Includes bibliographical references (pages 211-254) and index.
Contents:
Introduction : last things first -- Answer, echoes, dying : Tennyson's farewells -- Dramatic monologue and the ends of character -- Matthew Arnold's accomplished figures -- The consummated spell : Swinburne's style -- Coda : disavowing the Victorians.
Summary:
"Parting Words examines the relationship between Victorian poetry and public culture through the lens of the valedictory or farewell address, considering works ranging from poems by Byron, Tennyson, and Browning, to essays by Twain and Wilde, to scenes from novels by Dickens and Eliot. Ironically, the Victorian demand for a public poetry was countered by a growing diversification of that public. Although the Victorian era saw the loss of faith in a unitary national public, it asked poetry to address just such a public. It is in tackling this contradiction that the Victorian poets negotiated the reception of their work"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.