the most tragic of fates. The specter of things undone and a life unlived haunts the funeral and colors 8. Respect And Responsibility plays a role in everyone's life. Even as a little kid we all had in your life. Respect can vary from having respect for the family pet to having respect for the people who raised us when we were growi 9. Aristotle On Art The subject of the Poetics is poetry, including epic poetry, tragedy and comedy. Unlike Plato, Aristotle regards poetry as a techne. The practice of poetry is governed by rules; these rules can be for 10. Youth And Poetry Poetry by definition is the art of writing that shows more imagination and deep feeling that ordinary speech. Poetry is a set of sensual words with deep meaning, but for some reason young people do no 11. What Is Poetry Poetry is a way of expressing oneself through words. Poetry has been an insight into the history of many past events. Poetry allows the reader to understand the writer’s situation. It draws emotions f 12. Emily Dickinson's Literary Devices And Techniques Emily Dickinson has been declared one of the most inspirational poets of our time. You may already know this, but do you know what Emily Dickinson's writing style is like, or the literary devices that 13. The Effect Of Poetry Many people don't appreciate poetry because they feel that they are not exposed to it. Times are different today; with the invention of television and computers, people don't often pick up a book and 14. Rainer Maria Rilke "Rose, o pure contradiction, desire to be no one’s sleep beneath so many lids." This was ’s self-composed epitaph, written before leukemia took his life on December 29, 1926. The rose wa 15. Comparison Of "Speaking Of Poetry" And "966" There are many differences in the poems, “Speaking Of Poetry” by Bishop, and, “966” by Dickenson. But there is a similarity as well. That is the idea of social standings affecting a relationship. Were 16. Anne Bradstreet’s Expression Of Anger During the Puritain era, poets wrote their literature in a very religious sense. Almost all of the Puritain writers based their literature on God. Anne Bradstreet, however, bases her poetry not on God 17. John Keats was one of the greatest poets of the Romantic Era. He wrote poetry of great sensual beauty and had a unique passion for details. In his lifetime he was not recognized with the senior poets. He didn 18. Plato Vs Shelley Many works of literature provide responses to much debated topics. Opinions are brought forth by means of rhetorical devices and supported by some type of accepted truth. In two such pieces, The Repub 19. On The Universality Of Poetry Like any art form, poetry is considered universal. It ranks with music, dance, and fine arts as a form or process of expressing Man's thoughts and passions. Unlike other art forms, however, poetry -- 20. Emily Jane Bronte remains a mystery. Very little is known about her. There is little information, and much of what we have is contradictory. She is the author of only one novel and a few bits of poetry. This gives peop |