€¦ · editor’s introduction there has lately been much criticism of the teaching of liter a...

inti mate mutational monogramEDITED BY HENRY SUZZALLO

THE

TEACHING OF POETRY

IN THE HIGH SCHOOL

ARTHUR H . R. FAIRCHILDPROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

HOUGHTON M IFFLIN COMPANYBOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO DALLAS

SAN FRANCISCOEb: B ibetzt

‘ue firms Qtambtihgc

CONTENTS

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION

I . INTRODUCTORY

II . SOME PRACTICAL WORK

III . SOME FORMAL ELEMENTS

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY ARTH UR H .

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO REPRODUCBTHIS BOOK OR PARTS THEREOF IN ANY FORM

E b: kinetsibc fi rms

CAMBRIDGE MASSACHU SETTSPRINTED IN THE U .S.A .


THERE has lately been much criticism of theteaching of litera ture in the high school . It hasbeen suggested

,by those who have attempted

to measure school work by its effect upon laterlife

,that recent generations of high-school stu

dents have n ot gained all that they should fromthi s study . They point ou t that we have been ledto expect tha t twe lve years of school contactwith th e best literature would establi sh an abiding interest in good re adi n g ; but we have foundthat high-school graduate s

,once they enter upon

their life -work,give a surprisin gly small part of

their leisure time to readin g of any sort, and stillless to reading the world’s best literature.

Itmay be that this unsatisfactory result is notaltogether new ; that th e school , without beingaware of the fact

,has always partia lly failed in

its teaching of litera ry content . The boys andgirls of the Latin schools and academies of thepast years represented a highly se lected popu lation . As com pared with the high-school studentsof to-day

,they came of a favored cu ltured class.

V II

EDITOR’

S INTRODUCTION

They did not exact of their teachers that skill inteaching literature whi ch is now required . Theycame to the school with larger cultural backgrounds ; and from the school they turned to alife among professional and social groups whichsustained literary standards in reading

,writing

,

and speech . Under such Circumstances it wasn ot natural for the schoolmaster to suspect thathis teaching of literature was too formal

,too ex

c lu sive ly intellectual , too feelingless ; and thatthe home atmosphere sustained li terary interestand taste in spite of 1n effe ctive teaching atschool . It was , indeed , qui te human for thete acher of tradi tional self-assurance to acceptthe re sult as a product ofhis own conscious workmanship

,when in reality it had been ae com

plished by the unconscious,but none the less

vital,influence of other agencies .

Such an attitude of self-confid en ce is no longerpossible

,because the pupils now in ou r schools

come from homes of a different sort,and have to

face altered working conditions . Great numbersof students now come to the classroom without asingle tendency favorable to a literary in te rpretation of life ; and they go forth to a commercialand industrial existence which is devoid of poeticfe eling. For these

,the school offers alm ost the‘fiii


sole opportunity for the development of literarytaste . What the teacher does n ot inculcate , will,in most cases , never be achi eved . Such a situation is likely to reveal

,sometimes with startling

suddenness,th e futility of much of ou r formal ,

academic teaching of literature . When theteache r at last really perceives youth

,dutifully

but mechanically, gathe ring information aboutpoets

,poetic forms

,and the themes of poetic

composition,without once being fired with an

intrinsic intere st in poetry itself,he loses his as

surance . At the same time he is a bit uncertainwhether the way ou t of his difii cu lty is to befound in the reconstruction of hi s own teachingpractice

,or in frankly adm i tting that some stu

dents are doomed never to care about the poeti cinterpretation of human life .

There are a radical few who conclude that littlecan be done by aiming high , with, say, childrenof immigrants destined for industrial life, andwho propose to do their best in refining such inte re sts as they find among the youth they teach.

In the hi gh school they would put the emphasison reading the current li terature of the weekliesand monthlies

,to the exclusion of real and abid

in g literature . In the elementary and eveningschools they would teach reading from the trade

1X


catalogu es and daily newspapers . Bu t for themost part the teachers who have become di scontented with the present situation have sufficientintuition to sense the importance and universality of poeti c values in life

,and hence in educa

tion . They cannot welcome a program of re

form whi ch provides escape from responsibilityby a kind of treason to the Civili zation of' whi chthey are the teaching representatives . They prefer to beli eve that the present situation requi resno relinquishm ent of goals or standards, butmerely the facing of a more difficult teachin gproblem with Clearer vision and a more rationaltechnique . From their point of view there is to bea readjustment of means without the compromi seof ends . They are quite willing to begin theirlabors where they find them ; but they are determined ultimately to develop an interest in thoserefined interpretations of life whi ch come to menthrough the poetic energy. To them the presentspan of school life seems too lim i ted an oppor

tu n ity for even an approximately complete a c

complishm en t. There is much to be done forthose who have suffered cultural misfortune.Yet

,even under such circumstances

,the teacher

feels that the chief thing is to leave a vital interest in poetic things, even though this obligation

x


restrict in considerable degree, the types of litera ture enjoyed and studied in detail .Having the faith of this group Of teachers and

thinkers , the edi tor has long wished for a discu ssion of the whole case of literature

,more

particul arly poetry,in the hi gh school. It is a

singu lar good fortune that gives him the opportu ni ty to present the monograph which follows.

YOU m ight read all the books in the British Museum (if

you could live long e nough) an d rem a in an utterly illiterate ,

’ un educa ted person ; but if you re ad ten pages of agood book, le tter by le tte r, - tha t is to say, with rea l accuracy , you are foreverm ore in som e m easure an e du

cated person . The en tire difie ren ce be twe en educationan d n on educa tion (as regards the m ere ly inte llec tua l partof it) consists in th is accura cy .

'Ru skin .

“At school I e n joyed the in estim able advan tage of a

ve ry sen sible though at the sam e tim e a very severemaster. At the sam e tim e tha t we were studyingGreek tragic poe ts, he m ade u s re ad Shake speare and

Milton as lesson s : an d they were le sson s, too , wh ichrequired most tim e an d trouble to ‘bring up ,

’so as to

escape his cen sur e . I le arn ed from h im tha t poe try , eventha t of the loftiest an d

,se emingly , tha t of the wildest

odes, had a log ic of its own ,a s severe as tha t of scien ce ;

an d m ore d ifficul t , because m ore subtle , m ore complex,an d depen de n t upon m ore a n d m ore fugitive causes.

‘In

the truly grea t poe ts,’ he would say,‘the re is a reason

assign able , n ot on ly for eve ry word , but for the positionof every word .

’Coleridge .

“Of all ou r study the last en d an d a im should b e to

ascertain how a gre a t writer or artist has served the life ofman ; to ascerta in th is, to bring hom e to our se lves as largea portion asm ay b e ofthe gai n wherewith he has en ri chedhum an life , an d to render access to that store ofwisdom ,

passion ,and power, e asie r an d sure r for others. If ou r

study does n ot d ire ctly or in d ire ctly e n rich the life of

man,it is but a drawing Of van ity with cart-rope s, a.

wearin ess to the flesh . or at best a busy id len ess.'Edward Dowd en .

THE TEACHING OF POETRY

IN THE H IGH SCHOOL

INTRODUCTORY

The problem

TEACHING poetry is everywhere essentially thesame task . This side of the graduate school , atleast

,the ends to be attained are much the same

in all grades Of work . Special problems at eachof the Chief stages there are

,of course ; but the

task is everywhere much the same ; the differe n ces are differences of emphasis

,range

,and

scope .

In order to get the problem of teaching poetryin the high school fairly before us

,let us take

Frederick Oakes Sylvester’s poem on the Mississippi River, and ask what we should do with ithad we to “ teach ' it in the high school . Thepoem follows

“And do you love my river,My stream of the tawn y ton es,And do you fin d its world , in de ed ,The rare st beauty owns?

POETRY IN THE HIGH SCHOOL

“Oh , I have se en it wakenTo we lcom e hom e the d awn ,

An d I have se en its eye lids closeWhe n the ve il of n ight is drawn '

Ye a,I have he ard its laughter,

Have se e n its glorious sm ile ,'

An d I have fe lt it le ap for joyAn d shout for joy the whi le .

Wha t spe ed on wind-swept cou rses,Wha t race s ’

ga in st the bre eze 'Wha t se cre t pause s, songs and dreamsUn de r the broodin g tre es'

The h ills clasp han ds by its borders,The fore sts sing by its side ,Wh ile the pra irie s tha t riva l the ocean ’s realmSurge roun d it far an d wide .

“It is the blood of the va les and the valleys,It is win e for flower an d tre e ,It is pulse of the pla in s, the m eadows’ ve ins,An d the lan d ’s grea t artery .

I kn ow you love my riverGod gran t you kn ow its worth ;For He m ade it fa ir beyon d compare ,Th e king of the rivers of earth .

' 1

1 Q u oted by permi ssion ofmy frie n d , th e pa in ter-poe t, fromhis charm in g volum e

, The Great River , Poems and Pictures,Chicago, 19 1 1 (priva te ly prin ted ) . Secon d ed ition , 19 13.

f

2

INTRODUCTORY

If you had this poem for class-study, whatwould you proceed to do? Would you , on com

ple tin g the poem previously studied,

“ assign '

this poem to be recited upon next day? If so,

would you give ou t in advance som e questions orsuggest points for study? What kind ofquestionswould you ask in the re citation period? Wouldyou begin by reading the poem aloud to the class?Or would you have some member of the Classread it? Would you begin somewhat as follows:“For to-day’s lesson you were to be prepared onthe poem

,

‘An d do you love my then

,

reading the lines“An d do you love my river,My stre am of the tawn y ton es,

ask, What river is referred to?

' “What is themeaning of

‘tawny following upthese questions with others of like character?Or would you n ot

“ assign ' the poem at a ll,but begin the study of it in class without havingthe students prepare upon it

,without

,indeed

,

their knowing even what they were going to read?If so , how would you begin? Would you say,“To-day we are to read together a poem aboutthe Mississippi River ' ; then read the openinglines? Or would you , without previous assignment, and before the pupils knew what poem


was to be studied , ask such questions as these“How many of you have ever seen the M ississippi River? If n ot, have you seen the MissouriRiver? What is the color of the water? Why?What are the shores like? Is its current swift orslow? Has it eddies? Is the river crooked orstraight? Of what are the banks composed? Arethere trees on the banks? Did you ever see theriver at sunrise or sunset? What did it look like?Do you like to watch a river? What does it callup in your imagination? Does it make you wonder where it comes from

,where it is going? Do

you like to think of all the people who lookedupon it in the years gone by? Do you like tothink of all the many thousands who watch itnow from day to day

,and of all those who wi ll

do so in the years to come? Do you like to thinkof the homes

,the towns

,and the cities scattered

along the river’s banks? Did you ever‘love ’ a

river? ' 1

Then , having asked some such questions , thenumber and character of them having beendetermined by the situation before you ,

would1 Man y of the se que stion s are purpose ly so fram ed as to

ind ica te the type of an swer d e sired . Toom an y of them couldb e an swered m ere ly by “ye s ' or

“n o .

'For th e type of que s

tion s m ore comm on ly to b e employed in a class-exercise , se ethe practica l work later.

4

INTRODUCTORY

you turn to the poem with a view to bringingthe pupils into something of the poet’s attitudeand feeling? An d what would be your aim togive instruction

,verbal

,geographi cal , moral ; to

afford immedia te pleasure and be satisfied withthat ; or , without attempting to produce actualpleasure

,to make the poem merely a means

toward the general improvement of taste andunderstanding?A score of other questions might be proposed .

Would you tell the pupils about the author’s life?Howmuch would you think it necessary to kn ow,

if this were the only poem Of his to be read?Would you comm ent on verse and stanzaic form?Would you ask whether the poem were epic

,

lyric, or dramatic, and whether the poet apparently spoke from experience at first hand

,or

from observation,or from report and hearsay

merely? How often would you think it necessaryactually to read the poem in class? Would you ,

for example, first read the poem through withou t comment ; follow thi s reading with a criticalstudy in which all difficu lt

,unusual

,or striking

phrases were dwelt upon sympathetically ; andthis reading with another reading unbroken bycomment? Or would the on e critical reading itselfb e sufficient? Would you have the pupils memo


rize the poem? If so , before or after the recitation '

? Woul d you,incidentally or otherwise,

seek to bring home to them in any special waythe value and importance of studying and reading poetry? For examination purposes

,what

type of question would you ask? DO you thinkit is possible in the study of poetry to ask altogether satisfactory questions? What do youregard as a proper test of the pupil’s understanding and appreciation of a poem?Such questions as these

,and many others ,

might be asked . The answer to some of them isobvious . The use of certain questions would

,of

course,commit a teacher to some kind of general

method ; 1 the use of others would signify a d efinite conception of ends to be attained throughthe study of poetry in the high school .

The presen tpu rpose

Directly or by implication,it is the task of the

writer to answer these and like questions . Ourspecific purpose is to offer some practical aid tothe teacher Of poetry in the high school . Thereis n o desire

,much less attempt

,to foist upon

any on e a final method of teaching poetry. The

1 Cf. Steven s, The Q u estion as a Measu re ofEficr’

en cy in I n

struction , published by Colum bia Un iversity, NewYork, 19 1 2.6

INTRODUCTORY

writer has no such method,knows Of none

, b e

lieve s that n one can be devised . He offers nonovel theory , no com pendium of infallible rules ;he has none and knows none . Each class withits distinctive personality

,each poem with its

subtle shades Of thought and emotion , eachindividual class-situation faced by the teacherfrom hour to hour, creates conditions too com

plex by far to be provided for by any set method.

It is only through an adroit use of knowledge andexperience

,the expression of personali ty

, con

sistent good sense,and ready sympathy and tact ,

that success in such situations can be won . Hewho depends upon a formal method of teachingpoetry is lost . He who attempts to follow slavishly what he finds other people doing an d saying

,as th ey teach poetry

,is worse than lost . The

best things contributed to the cla ss-study of anypoem are the things that are never said . Theylie in the background '

of the teacher’s life.They come to the won derin g pupil as glimpsesof that “ undiscovered country which seems tobe inhabited by inviting truth

,fine ideals

,and

inspiriting action . Whoever teaches poetry withdistinctive success has probably learned to do sochi efly through being well taught . Much he willhave learned

,too

,through the actual experience


of teaching and by observing successful teachers.

He who has been well taught is indeed fortunate ;for if he is successful he will have mastered theelements of his art without ever knowing how,

when,or where. Bu t, should any teacher not have

this advantage,he may still learn much by at

least one other means by visiting the classes ofa successful teacher and observing how he doeshis work .

As far as is practicable on paper, the writerproposes to offer such an opportunity . Workconducted by a successful high-school teacherwill be presented ; and the general method , withits more important implications

,will be di scussed

by the writer . In the teaching of poetry,more

perhaps than in the teaching of any other subject,

the personal factor looms large . In thehigh schoolit is the main factor . Methods are dead andhollow forms unless vitalized by personality.

Much of this personal element must be lost , fromthe very nature of the printed page ; yet the boldoutlines of the work can be seen ; here and therehelpful suggestions may be caught .

The elem en ts or factors involved

Before turning to the practical class-work,let

u s consider the elements or factors involved .

8

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b roadening , and uplifting a relatively u n deve l

oped personality . He knows that to bring theminds of his pupils under the influence of beautyis to bring them , more effectively than by anyother means possible , under the reign of law.

Though he deliberately aims at arousing an d

cultivating feeling, he is free from sentimentalism

,because he insists that feeling shall always

be connected with worthy ideas . He has areligion and is moral-minded

,but he has n ’

t adrop of missionary blood in his veins . He is theartist-teacher .The possession of the special talent by which

all this is chi efly effected is not all . In itself,it

d oes not insure the highest success . A clear,

defensible view of poetry ; of how it came to be ;of what it is in its essential nature ; of what ithas done and is still capable of doing for the lifeofman

,individually and socially ; of the need of it

and its economic value in life ;— in a word,a

broad,phi losophic conception of poetry

,is

equally indispensable . To love poetry,even to

judge poetry with di scrimination,is not enough .

There must be a well-grounded conception ofpoetry as a whole. The true teacher must notonly know what poetry has done for him ; h emust also see clearly how similar results may b e

10

INTRODUCTORY

attained by othe rs . Vaguen ess , confusion, intangibility

,loss Of time a n d energy in the class

room,a re a lmost inevitable results of a teacher’s

lack of point of view .

Along with this well-groun ded view of poetryshould go still further equipment : a sound knowledge of the subject, both in its in te llectual andits emotional aspects , and an ardent love for it ;some acquaintance with other fields for com parison ; a good command of idiomatic English ; avoice well toned and modulated. All are indispensable to the highest success in teaching poetryin the high school . N0 tea cher seriously lackingin any of these qualifications should continue toteach

,without taking immediate steps to over

come the deficiency. Special talent cannot beacquired

,but tra in in g is largely a matter of

application and industry .

(2) The pupi l: (a ) his gen eral importan ce

Important as the teache r is,he is still secondary

to the pupil . No conception is more essential forthe teacher at this stage than that the pupil

,not

himself , n ot even the subject which he teaches , isthe objective point of all his endeavor . Fromschool board and superin tendent to humblestjanitor , the entire organ iza tion exists for the sakeof the pupil . For his benefit alone administrators

I I


and teachers are trained,buildings erected

,text

books written,methods of instruction devised.

It is in order to free hi smind from the bondage ofa weak sensuousness , to effect through imagination an expansion of his inner life

,to bring into

full clearness hi s relation to the world,to prepare

him to meet the needs of his time,and to deepen

his capacity for enjoym ent in its higher forms,

and only for this reason,that we have made the

pupil the center of this elaborate organi zation .

The pupil should never,of course

,be made

aware,much less told

,of his importance . Ego

tism and impudence,intellectual flippan cy and

emotional perversion are the bitter fruits oferror here . The pupil is important

,n ot because

Of what he is and what he knows,but because of

what he may become . Should he persistentlyrefuse to submit himself to recognized means ofdeveloping his possibilities

,he forfeits his right

to the advantages of education and becomes anobject for discipline .

Nor should the teacher err in attitude . To cond em n a chi ld for age

,race

,or previous condition

of servitude is at on ce to break the bond . Thepupil’s training

,his environment

,his present

lack of appreciation for poetry may be cause forregret, yet the pupil as he is presents a challenge

1 2

INTRODUCTORY

to the imaginative unde rstanding,sympathy

,

and ability of the teacher . The immedi ate aimsof the pupil

,be they good or b ad , high or low,

depend entirely upon th e history of his in n er lifeup to the presen tmom en t. B e tween these aims andthe poetry in hand

,if only the poetry has been

judiciously selected,there is always some connec

tion possible,some poin t of attachment di scover

able,some line of approach open . It is the teach

er’s task to discern this poin t of a ttachment,and

to effe ct a union,in knowledge and ideals

,

between the pupil’s aim and the content of thepoem .

(b) The pupi l an d the high-school stage: The

high school is preceded by the grade school . 1 Inthe grade school a broad choice is made . As

between a greater good,represented by hi s

studies,and a lesser good

,represented by play or

whatever else diverts from study,the average

grade pupil chooses the greater good . Of thesum-total of his tim e and energy

,he is now wil l

ing, he uncon sciously says , to devote a part , eventhe main part

,to the pursuit of things of the

mind . He is n ot the “whi ning schoolboy 'of the

cyni c Jacques,

“ creeping like snail unwillingly1 Cf. Hyde ’s The Teacher’s Philosophy in and out of

S chool.

1 3


to school ' ; but often with joy and gladness, hegoes to school

,learns , studies .

In the high school a further and perhaps moresignificant choice is made . From a wide range ofsubjects

,the pupil now elects the particular on e

that most appeals to him . Not the broad choicebetween work and play

,but the particular selec

tion of some one thi ng to pursue and work upon,

is made . The high school period is the period ofself-di scovery. Here it is that individuality isborn . Personality now asse rts itself, indi cates itsaffinities . Life-interests are awakened ; aptitudesdiscovered ; preferences proclaimed . Taste b ecomes assertive ; vocations are selected ; lifeplans are shaped . Not “What does the pupilknow? ' but “What does he want? ' is now the

important question .

“What on e loves,' says

President Hyde,

“ is more important than whaton e knows ; what on e wants to do, and is intere sted in trying to do

,is of more consequence

at thi s stage than what on e has done.

'At the

high-school stage the pupil,and especially the

pupil of more pronounced intellectual and emotion al life

,predestinates his career . Even the

most stolid seldom,if ever

,shakes entirely free

from the subtle and quiet influences borne inupon his mind in this impressionable and forma

I 4

INTRODUCTORY

tive period . In the high-school period everypupil is faced toward hi s career ; some are evenstarted .

1

(c) Poetry an d its relation to the pupi l at the

high-school stage : In this process of selection and

orientation which takes place in the hi gh school,

poetry plays an important pa rt. Skillfullyhandled

,n o subject opens wider or more inviting

opportunities to the pupil . Poetry is a transcriptof life . It is a representa tion of life , n ot on ly asit is

,but as it may and ought to be . From poetry

the pupil may not only gain a refined and elevated pleasure ; he m ay also learn, n ot only whatlife is

,but what he himself is . Ignorance

,not so

much of subjects as of ourselves , is the fruitfulsource of error and of tragic waste in life . Knowthyself ' was the admoni tion over the temple atDelphi , and to this practical end the Greeksthemselves used poetry . TO the same end thehi gh school pupil may use poetry ; through it hemay come to some measure of self-knowledge.1 That th e end sought or th e plan s con ce ived by th e pupil

are n ow se lf-cen tered an d inheren tly se lfish , tha t it is his plan san d his succe ss that a lon e con cern the pupil , n e ed n ot d isturbthe m ora list. Th e se lfishn e ss is a s n aive a s it isun con scious an dun de libe rated . The world, if n ot th e college , will take care of

that ; in som e m e asure at le a st it will soci a li ze his aim s. TheA

importan t thin g n ow is that the pupil sha ll fin d what he wan tsto do ; that he sha ll d iscover a purpose in life .

1 5


Aptitudes unknown because unrevealed ; afl‘i ni ti e s

too deep to be otherwise suspected ; tendenciestoo secretly bestowed to have been hi therto recogn iz ed , will , through the revealing power of

the skillful teacher,gradually unfold themselves

to the wondering and admiring mind of thepupil . Is that what it means? ' “

Is life likethat? ' “

Are there really such people? ' “Thereis a Character just like me '' “

I like that littlepoem almost day by day

,in cla ss or out

,

these and like expressions escape his lips . Poetrywill help the high-school pupil to find his real self

,

to recognize his strength and di scover his weaknesses . Itwill aid him in hi s choice of life-work,enable him to adapt himself to it

,and give him a

body of propelling and inspiring ideals that willhelp him to achieve the truest success .

(3) The poetry: The third element or factor isthe subject-matter

,the poetry. This is n ot the

time to discuss thi s subject even in a generalway .

1 One or two observations affecting ou r

present purposes may,however

,be made .

In order to teach anything,on e should know

what that thing is . In order to teach algebra , orphysics

,or geography

,successfully

,on e must

know what the subject-matter consists of, what1 See the writer’s The Making of Poetry, Putn am ’

s, 19 1 2.

16


able . In the teaching of poetry the character andrange of the subject-matter offer peculiar difli cu lties , but these difficulties also represent rareopportunities for on e who knows how to usethem .

One distinction,however

,will be of imm edi ate

help . Thi s is the distinction between fact andva lu e . If I say

,There is a tree

,

'or

“There is aman

,I state a fact . If I say, There is a beauti

ful tree ,'or

,

“That was a noble act,

'I indicate

a value . This distinction between fact and valueis of ca rdinal importance in the teaching ofpoetry ; none is greater . Indeed , I do n ot hesitate to say that a ll su ccessfu l tea ching of poetryin high school depen ds fin a lly upon a recogn ition

of the relative importan ce , in any poem ,of these

two elemen ts, an d upon the emphasis pu t upon

them .

Let me illustrate briefly . In the poem which Ihave quoted

,there are certain matters of fact

stated or implied . Is it a fact,for instance

,that

the Mississippi is a river of“ tawny tones ' ?

Are there “wind-swept courses,

' “ races ’gainstthe breeze

,

' “ secret pauses under thebroodin g trees Do the hills clasp hands byits borders

,

' “ the forests sing by its side,

' theprairies “ surge round it far and wide ' ? Is it

18

INTRODUCTORY37 ( C“blood Of the vales and the valleys, w me for

flower and tree,

' “pulse Of the plains,the mead

ows’ veins

,an d the land’s great artery '

?

These are indeed a ll matters of fact . Figurative ly expressed , they can nevertheless be geo

graphically confirmed ; and n o on e can be said tohave an intelligent understan ding of the poemwho has not mastered these matters of fact . Bu tmerely to master these facts

,however thoroughly,

is of course not to know the poem in its true sense .

The poem has an element ofvalue which is something more than the sum-total of its apprehendeddifficulties . Thi s value can be known on ly in an d

through feeling. It cannot be stated,cannot be

described . We speak of this expe rience as appreciating or enjoying the poem

,and though that

may mean difle ren t things to different people,

it is none the less real . Here it is something of arenewed or an awakened love for the great river.After on e has understood the language of thepoem

,and become master of the facts

,on e Ought

to enter into something of the writer’s feeling forthe river . One must needs do so if on e dwell sympathetically upon the poem. T0 find thi s joy of

love for a great river,to make that love bear a

close and vital relation to one’s life,is to come

into possession of something Of the “value ' of19


thi s poem . Poetry must rest upon fact,must in

general be true to it and conform to it ; but , incommon with the other arts

,it has as its great

social function to unfold and reveal the permanent

,significant , and indefectible values ' of

li fe . The value ' element in a poem alwaysrepresents that for whi ch the poem was reallywritten ; all elements of fact, however novel , sign ifican t

,or important they may be in them

selves,are justifiable in a poem only through

th e“va lu e which they help to reveal . To know

is good . To feel is better,

' says Mr . B liss Perry,

“when it is a question of appropriating the formand meaning of a work of art . '

An element of fact,and an element of value

herein lies the content of all poetry ; herein liethe problems of the teaching of poetry ' To drillon facts alone

,while it will doubtless make for

habits of accuracy and precision,is to kill the

appreciation and enjoym ent of poetry .

1 It is toget the letter and destroy the spirit . On the otherhand

,to ignore the facts and unduly emphasize

1 Visitin g a h igh-school Class, on on e occasion , wh ere theywere studyin g Hen ry V, th e writer ven tured to a skthe classwhy they stud ied poe try. The brighte st b oy in th e c lass, aftera little refle ction ,m ad e the in tere stin g reply, “To get a kn owledge of history.

' The an swer was a d efin ite in d ica tion of the

tea cher’s m e thod .

20

INTRODUCTORY

the feeling or va lue element in poetry is to engender habits of slovenliness a n d in accuracy

,and to

throw the whole pursuit ofpoetry in to an atmos

phe re of dilettantism and sen tirn en ta lism .

II

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

WITH these suggestions before us,we may turn

to some practical work .

1

The poet selected was Robert Browning . Thedifli cu ltie s which beset the study of this authormay perhaps not unfairly be regarded as a represen ta tive test ofwhat may be accomplished underthe method employed . The Class was a seniorClass and had for some time been studyingBrown ing

’s Shorter Poems. The poems were

studied,not in the order in which they a re

printed in the text,but

,as seems more advisable

for younger students especially,according to th e

feelings,the ideas

,and the conceptions revealed

by the poems . Poems had been classified andread as follows (I ) Narrative Poems : The P i edPiper ofHam elin ;

“How They Broughtthe Good

Newsfrom Ghen ttoAix HerveRi el; In ci den tofthe Fren ch Camp; (2) Patriotic Poems : Cava li erTu n es; Hom e-Thoughts, from the S ea ; Home

1 Con ducted in th e High School con n e cted with the SchoolofEduca tion in the Un iversity ofMissouri.

22

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

Thoughts, from Abroad ; (3) Poems dealing withI ta ly : The I ta li an in Englan d; Up at a Vi lla

Down in the City; Love Amon g the Ru in s;“De

Gu sti bu s (4) Personal : My Star; S ummumBon um; Why I am a Li bera l; The Lost Leader;

Prospice; Epi logu e to Asolan do (5) Phi losoph i

ca l and Ethical : My Last Du chess;“Chi lde

Rolan d to the Da rkTower cam e Ra bbi B en Ezra ;

S au l; Songs from“P ippa P asses.

The next poem to b e read wasAn drea del S a rto.

N0 previous assignment had been made , and thepupils came to class n ot knowing what poemwould next be read . When the class was readyto begin , a stenographer came in and took thereport whi ch follows . 1

1 Th is report ha s throughout be en revised an d ed ited by thewriter. Th e purpose of th is revision an d ed iting has con sis

ten tly be e n to brin g ou t m ore c le a rly th e m e thod an d a im sinvolved in th e a ctua l te a ch in g . Q uite possibly som e thin gshave be en e lim in ated an d chan ged wh ich a te a cher experie n cedin high-school workwould hav'e le ft ; ye t the ba ckgroun d ofthestudy, which is here th e e ssen tia l th in g , se em s c le ar an d evi

d en t. The importan ce of pe rson a lity an d those other qualitie sof character wh ich in spire pupils in th e tea chi n g of poe try inthe high school can scarce ly b e ove rempha siz ed ; an d yet it isen tire ly possible that a te a ch e r with such qu a lification s m ay

do little m ore,fin a lly

,than stir he r pupils in to a state of em oe

tion a l froth . All te a ch in g ofpoe try that is ultim ate ly effe ctive,

that le ave s its perm an en t im pre ssion s, m u st have a ba ckgroun dofid e as

,a im s, an d con ception s. Th e se id e as, a im s, an d con cep

tion s can n ever b e satisfactorily stated , but they can b e implied23


T. Last day we fin ished re ad ing togethe r the Songsfrom

“P ippa P asses.

'Be fore we fin ally leave

th em , suppose you rem in d u swho Pippa was an dhow sh e cam e to sin g those songs.

1

P. Pippa wa s a little silk-winde r in the silk mills ofAsolo . Sh e is on e of the m ost charm in g of

Brown ing’s chara c ters tha t we have re ad about .As she pa ssed in an d ou t of th e village on the on eholiday ofth e ye ar tha t sh e has

,New Ye ar’sDay,

she sang the songs that we re ad an d,without

kn owin g it, through them in fluen ced th e live s ofpeople about he r . The song which begins

“The ye ar ’s at the sprin gAn d d ay ’s at the m om

awaken ed two wicked people to a sen se of the irguilt an d of th e d ivin e governm en t of th e world.

P ippa Passes is a dram a , but from wha t you readu s about it , n ot a dram a likeJu liu s Caesar . It

an d suggested by such an exe rcise as that which is here given .

It waswith th is fa ct in m in d tha t th e writer e lim in ated som e

non -sign ifican t thin gs an d changed others in the c lass-report .1 The n am es of stud en ts ca lled upon have be en om itted in

the report . The teach er expla in ed tha t she con sisten tly ad¢dresse d a ll comprehe n sive que stion s first to the c lass as a whole ,an d then re ferred th em to som e particular stud en t . To n am e

a stud e n t be fore askin g a que stion is often to lose at on ce muchof the possible in tere st of th e other m em bers of the class. It

should furth er b e m en tion ed that in corre ct an swers, e spe cia llyin th e latter part of th e report , have be en e lim in ated as havin gn o particular sign ifican ce in th is exercise . The absen ce of thesean swers

,a swe ll a s th e om ission ofth e usua l courtesie s Of replies

by the studen ts, n e ed give n o erron eous impre ssion .

24


T. For wha t , d id we fin d , is this city n ow chiefly

P.

T.

fam ous?For its art. The re are m any fin e pain tin gs an dbuildings there .

Tha t is righ t . On e of the m ost famous buildin gsin Flore n ce is the Pitti Palace (te ache r writesnam e on board ) ; an d on e of the be st knownpa in tin gs in the Pitti Pa lace is a portrait of apa in te r, An dre a d e l Sarto, an d h is wife. Thisprin t whi ch I have h e re is a Copy of the pain ting(teach e r shows prin t to class) .1An in te resting story is con n e cted with thispainting . Kenyon a sked Brown ing to buy him a copyof th e portra it . Non e wa s to b e had ; so Brown ingwrote a poem , putting in to it just wha t th e pa in tin g had m ean t to him , an d sen t it to Kenyon .

Thi s poem is kn own as Andrea del S a rto, an d is

the n ext on e tha t we sha ll re ad toge ther. In

writin g thi s poem ,Brown ing did n ot, howeve r,

depen d sole ly upon his impression s from the

pa in tin g . He m ade u se of a book which is kn ownas Va sari’s Lives of the Pa in tersf (Te ach er writesnam e an d title on the board.) Vasari has told insome de ta il the story ofAn dre a d e l Sarto an d hi s

wi fe . In writing hi s poem Brown ing has followedhi s a ccoun t ve ry c lose ly. Ifyou wi ll listen a ttentive ly,

I sha ll be glad to re ad to you some of them ore importan t parts of the story asVasari 2 te llsit . (Te ache r reads.)

1 Se e fron tispie ce .1 Som e parts follow the first edition.

26

SOME PRACTICAL WORK“At length th en we have com e

,a fter having written

the live s of m any artists who have be en d istinguished ,som e for colouring , som e for d e sign ,

an d som e for inve n

tion ; we have com e,I say, to tha t of the tru ly exce lle n t

An dre a d e l Sarto , in whom a rt an d n ature com bin ed toshow all tha t m ay b e don e in pa in tin g , whe n d e sign ,

colouring , an d inve n tion un ite in on e an d the sam e pe r:son . Had th is m aster posse ssed a. som ewha t bold er andm ore e leva ted m in d , had h e be en as much d istin gu ish edfor h igher qua lifica tion s a s he was for ge n ius an d d epth ofjudgm en t in the art h e practised , he would beyon d a ll

doubt , have be en without an equa l . Bu t there was a

certa in tim id ity Of m in d , a sort of difli d e n ce an d wan t offorce in his n a ture , wh ich re n dered it impossible tha tthose evide n ces of ardour an d an im a tion

,which are

proper to the m ore exa lted chara cte r, should ever appe arto h im ; nor d id he at any tim e d isplay on e partic le of tha te leva tion wh ich , could it but have be e n add ed to the

advan tages wherewith he was e n dowed , woul d have re nd ered him a truly d ivin e pa in ter : where fore the works ofAn dr ea are wan tin g in those orn am en ts of gran d eur,richn ess, an d force , wh ich appe ar so con spicuously inthose of m an y other m asters. His figures a re n eve rthe

le ss we ll drawn , they are e n tire ly fre e from e rrors, an dperfe ct in all the ir proportion s, an d are for the most partsimple an d chaste .

Vasari , a fte r describing various pa intings byAn dre a , proce edsThese various labours se cured so gre a t a n am e for

An dre a in his n ative c ity,tha t am ong the m an y artists

,

old an d youn g , who were the n pa in ting , he was accoun tedon e of the be st tha t ha n d led pen c il an d colours. Our

artist then foun d h im se lf to b e n ot on ly hon oured and

27


adm ired , but a lso in a con d ition n otwithstan d in g there a lly m e an price tha t he a ccepted for his labours, wh ichpe rm itted h im to ren d er assistan ce to h is fam i ly

,wh ile

he still rem a in ed un oppre ssed for h is own part , by thosecare s an d an xie tie s wh ich be se t those who are compe lledto live in poverty .

At tha t tim e there was a m ost be autiful girl in the

Via d i San Gallo,who was m arrie d to a cap

-m aker,an d

who , though born of a poor an d vic ious fa th er, carriedabout h e r as m uch prid e an d haughtin e ss as be auty andfa sc in a tion .

'She d e ligh te d in trappin g the he arts ofm en,

an d am on g oth ers e n sn ared the un lucky An dre a , whoseimm ode ra te love for h e r soon cause d h im to n egle ct thestud ie s d em an d ed by his art, a n d in gre a t m e a sure tod iscon tin ue the a ssistan ce wh ich he had given to his

pare n ts.

“Now it chan ced tha t a sudden an d grievous illn e ss

se iz ed the husban d of th iswom an ,who rose n o m ore from

h is b ed,but d ied thereon . W ithout takin g coun se l of h is

frie n ds there fore ; without regard to the d ign ity of his artor the con sid e ra tion du e to his genius, an d to the em in en ceh e had a tta in ed with so m uch labour ; without a word ,in short

,to any of h is kin dre d , An dre a took th is Lucre z ia

d i Ba cc io d e l Fed e,such was the n am e of the wom an , to

b e his wife ; he r be auty appe aring to him to m erit thusmuch at h is han ds, a n d his love for he r having m orein fluen ce over him than th e glory an d hon our towardswh ich h e had begun to m ake such hope ful advan ce s. Bu t

when th is n ews be cam e kn own in Floren ce , the re spe ctan d affe ction wh ich his frie n ds had previously born e toAn dre a chan ged to con tempt an d d isgust , sin ce itappe are d to them tha t the d arkn e ss of th is d isgrace hadobscured for a tim e all the glory and renown attain ed byhis ta len ts.

28

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

Bu t he de stroyed his own pe ace as we ll as e stran gedhis frie n ds by th is a ct, se e ing tha t he soon be cam e je a lous,an d foun d tha t h e had be sid e s fal len in to the han d s of anartful wom a n

,who m ad e him do as she ple a sed in a ll

th in gs. He aban don ed his own poor fa th er a n d m other,for example , an d adopted the fa ther an d sisters of his

wife in the ir ste ad ; in som uch tha t all who kn ew the facts,mourn ed over h im ,

a n d he soon began to b e a s muchavoid ed as he had previously be en sough t after. His d isciple s still rem a in ed with him , it is true , in the hope of

le arn ing som e th ing useful , yet th e re wa s n ot on e of them ,

grea t or sm a ll,who was n ot m a ltre a ted by h is wife

,both

by evil words an d d e spite ful a ction s: n on e could escape

he r blows, but a lthough An dre a live d in the mi dst of a llth at torm en t

,he yet a ccoun ted it a h igh ple asure .

In speaking of on e ofAn dre a’s pain tin gs, Vasari

says:

Ben e ath th is group are two figure s kn e e lin g , on e of

whom,a Magda le n with m ost be autiful draperies, is the

portra it Of An dre a ’s wife , in d e e d he rare ly pa in ted thecoun te n an ce of a wom an in any place tha t he did n ot

ava il h im se lf of the fe a ture s ofhiswife ; a n d if at any tim ehe took h is m od e l from any other fa ce

,there was a lways

a resem blan ce to hers in the pa in tin g , n ot only be causehe had th is wom an con stan tly be fore him an d d epictedher so freque n tly

,but a lso

,an d wha t is still m ore

,be cause

he had he r lin e am e n ts en graven on his h e art ; it thus happen s tha t a lm ost a ll h is fem a le he ads have a ce rta insom e th in g wh ich re ca lls tha t Of h is wife .

“Wh ile An dre a was thus labourin g over the se works inFloren ce , poorly rem un erated for his toils

,livin g in

wre tched poverty an d wholly in capable of ra isin g h im se lffrom his depressed cond ition , the two pictures wh ich he

29


had sen t in to Fran ce were Obta in ing much adm ira tionfrom King Fran c is, an d am on g the m an y others wh ichhad be e n d e spatched to h im from Rom e , Ve ni ce , an d

Lom bardy , the se had be e n ad judged to b e by far the be st .Tha t mon arch

,there fore

, pra isin g them very h igh ly, wastold tha t he m igh t e asily preva il on An dre a to visitFran ce

,when he m ight e n te r th e service ofHisMa je sty ;

th is proposa l was exce edi n gly agre eable to the king , whothere fore gave ord ers tha t everyth ing n e edful should b edon e for tha t pu rpose , an d tha t a sum of mon e y for theexpen se s of th e journ ey should b e pa id to An drea inFloren ce . Th e la tter glad ly set forth on hisway to Fran eeaccord in gly, taking with h im h is scholar An drea Sgu azze lla .

“Havin g in du e tim e arrived at the Fre n ch court , theywere re ce ived by the m on arch ve ry am icably an d withm an y favours

, even the first day ofh is arriva l wasm arkedto An drea by proofs of tha t m agn an im ous sovere ign ’

s

libera lity an d courte sy,sin ce he at on ce re ce ived n ot on ly

a prese n t of m on ey,but th e added gift of very rich an d

hon ourable ve stm en ts. He soon afte rwards comm en ced

hi s labours,re n d e rin g h im se lf so a cceptable to the king

aswe ll as to the whole court , an d re ce ivin g so m an y proofsof good

-wil l from all,tha t his departur e from h is n a tive

coun try soon appe ared to ou r artist to have con ductedhim from the extrem e of wre tchedn e ss to the summ it offe lic ity .

“On e d ay he re ce ived a le tte r

,a fter having had m an y

others, from Lucre z ia hiswife , whom he had le ft d iscon sola te for h is d eparture , a lthough she wan ted for n oth in g .

An dre a had even ord ered a house to b e built for th embeh in d the Nun z ia ta , givin g her hopes tha t he m igh tre turn at any m om e n t ; yet a s she could n ot give m on ey tohe r kin dred and conn ection s, as she had previously don e,

30

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

sh e wrote with bitter com pla in ts to Andre a , declarin gtha t she n ever ce a sed to we ep , an d was in perpe tua lafl

’li ction at hi s absen ce ; dre ssin g all th is u p with swe e twords, we ll ca lcul a ted to m ove the he art of the luckle ssm an , who loved her but too we ll , she drove the poor soulha lf ou t ofh iswits ; above a ll , when he re ad her assuran cetha t if he d id not re turn spe ed ily , he would certa inly fin dher d e ad . Moved by all th is, he re solved to re sum e his

cha in ,an d p re ferred a life ofwre tche dn esswith her to th e

e ase aroun d him ,an d to all the glory wh ich h is art must

have se cured to him . He wa s th e n ,too

,so rich ly pro

vided with han dsom e ve stm en ts by the libera lity of theking an d h is n obles, an d foun d h im se lf so m agn ifice n tlyarrayed

,that eve ry hour se em ed a thousan d years to him

,

un til he coul d go to show h im se lf In hi s brave ry to hisbeautiful wife . Takin g the m on ey wh ich the king con

fided to him for the pur chase of pictures, sta tues, andotherfin e th in gs, h e se tOff, there fore , havin g first sworn onthe gospe ls to re turn in a few mon ths. Arrived happilyin Flore n ce

,he live d joyously wi th hiswife for som e tim e ,

making large pre se n ts to her fa the r an d sisters, but doingnoth in g for his own pare n ts, whom he woul d n ot even see ,

an d who,at the en d of a certa in pe riod , en ded the ir lives

in gre a t poverty an d m ise ry .

“He was n eve rthe le ss d e te rm in ed to re tu rn to Fran ce ,but the prayers an d te ars ofhiswife had more powe r thanhis own n e ce ssitie s

,or the fa ith whi ch he had p ledged to

the king ; he rem a in ed the re fore in Flore n ce,an d the

Fre n ch m on arch was so gre a tly a n gered the reby , tha t fora long tim e a fter he would n ot look at the pa in tin gs ofFloren tin e m asters

,an d d e c lare d that ifAn drea ever fe ll

in to hi s han ds he would have n o regard whateve r to thedistin ction of h is en dowm e n ts, but would do him moreharm than he had be fore don e him good . An drea d el

3 1


Sarto rem a in ed in Floren ce , there fore , as we have sa id ,an d from a h igh ly em in e n t position he sank to the verylowe st , procurin g a live lihood an d passin g his tim e as

'

b e

best m igh t .'

It is in te re sting to n ote tha t Vasari was at on etim e Andrea ’s pupil , an d tha t h e publ ished hi sLives of the P a in ters while An dre a

’s widow was

still in Floren ce . Re cen t in ve stiga tion has fa iledto produce any e viden ce wha teve r in support ofth e charge of embe zz lem en t m ad e by Vasariaga in st An dre a . The charge is n ow gen e ra lly discre dited. We are n ow

'

re ady to begin re adingtoge th e r Brown in g’s poem , Andrea del S arto.

Ple ase open your books at page 149.

First , te ll m e som e thing about the title .

P . It’s a m an

’s nam e .

T. Wha t n a tion a lity do you kn ow thi sman to be?P . I ta lian .

T. Now,what do you think An dre a m igh t mean in

Engli sh ? Is th e re an English nam e which thi sn am e sugge sts to you ?

P . An drew .

1

T. Yes . Now wha t do you think Sarto m ightm e an ? (No reply.) Have you ever seen the wordSa rtor ' anywh e re ?

P . Ye s. Carlyle ’s S artor Resartus.

T. Do you kn ow wha t tha t title me ans?P . No .

T. We ll,it me an s the tailor re-ta ilored. Carlyle ’s

1 A boy by the n am e Of An drew an swered , and the classen joyed a mom en t’s humor.

32

Wi

t-3

111

e

v

e

n

a

w

P.


Tha t he is pe rfe ct .Doe s faultle ss m e an pe rfe c t?I don ’t kn ow I don

’t be lieve so . You mightn ot b e able to fin d faul t with a thing even if itwe re n otpe rfe ct . Take a brick ; it m igh t b e faultless but n otpe rfect for a ce rta in pie ce ofwork ; itmigh t n ot b e the righ t color .1Ye s. Now, An dre a is ca lled the fau ltle ss pa in ter.In wha t sen se do you think he cou ld b e a faul tle sspa in te r , ye t n ot a pe rfect pa in te r?His pa in tin g m igh t b e faul tless in outlin e but th eface s n ot have th e righ t expre ssion .

In o the r words, in wha t re spect would it be perfe ct

Pe rfect in a ll m e chan ica l parts.

A be tte r word than m e chan ica lTe chn ique .

Ve ry good. Thi s pa in te r, then , is pe rfect intechn iqu e . We m igh t say, in th e m e cham cs of

pain ting . Why a re th e words “The Faul tlessPa in te r ' in quota tion m arks?Beca u se tha t ’s what they ca lled him then.

1 In effe ctive tea ch in g , as much is a ccomplished by what isom itted as by wha t is a ctua lly don e . Aga in an d again the

te a che r of poe try must exerc ise judgm en t an d d e cid e imm e d i

a te ly whe ther a poin t in a particular an swer isworth followin gup or n ot. A poor para lle l or figure , if fa r pursued , will on lyd ivert the m in d s of pupils an d possibly le ad th em down a

blin d a lley. Th e illustra tion s th a t truly illustrate , that is,throw light upon ,

a re the on ly on e s worth pu rsuin g . In thiscase the teacher eviden tly thought it in advisable to follow upthe figure .

34

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

T. Yes. Let m e re ad to you wha t Symonds saysabout thi s poin t :

The Ita lian s ca lled him I l pittore senza errori , or‘the

faultless pa in ter.’ Wha t they m ean t by th is must havebe en tha t

,in a ll the techn ica l requi rem en ts of art, in

drawin g , composition ,han d ling of fresco an d O ils, dis

position of draperie s, an d fe e lin g for light an d shadow,he

was above critic ism . As a colourist he we n t furth er an dproduced m ore be autiful effec ts than any Floren tin ebe fore him . His silver grey harm oni e s an d liquid blen dings of cool yet lustrous hue s have a charm pe culiar tohim se lf a lon e . We fin d the like n owhere e lse in Ita ly.And yet An dre a can n ot take rank am on gst the gre a te stRen a issan ce pa in ters. Wha t he la cked was pre cise ly themost pre cious gift—in spira tion , depth ofemotion , en ergyof though t . '

T. Do we kn ow An dre a ’s tim e yet?

P. We ll,it was th e time of th e Ren a issan ce.

T. Wh en was tha t?P . About th e fourteen th, fifteenth , an d sixteenth

cen turies.

T. Yes, that will do . An drea del Sarto was bornabout 1486 a n d d ied in 1 53 1 . Le t u s n ow readtoge th e r som e ofthe open in g lin e s ofthe poem :

“Bu t do n ot let u s quarre l an y more ,No , my Lucre z ia 'be ar with m e for on ce

Sit down an d a ll sha ll happen as you wish .

You turn your fa ce , but doe s it brin g your he art?I’ll work th en for your frien d ’s frien d , n ever fear,

Tre at his own subje ct after h is own way,Fix hi s own tim e

, a ccept too his own price ,And shut th e mon ey in to this sm all han d

35


Wh en n ext it take s m in e . Will it? ten d erly?Oh , I

’ll con ten t h im but to—m orrow

, Love 'I ofte n am much we arier than you thi nk,This eve n in g m ore th an usua l : an d it se emsAs if forgive n ow should you let m e sit

Here by the win dow,with your han d in m in e ,

An d look a ha lf-hour forth on Fie sole ,Both of on e m in d , as m arried people u se ,Q u ie tly, quie tly th e eve n ing through ,I m igh t get up to-m orrow to my workChe erful an d fre sh as ever. Let u s try.

To—m orrow,how you shall b e glad for this'

T. (Reads again )Bu t do n ot let u s quarre l any more ,No

,my Lucre z ia 'be ar with m e for on ce

T. How many cha racte rs are the re ?P . Two.

T. Who are th ey?P. Andre a de l Sarto an d Lucrezia, his wife.T. Whe re are they?P . Eviden tly in the studio .

P. Ne ar the win dow . Se e lineP . They a re sta n ding .

T. Ye s. An drea an d his wife appear to be stan dingin the stud io n e a r the win dow . An d wha t hashappen ed be fore the open in g of th e poem ?

1 The re ad in e ss of such an swers m ay impre ss th e reader assom ewhat un re a l. To in d icate th e pause s an d m om en ts of

d e lay,when stud en ts a re doin g th e ir thinkin g , is, of course , n ot

possible in a report ofthi skin d , even if itwere d e sirable . In thisca se , it should b e n oted , the te ach er had th e fa culty ofke epin ghe r c lass keyed-up ; m oreover, she had had he r stud en ts intrai n ing for some tim e .

36

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

P. Th ey have had a qua rre l .T. In wha t m ood isAn dre a n ow?P. We ll

,h e is n ot in a good humor. The first two

lin es are appe aling.

T. Wha t othe r a dje ctive could you u se to show hisa ttitud e towa rd he r?

P He is ve ry gen tle wi th her .

Wha t words show it?T.

P,My Lucrez ia 'be ar with m e for on ce

Sit down an d all sha ll happen as you wish .

T. Ye s. Th e first touch , bear wi th m e for on ce,

in dica te s a ra th er tim id , apologe tic a ttitude on

th e part ofAn dre a . We kn ow from Vasari tha t,wha teve r h is faults, An drea is a be tte r husban dthan Lucrezia is a wife . His yie lding is the re forea mark of we akn ess. Now, wha t is it tha t sh ea sks?

P. Tha t he sha ll pa in t a pic ture for her friend’s

friend.

T. Ye s. In the pain ting, you se e , Lucrezia holds inhe r han d the le tte r wh ich probably reque sts thi s.

(Reads) :“You turn your fa ce , but does it brin g

your he art? ' Now, just wha t is in An drea’smin d when he says, “You turn your face ' ?

P. I don’t kn ow .

W Dw s he doubt her love for him?P. Ye s

, I be lieve so .

T. Now, wha t does but does it bring your heart 'sign ify?

P. He longs for her sympa thy.

37


T. I won de r if he is like ly to ge t it? Wha t about theexpre ssion on her face ? (Re fe rring to print.)It is cold.

I don’t like her .

She looks de te rm ined.

Yes ; tha t is good. (Reads)“I ’ll work the n for your frien d ’s friend , n ever fear,Tre a t his own subje ct after his own way,Fix h is own tim e

, a ccept too his own price ,And shut th e m on ey in to this sma ll han dWhen n ext it takes m in e .

Why say her frien d’s friend? Why not have him

say tha t he will work for her frien d?P. It is more of a sacrifice for him to work for herfrien d’s frien d.

P . An dr ea would kn ow Lucrezia’s friends, but hewould n ’

t like ly know h er friend’s friends.Yes.

Itm ake s itmore remote. He is n otgoing to favoron e of h is own friends by painting a picture forhim ; h e is n

’t even goin g to pa in t on e for his

wife ’s frien d , but for a friend of his wife’s friend.

T. Yes (Re ads)

Tre at his own subje ct after his own way.

Wha t doe s h e m e an when he says, “Tt hisown subje ctTre a t som e subje ct chosen by the friend.

Afte r his own way'?

We ll, probably th e frien d doe s n

’twan t it just the

way Andrea would like ly do it. So Andrea says

38

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

he ’ll do it any way to suit the friend. He sellshim se lf just to p le ase Lucre z ia .

T. Ye s. Lucre z ia has be en te asing her husband to

P.

P.

T.

pa in t a pic ture for her frie n d’

s frien d . He did n’t

wan t to do i t , an d the quarre l re ferre d to in lin eon e had evid en tly be e n ove r th e pa in ting of thispic ture . Now h e gives in , for th e sake of peace .

He accepts th e subje c t though he appare n tlydoe s n

’

t like i t , an d h e even says he will tre a t it asthe frien d wan ts him to . Ye s, he does se ll himse lfjust to ple ase Lucrezia . Is he like ly to paint a.good picture un d er these con d ition s?No. I don ’t thin k he is.

Why?I thin k a m an does re a lly good work only whenh e is happy. An dre a is n ’

t happy ; so I don’t se e

how he could pu t m uch life or joy in to his pa in tIng .

He se l ls himse lf , give s up his ide als ; he is n’t true

to hi s art. He gives up his ambi tion for the sakeofLucre z ia , an d just to m ake som e m on ey for h er.

An drea doe s n ’t wan t to pain t the pic ture at a ll.

He is going to do it on ly so tha t he m ay giveLucrez ia som e m on ey. Wordsworth wrote TheGreen Lin n ettha t we re ad on ly be cause he wan tedto ; an d I don

’t be lieve a pa in ter could pa in t agood pic ture un le ss he fe l t l ike doin g it .Yes. Tha t is a ll very good. We kn ow from othe rsource s tha t An dre a gave prom ise ofbe ing a ve rygre a t pa in te r. He m igh t even have riva l ledRapha e l. Bu t he was led on by his selfish an d

39


ign oble wife ; he gave him se lf up to her an d lowe redhis id e a ls ; h e fe ll in to a sort of cold correctn e ss,tha t is why he is ca l led the faultless pa in te r .In a ll his la te r work th e re is just on e type his

wife . I agre e with you ,an d thi nk it is n otpossible

for any on e to do re a lly good work unless hee n joys doin g it ; an d tha t is especia lly true of

poets, pa in ters, an d oth e r a rtists. (Reads)“An d shut the mon ey in to this sm all han d .

'

What does thi s lin e suggest with regard to

Lu crezia ?Tha t sh e has sm all, be autiful han ds.He a lm ost says so in lin e 21 .

Ye s. An d if you will look at line 26 you will seetha t he ca lls Lucrezia his “

serpen tin ing beau ty.

'

Why doe s An dre a give in to Lu crezia in everything an d b eg h er n ot to quarre l any more?Be cause h e wan ts to b e with h er.

Bu twhy doe s he ? She is quarre lsom e and askingh im to do wha t he doe s n ’

twan t to do.

B e cause sh e is beautiful .Ye s. He is in fa tua ted with her be auty. An drealove s he r n ot so much as her husban d, perhaps,as he doe s as an a rtist. Is th e re anything elsesugge sted ? Anythin g about her chara cte r?

P. Tha t sh e loves mon ey. I thinkthe word “ shut '

shows tha t .T. Ye s. Tha t is a good sugge stion . (Reads)

“Wh en n ext it take s m in e . Will it? te nderly? '

What does he show he re ?

40


Wha t about tha t expression, but to-morrow,Love 'f Wha t doe s th a t re fe r to?

P. Oh , I se e . Lucrezia wan ts him to begin the pa intin g tha t ve ry day. An dre a wan ts to sit an d ta lkwith he r an d worship he r be auty.

P. I can im agin e I h ear Lucre z ia say, I want youto begin this rightn ow.

'I don

’t like h er.

T. I can sym pa thi ze with tha t fe e lin g ; an d I am gladyou can se e an d h e ar Lu crezia so vivid ly inimagin a tion tha t you can guess wha t she wouldprobably say. Tha t is a ll good. (Reads)

I Often am much we arier than you th ink,Th is even in g more than usua l : an d it se em sAs if forgive n ow should you let m e sit

Here by the win dow,with your han d in m in e ,

An d look a ha lf-hour forth on Fie sole ,Both of on e m in d , as m arried people u se ,Q uie tly , quie tly th e eve n in g through ,I m ight get Up to-m orrow to my workChe erful an d fresh a s ever. Let us try.

(Repe a ts)

I Often am much we arier than you think,Th is even ing m ore than usua l :

Why does An drea m en tion thi s?He wants to gethe r sympathy because he is tired.

Does h e get it?

No . She’

s as hard as a nut.There ’s n o sympa thy be tween them ; at leastLucrezia has none forAndrea.

T. (Reads)42

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

an d it se em s

As if forgive n ow should you let m e sitHere by th e win dow, with your han d in m in e .

Why doe s he say, forgive n owI guess he ’

s a fra id .

An dre a is m akin g a dan gerous proposition. He ’s

fe e l ing his way.

P. Sh e se em s to b e boss ; An dre a has to askpermission to sit by the win dow with h er .

T. Ye s. Lucre z ia doe s 11’t se em to care anything ata ll about An drea . She doe s 11

’t care to have him

show any affe c tion for h er at a ll . He Is afra id shewill take up the quarre l aga in , but h e wan ts to sitth e re an d e n joy th e even in gwith h e r . Even a halfhour would b e som e th in g . (Re ads) :

“An d look

a ha lf-hour on Who can pron oun ce thisn am e ? (N0 reply.) (Te a cher writes it on the

board an d th en in di ca tes th e pronuncia tionFe -a-so-le .) Can any on e poin t it ou ton th e m ap?

(After a little se archin g, a studen t poin ts itou t.) Yes. Fiesole is a l i ttle town tha t crown son e of th e hills to th e n orth of Floren ce , aboutthre e m il e s away. If you ever visi t I ta ly, youwill fin d it to b e a ve ry pic ture sque li ttle place .

1

(Reads) :“B oth ofon e m in d .

' Were th ey usua llytha t?

P. No . They se em to spen d a good de al of the ir timequarre lin g.

P. There is n o sympa thy be twe en them .

1 The teacher had visited Ita ly.43


T. (Reads) : “Asmarried people use what does hem e an by tha t?

P . Are u sed to do.

T. Pe rhaps be tte r, ough t ' or , are wont to do .

(Re ads) :“Q uie tly, quie tly th e even in g through .

Why, do you th ink, is“ quie tly ' repea ted?

P. Because An dre a longs for pe ace. He ha tes toqua rre l , an d h e wan ts a quie t evenm g for once .

T. Yes. I th ink tha t is righ t ; “ quie tly 'is repe a ted

for th e sake of emphasis. I suppose An drea didn ot have m any quie t even ings, ce rtain ly n otwithLucrezia sittin g ple asan tly by him . An dre awould like to sit th is eve n in g with Lucre z ia an d

look out upon Fie sole . He is an artist an d wouldenjoy h er be auty an d the beauty of th e scen e.Class, with whom is your sympathy so far?

Class . (In unison ) . With Andr ea 'T. (Reads)

“ I m ight get u p to-morrow to my workCh e erful an d fre sh as ever.'

Wha t do the se lines show?Tha t h e usua lly does n ’

t get up cheerful .How does he usually get up?Cross, I guess.

Ye s. I suppose so . He says,“ fresh, too; what

doe s he m ean by tha t?P. We ll

, h e doe s n’t take any in te re st in his work any

more , beca use Lucrezia doe s n’t take any in te rest

in h im or h is work.

I think that is true. Andrea. lost his ambition,44

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

h is hopes, his ide a ls be cause he e n slave d him se lfto Lucre z ia , an d sh e apparen tly d id n ot care forh im at a ll . Bu t th e re is som e th in g e lse ; he says,as eve r wha t doe s tha t sign ify?

P . Tha t he u sed to be che e rful an d fe e l fresh for hiswork.

T. Yes. (Re ads) : Le t u s try. The re An dre aple ads aga in ; th e re

’s the ye arn ing for sym pa thy

an d compan ion ship tha t we saw a while ago .

(Re ads)

To-m orrow,how you sha ll b e glad for thi s'

Why doe s h e say tha t?I don

’t quite se e .

We l l,if Lucre z ia doe s as An dre a wan ts her to

n ow, wha t will h e probably do for he r to-m or

row?

I suppose he will work all the be tte r for her .

Yes. Notice tha t An dre a goe s on to speak of

Lucrez ia ’s soft han d . She has appare n tly acced edto h is request . They probably sit down an d

Lucre z ia give s An dre a h er han d . Brown in gimplie s tha t th is a c tion take s place , but h e doesn ot te ll u s. Wh ere have we se en him do thi s sortof th ing be fore a c tion impl ied by th e poe t astakin g place , but n o d efin ite sta tem en t?In My LastDu chess, just at the c lose.Q uite righ t . (Reads)Don

’t coun t the tim e lost , n e ith er ; you must serveFor e a ch Of the five picture s we requireIt saves a mod e l.'

45


Why does An dr e a men tion this? (No reply.)Doe s Lucrezia se em to re sen t it?NO .

I m ay b e wrong, but I im agin e th e frien d re fe rredto wan ted a pa in tin g of Lucrezia , se e lin e 236.

Of course he does say ,

“Tre a t h is own subje c t, '

b u t it is just possible tha t An dre a is tryin g tope rsuad e Lucrezia to con sen t to be in g the m od e lfor oth e r pa in tin gs because h e has con sen ted topa in t a portra it of he r for a frien d’s friend. He

says,“Fin ish the portra it ou t of hand.

' Whydoes h e say,

“It save s a m ode l ' ? (No reply.)

Would Andrea have to pay a mode l?Yes.

We ll, th en ?Lucrezia like sm on ey,an d if sh e se rves as a modelsh e probably can have the m on ey thatwould havebe en pa id to a m od e l.

T. Wha t ad je ctive do we apply to a personwho likesmon ey for its own sake ?A m on ey-love r .Bu t I said,

“what adjectiveMe rce n a ry.

Do you think An dre a m ay have any otherre ason than savin g m on ey for askin g Lucreziato se rve as a m od e l? (N0 reply.) We ll

, did he

like to look at Lucrezia ? Was n’

t she be autiful?

P. Yes. He probably wan ted her to be ne ar him ,and

this was a good excuse .

T. Yes . Andrea wants Lucrezia near him,but he

46

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

appeals to the m e rce n ary sid e Of her nature inorde r to pe rsuade he r . (Re ads)

So 'ke ep lookin g so

My serpen tini n g beauty, rounds on roun ds'

Why shou ld h e ca ll her serpen tin in g beautyWh a t do you thin k h e m igh t m e an by “

serpen

tin ing beauty,'an d

“ roun ds on roun ds ' ? (N0reply.) We ll

,turn for a m om en t to lin es 1 75- 6.

P. (Re ads) .“Let my han ds fram e your face in your ha ir’s gold ,You be autiful Lucrez ia tha t a re m in e '

iHe is spe akin g ofhe r ha ir ; it is golden an d pu t upin coils ; se rpen tin ing an d

“ rounds on roundsevid en tly re fe r to Lucrezia’s ha ir.Yes. (Reads)

How could you ever prick those pe rfe ct ears,Eve n to put the pe arl th ere 'oh , so swe e tMy face , my m oon ,

my eve rybody’s m oon,

Wh ich everybody looks on an d ca lls his,An d , I suppose , is looked on by in turn ,

Whi le she looks no on e’s :

Yes. Lucrezia is eviden tly beautiful . Wha t doyou think An dre a m e an s when h e ca lls Lucreziamy moon ,

my eve rybody’s m oon

'? (N0 reply.)

We ll , look at the fa ce in the picture.It is roun d , like th e m oon .

Ye s. I thin k tha t is the id e a . L in e 26 a lso carriessom e sugge stion of roun dn ess of the face . On e

othe r possible explan ation is tha t it re fe rs to theeffect that Lucrezia has on Andrea, affecting him

4 7


in he r moods , on e ofwhich sh e is in n ow,as the

m oon affe c ts th e tides. It m ay b e som e thi ng ofthe sam e idea tha t Te n nyson had in hi sDream ofFa ir Women where he describes Cleopatra :

On ce , like th e moon ,I m ade

The ever-sh ifting curren ts of the bloodAccord ing to my hum our ebb an d flow.

Now, what is it, evidently, about Lucrezia thathas taken hold upon Andrea?Her beauty.

Ye s. Does he speak of her qualities of character?No . He spea ks of her beautiful ha ir, h er pre ttye ar

,an d so on .

Yes. Tha t isve ry inte resting. An drea is evidentlywon by th e physica l beauty ofLucrezia . He hasa sort of physica l poin t of view. He is contentwith the love lin ess ofphysica l things . He does n

’t

se em to care so m uch about Lucrezia ’s characte r.In fact , he has shown n o indign ation tha t hiswifehas a love r, as she apparen tly has. He is in differ

en t to tha t . He is con ten t if on ly she will sit byhim. She is beautiful . He wan ts h e r by him for

tha t reason on ly. Th en he m ay adm ire her ha ir,

h er pre tty ear , her beautiful face . (Reads)Wh ile she looks n o on e

’s.

' What does heme an by tha t? (NO reply.) Does n

’

t it te ll u ssom e thin g of h er response to the admiration she

rece ive s?Ye s

,I be lieve so .

We ll, then, what is it?

48


P. Because she is be autiful.T. Hash e sa id anything about h er m in d or Chara c ter?P . No . She doe s n

’t seem to have m uch of e ith e r .

T. Q uite tru e . It se em s, th en , does n’

t it , tha tAn dre a kn ows we ll en ough tha t he is boun d toLucre z ia by h e r bea uty on ly

,but la cks the will

powe r to bre ak away from h e r . From Vasari weknow tha t An dre a lowe re d hi s id e a ls look at

lin e 39, wh e re An dre a pra ctica l ly says so an d

tha t h e is con scious ofh is d egrada tion an d fa ilure .

Stil l Lucrezia is “ ve ry dea r, n o less.

' The n he

says, You sm ile ? ' Why should Lucrez ia sm ile ?(No reply.) We ll

,has he n ot just sa id she is very

d ear to him ?

P. Yes .

T. An d has he n ot a lso sa id she “ looks no one ’s,'

n ot even his, as we have se en ?P . Yes .

T. We ll,from wha t we kn ow about th e cause of the

qu arre l an d a ll, do you se e n o re ason whyLucreziamigh t sm ile ?

P. (Afte r a pause ) . 1 I gue ss she though t he was akind of fool . He se em s to b e foolish about h e rjust because she is pre tty, ye t he kn ows she m usthave love rs. On e of th em wan ts h e r to ge t h imto pa in t a pic ture . An d h e is going to do it . He

wi ll do anyth in g for h e r if sh e wil l sit by him an d

le t him hold her han d. He strike s m e a s prettysoft .

1 Wh ere the pause s are n oted , th e te acher a llowed a specia lamoun t of tim e for the pupil to work ou t the idea .

50

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

T. Yes. I thin k you have th e righ t ide a . We might

u

s

e

n

e

w

phr a se i t a li ttle be tte r . An dre a se em s to thinktha t Lucre z ia is in d iffere n t to everybody. She

looks n o on e’s, h e says. She kn ows sh e is n ot

a ltoge th e r in d iffe ren t ; she ha s a love r,an d she

sm iles a cyn ica l sm i le a s she thin ks how Andreais dece ive d . (Re ads) :

Why; there ’s my picture re ady m ade

There ’swhat we pa in ters ca ll ou r harmony '

How does An dre a regard he r sm ile ?He on ly se e s how pre tty she looks.

Does he suspe c t wha t is goin g on in he r m in d ?N0. He se e s on ly how pre tty she looks when sh esm ile s.

Yes.

An dre a strike s m e as a plumb fool .2I th in k you are righ t . I be l ieve tha t is part of theide a tha t Brown ing wi shes to brin g ou t in th e

poem ,though it wou ld b e be st to expre ss th e id ea

in be tte r language . An dre a is lu red on byLucrezia ; he isfin a l ly ruin ed , a s artist an d asm an

,

by he r fa ta l be auty an d soulless h ea rt . Lucreziah e re sm ile s a cyn ical sm ile ; sh e kn ows sh e is

d ece ivin g him , but An dre a th inks it is a sm ile ofple asure at his pra ise of h er beauty. Will you

2 It is when pupils be com e stron gly in tere sted in chara cterthat th ey are e spe c ia lly like ly to expre ss th em se lve s in colloqu ia l form . Th e te acher should stimulate th e pupil to expressth e sam e id e a in be tter lan gu age , without d oin g or sayinganythin g to dull the in terest or repress spon tan eous expressionof Opin ion .

5 1


ple ase re ad to the middle of lin e 49, beginningwi th “A common grayn ess.'

P. (Re ads) :“A comm on grayn e ss silvers everythingAll in a twiligh t, you an d I a likeYou ,

at the poin t of your first prid e in m e(Tha t ’s gon e , you kn ow) but I

,at every poin t ;

My youth , my hope , my art, be ing a ll ton ed downTo yon d er sober ple asan t Fie sole .

There ’s th e be ll c linkin g from th e chape l-top ;That len gth of conve n t-wa ll a cross the wayHolds th e tre es safer, hudd led m ore in sid e ;The last m onk le aves the garden ; d ays de crease ,And autum n grows, autum n in everythin g.

Eh ? the whole se em s to fa ll in to a shape ,As if I saw a like my work an d se lfAn d a ll tha t I was born to b e an d do,A twiligh t-pie ce .

'

T. Thank you . Let u s look at thi s passage togetherfor a little . What is the dom inan t tone of theselin es?Sad .

Mournful .Me lan choly.

Disappoin tm e n t.

Hope less.

T. Ye s. I thinkwe m igh t applyAn dre a’s own words

to this passage : it is a twil igh t-pie ce .

' The ton eis, as has be en suggested

,tha t of m e lan choly,

hope less re sign a tion . The sadn ess of autumn,

an d espe cia lly Of autum n twiligh t , has crept ove rth e m in d ofAn dr e a an d th e scen e upon which h eis looking. How do you think Browning produces

52

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

this ton e ? You will rem embe r tha t we have seentha t adje c tives an d verbs1 are e specia lly importan t in poe try.

P. He uses “si lvers, “ ton ed down , sober,

“clin kin g

,

' “hudd led , ' “ last m onk , ' “ leaves,

d e crease , ' “ twiligh t . All the se words give a

comm on ton e to th e pie ce .

Ye s. Ve ry good . An d tha t ton e be longs to what?To th e scen e .

Yes, an d to Andre a ’s m in d , too . He ’s sad . Hesays him se lf tha t he se e s his work an d himse lf asa sort of twiligh t-pie ce .

Ye s. How about the language ?I like it .Bu twhy?

1 The atten tion ofpupils had previously be en drawn to th isfact. Ithad , m oreover , be en con n e cted in a pra ctica l waywithth e ir work in composition . Pupils had be e n advised , as a m ean sof giving force an d virility to the ir writing : “Pu t your m a inid eas in your verbs.

' Th ey had be com e quick to se e an d fee lthe differen ce , for example , be twe en such expre ssion s as, “Ihave grea t hopes,' an d

,

“I hope gre a t th ings be twe en ,

“Myunderstan d in g of your proposition ,

'e tc . , an d ,

“I un d erstandyou to propose that ,' e tc . Th e a tten tion of those who kn ewsom e La tin was drawn to the fact tha t much of the effe ctiven e ss of La tin prose is du e to th e fact tha t La tin expre sse s itsm ain idea s through the verbs, an d th at th ere is a very sm allpercen tage of abstract n oun s. A very gre a t d ea l can be don ein ciden ta lly by the skillfu l te ach er to offse t th e comm on

studen t-n otion that, be cause subje cts are separa ted in the

curriculum , they a re separated in re ality. Especia lly like ly arepupils to th ink tha t poe try ha s little con n e ction with anythin ge lse , particularly an yth ing that is of a practical character.

53


P. It is musical. I like tha t “The re ’s the be ll clinkin g from the chape l-top . I on ce lived ne ar achape l, an d I think c link, is a good word todescribe th e soun d of the be ll .

T. Ve ry good . I thi n k you are right in saying thatthe lan guage is m usica l . Notice the slow movemen t of tha t lin e , “The last monk le ave s thegarden ; days d ecrease '

; it se ems a lm ost to drag ;you can

’t re ad it rapid ly. The lan gu age is n ot

on ly m usica l ; it is of the sam e ton e as Andrea’smin d an d the scen e upon whi ch he is looking.

Brown in g has,I thin k, produced a fin e harmony

in th e se lin es ; th ey combin e in to a pe rfect un ity :the m ood of An dre a , the tone -quali ty of the

scen e de scribed , an d the m usic of th e ve rse a re

ve ry succe ssful ly ble n d e d toge the r. Brown ing isoften charge d with be in g ru gged in h is verse , b u tth e charge can n ot b e born e ou t he re . Te ll men ow, ple ase , 1whatAn dreamean swhen he says

You ,at th e poin t of your first pride in m e

(Tha t ’s gon e , you kn ow) but I , at every poin t.

P . I think he m ean s tha t Lucrezia has lost only herfirst pride in he r husband.

T. Ye s.

P. Andre a has lost eve rything : his youth, his hopean d ambition ,

his art.

T. Ye s. All hisyouthful hope s and ambitions, all his

1 The te a cher’s m an n er an d addre ss just here showed thatshe shared in an d re spon d ed to th e evid e n t “m ood

'of th e

c lass. These are rare opportun itie s an d sacred momen ts.

54

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

fin e aspira tion s have passed away. He is a lreadyin the e ven in g Of h is l ife . He fe e ls it an d says it .Ple ase comm e n t on the lin e :

Holds the tre es safer, huddled more in side .

Do you get any suggestion from Holds sa fe ran d

“huddl ed '

?

P. The con ven t wa ll sugge sts protection for th e

tre es, an d they se em to ga th er toge the r, as if theyfe lt the prote c tion .

T. Ye s. Som e on e has said tha t we fin d in things justwha t we brin g. Is this true ofAn drea he re ?Ye s, I think i t som ehow se em s like An drea .

Wh ere do you n a tura l ly thi nk of a grea t , stron gtre e ’s be ing? B ehin d a wa ll or ou t in th e open?In th e open ; probably in a fore st .Ye s. Do tre es grow we ll when they are huddledtoge th e r?No . They n eed room an d a ir an d sun sh ine.Bu t th ey a re safer behin d the conven t wa ll .Ye s, I suppose th ey are safe r, but they can

’t growa s we ll .

T. Tru e . Now if An dre a fin ds in th e scene be forehim som e thing tha t se em s to fit in to hi s own life ,wha t do you th inki t is? Is th ere anything in hisown life tha t correspon ds to th e tre es’ be in gbehin d the wa ll, “

sa fer ' an d“huddled for

prote c tion ?P. We ll , An dre a says h e has given up his hopes an d

eve rythin g. He a in’t living in the world anymore,

like th e tre e in the forest .

55


T. Yes . Ofcourse you me an t to say, He is n’t living

in the world any m ore.'

Yes.

Now wil l some on e state clearly for us the paralleltha t Andrea impl ie s.

P. Th e tre es a re huddled in side the conven t wall.They are sa fe r

,but th ey have n ’

t room to grow.

Andrea fe e ls sa fe in his own hom e,and happy if

on ly he has Lucre z ia with him,but he fee ls that

he migh t have grown , m igh t have become aRapha e l e ve n ,

if h e had lived his life in the world.

T. Ye s. Ve ry good . I thin k tha t is just the poin t .An drea give s up to this se clusion ,

an d to pain tingpicture s for Lucrezia ’s friend’s friends

,just to be

with Lucrezia , who has exe rted an unfortunatefascin a tion ove r him . He regre ts hi s lost opportu n itie s, his possibilitie s for inspiration ,

growth ,and deve lopm e n t that would doubtle ss havecom e to him if he had lived his life amon g m en .

He se em s to kn ow pe rfe c tly we ll wha t Lucreziahas m e an t to him , but he seem s to think h e ispowe rle ss to shake himse lf fre e from he r influen ce.Worst of a ll

,he se ems n ow to be con ten tto rema in

so. (Reads)Love , we are in God’s han d .

How stran ge n ow,looks th e life he m akes us lead ; so

SO fre e we se em ,so fe ttered fast we are '

I fe e l he laid th e fe tter : let it lie ''

What ligh t do the se line s throw on Andrea ’scharacte r?

P. They show us something of his religion.


tha t Ham le t did the sam e kin d of thin g toward theclose of the play. Can any on e quote lin e s showin g tha t?

There ’s a d ivin ity tha t shape s ou r ends ,

Rough-hew them how we will .'

Ye s. Ve ry good , in de ed. We a ll ten d, in our

mom en ts of we akn ess, to pu t th e burde n of ou r

faults on d or fa te or circum stan ce s or o th e rpeople . Ofte n , wh en we don ’t get a long we ll atschool we blam e th e school, wh en th e faul t lieswi th ourse lve s. I won d e r if any on e can te ll mewha t m ake s u s do this?We give up .

We quit tryin g.

We ll,wha t is the matter when we quit tryin g?

Maybe we ’re tir ed .

Ye s. Tha t happen s som e tim e s. Bu t wh en wequi t trying a ltoge the r, n ot just at the tim es whenwe are tire d ?I suppose we get lazy.

Just th e poin t precise ly. Th e re a l trouble withAn dre a h e re is tha t h e is lazy. Th e re a l troublewith u s wh en we cease to try is tha t we be com elazy . An dre a gives him se lf up to a ple a san t , se nsu ou s love for Lucrezia . He en joys tha t ; qui ts hiswork ; give s up his am bi tion s ; le ts things go ;blam es God ; trie s to convin ce him se lf tha t Godis at fault . He thi n ks h e excuse s him se lf beca usehe is willin g to have thi ngs as they are . Th e rootof all evil is not mon ey but lazine ss. Andrea’s

58

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

supposed fa ta lism Is th e re ligion of a m an who

give s up ambi tion an d effort for th e sake of th e

se n suous beauty Of his wife Lucre zi a . Th is iswha t sh e has brough t him to . We sha l l se e

,

be fore we ge t through with ou r study, tha t th epoem reve a ls for u s th e con flic t be twe e n An dre a

’s

a rt an d hi s infa tua tion with a be autiful but h e artless an d wicke d wom an . We kn ow n ow som e th in gofth e effect upon hiswork ;we sha l l soon se e m oreclea rly wha t th e effect was upon his character.

An d thus the lesson continued .

1 Five minutesbefore the close of the hour the assignment for thenext day’s recitation and study was given

For to-m orrow : (1 ) Tabula te , with lin e re feren ces,the chara c te ristics of An dre a d e l Sa rto tha t youhave le arn ed so far ; (2) tab ula te , with l in e re fe ren ces,th e characte ristics ofLucre zia ; (3) read in the en cy'

clopazdias un de r Fiesole , Floren ce , an d Andrea d e lSarto .

2

On the following day , a review of the work ofthe preceding day wa s naturally first taken up .

T. Wha t do you kn ow of th is poem from the titlean d from th e pa ren th esis?

P. From th e ti tle we kn ow tha t this is a poem about1 Th e actua l class-hou r has be en d isregarded in ord er tobrin g th e exercise to what se em ed to b e a sign ifican t breakingpoin t.

1 Pupils h ad be com e fami liar with Burdoe ’s Brown ingCyclope d ia an d sim ilar books.

59


An dre a d e l Sa rto , an I ta lian ,th e son of a ta ilor.

From th e paren the sis we kn ow tha t h e was consid e red by his con temporarie s a faul tless pa in ter- th a t is

,faul tle ss in te chn ique.

T. Wha t chara c te ristics ofth e m an do you learn fromthe l in es we re ad ye ste rday?

P. Te n d e rn e ss toward Lucrezia lin e 3Forbe aran ce lin e 5Cravin g for sympa thy . lin e s 1 2

—19

Love of physica l be auty lin e s 26—29Me lan choly . lin e 35Lost ambition . lin e s 39—40Re sign a tion

,Fa talism lin e s 49—52

Lack of will lin es 59—6 1Gen ius . lin es 70—7 1Do you agre e with a ll the te rm in ology?I th in k lin e five expre sse s m ore h is sympa thy or

his love for h is wife than his forbe a ran ce .

I th ink those lin es show we akn ess.

I thi n k those lin es show lack of ambition an d lackof will.Wha t do you un de rstan d by la ck Of will?When a m an kn ows wha t he ought to do

, b u t

doe s n ’t try to do it .

Wha t is freque n tly the n ext step?An a ttempt to shi ft th e re spon sibili ty ; he excusesh im se lf , an d puts th e blam e on som e on e e lse.Wh a t do you ca ll a m an tha t doe s tha t?A fa ta list . Wh e n An dre a d e l Sarto doe s n otplacethe re spon sibili ty upon hiswife he places it uponGod .

60

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

T. Forwhich of the se chara c teristics do you condemnhim m ost seve re ly?His fa ta lism .

He says he could do be tte r , h e kn ows he could dobe tter

,but he doe s n ot, an d h e excuse s h im se lf by

sayin g :“Love , we are in God ’s han ds.

Nam e Lucre z ia ’s chi e f charac te ristics.

1

Mercen a ry . lin e s 8, 2O, 25N0 love an d sympathy for h e r husban d

lin es 4 ; H r 37 : 53Va in l in e s 29, 33Cyn ica l lin e 33Fa ithl e ss lin e s 5, 30

T. Wh ich chara c te ristic is emphasiz ed ?P . Her love for m on ey.

T. Do you le arn anyth ing from th e en cyclopédi a

tha t you had n ot learn ed so far?

P . An dre a d e l Sarto wa s born in Floren ce , a citynoted for its arts an d scien ces, an d h e be cam e a

grea t pa in ter . He lived in th e la tter part of thefifte en th c en tury an d th e e arly part of the six

te en th . He was a pa in ter ofth e Re n a issan ce tim e .

He studi ed with M icha e l Ange lo , an d Cosim o

was his prin cipa l in struc tor . He was ca lled to

Fran ce an d stayed at th e court for som e tim e at

th e king’s pa lace . Then he re turn ed .

2

1 The studen ts were required to quote the lin es illustrativeof the se chara cte ristics a s far as possible without the ir texts.Th e numbers in di cate the lin es quoted or referred to.

1 Further in formation was added by other pupils.

61


The lesson was then developed as before toline 140 , and the assignment was given :

For to-m orrow (1 ) Add to your characte riz a tionof An dre a d e l Sarto an d Lucre z ia wha t you havelea rn e d from th e lin es re ad to-day. If th e chara cte ristics you have previously se en have be enemphasized , add th e n ew lin e re fe re n ces. (2) If youcon d emn An dre a d e l Sarto, state clearly why.

(3) Fin d from th e e n cyclopze dia som e thing aboutMicha e l An ge lo an d Rapha e l , pa in te rs, who are

m en tion ed in to-m orrow’

s le sson . Kn ow a t least on epicture of each painte r. (4) Read in advance to line2 1 0.

The next day,a book on Andrea del Sarto was

b rought to the recitation by the students . Postcards of the best pictures ofRaphael

,andMichael

Angelo,as well as picture postcards Of their

portraits were brought by the teacher . Featuresof the Sistine Chapel

,the Sistine Madonna ,

Mona Lisa,the Transfiguration

,were pointed

ou t and di scussed in detail . Such questions as ,“Who are the greatest painters? Why did thesemen excel others? ' were raised by students . Therecitation was then taken up .

T. Let u s n ow turn to And rea del S arto aga In . Sta tewha t you consider Andrea d e l Sarto

’s great

faults.62

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

P. I condem n An drea d e l Sarto be cause he puts theblam e on his wife an d on God .

P. Andrea d e l Sarto has lost hi s ambition, an d

becom es a fa ta list .P . I con d em n An dre a d e l Sarto because he se es an dkn ows hi s faul ts an d doe s n ot try to do be tte r.

P. I condem n him be cause , if h e does n otblam e fa teor God , h e blam es his wife . He has lost his ambition . He has ga in ed h is en d an d has quit.

T. Wha t do we ca ll tha t kind ofm an ?P. A quitte r .T. A be tte r word.

P. Se lf-satisfied .

T. Wha t do you unde rstand by A man’s reachshould exce ed hi s grasp

'?

P. NO m a tte r wha t a m an ga in s he should a lwayshave a h ighe r ambi tion . He should con tinue tostrive . His ambi tion s shoul d b e a slidin g sca le ,an d a s on e ide a l is Obta in ed , his ambition shouldm oun t h igh er . His reach , tha t is, his d e sires,should exce ed wha t he can actua lly a tta in .

T. I llustra te by An dre a d e l Sarto .

P. He can pa in t perfe c t pic tures, but he is willi n g tostop th ere. He does n ot pu t any soul in to hispicture s an d doe s n ot try to . His reach an d his

gra sp are th e sam e .

The recitation was then continued,emphasiz

ing Andrea del Sarto as a m an,the students giv

ing again line re ferences to the poem and discussing main points . The study of the poem

63

extended to line 250 . The following assignmentwas then made

Letu s se e wha t othe rs say about th e ide a in line 97A man ’s rea ch should exce e d hi s grasp .

'For to

morrow : (I ) Re ad Ten nyson ’s Ulysses, Crossing the

Bar ; an d re -re ad Prospi ce ; (2) If possible , choose alin e from e ach poem tha t sum s up th e poem ; (3) Takin g Brown ing

’s id e a in P rospi ce as his own ideal ,

cri ticise An drea de l Sa rto, wh en h e says: I am grownpe ace ful as old age to

-n ight ' ; (4) Ci te illustra tion sfrom life an d from li te ra ture of m en who are An dread e l Sartos, an d of old m en who are like Ulysse s ;(4 ) Read the rest of th e poem.

The last day was concerned with the di scussionof the attitude of other poets toward old age

,

summarizing ofAndrea del Sa rto’s characteristicsin the order of their importance

,and the working

ou t of Browning’s own ideas from the poem .

The assignment for the next day as an assignment for recitation only was :

(1 ) Re adAndrea del S arto aloud, an d by your voicebrin g ou t, as we ll as you can ,

the meaning an d spiritof th e poem .

T. An dre a is ta lkin g : what will your voice have toexpre ss?

P . At tim es it will b e ple ading, at othe r time s sarcastic , repen tan t , bitte r , a n d scornful .

When the class-study of the poem was com64


style ofthispoem should b e so diffe ren t from mostof Brown in g’s oth e r poem s. We have touchedupon this in ou r re ad in g ; can any on e te ll mewha t it is? (No reply.) We ll, we saw, d id we n ot,

tha t An dre a la cked ambition , tha t he had n o

gre a t a im , n o gre a t purpose to win ?Ye s. He has n o l ife ; he ha s n o force .

True . As a con sequen ce of that fact, how doe s heta lk?In a quie t way.

Just th e poin t . Andre a’smood ve ry large ly affects

th e style of th is poem . He has give n up , has

resign ed him se lf to Fa te . He has n o force,n o

fire or li fe . Moreove r , he is sen tim enta l ; h e sayshe is grown as pe a ce ful a s old age ; a ll is quie tfe e lin g. He is passive , quie t , m e lan choly. An d

it is just in thi s ton e thatAn dre a ta lks. Ifhe wereove rflowin g with ambition ,

e age r to do an d

a chi e ve som e thi ng, de eply m oved by passion ,he

would doubtless Speak in Browning’s usual force

ful,broke n , an im a ted style . Yes

,Andrea

’

s mood

has a ve ry gre a t d e a l to do wi th th e style of thispoem. It m ake s it simple , cle a r , even colloquia l.Tha t m ake s it a good poem to study. You un de rstan d it, don

’t you ?Ye s.

. Now Obse rve care fully wha t this leads u s to . If

the style of this poem d ifle rs from Brown ing’susua l style

,an d th e style in th is case i s d e te r

min ed large ly by th e speaker’s mood, what m ay

'

we say?66

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

P. Brown ing usua lly di d n ’t write about this sort of

m an .

Ye s. Wha t sort of m en d id he write about?Pe ople with m ore life an d pa ssion .

Ye s. Tha t is good . Th en An dre a la cked inPassion ; in ambition to do som e thin g .

Ye s. Notice , th en , on e poin t tha t appears to b echaracte ristic in Brown ing : he se es a ve ry c losecon n e c tion be twe e n a m an

’s work an d the m an

him self. An drea ’s pa in tin gs lacked sou l an d lifebe cau se An drea him se lf lacked soul an d life .

An dr e a had be com e faul tle ss in te chn ique , buthis work lacked re a l exce llen ce be cause i t lackedsoul . He re we ge t a good id ea , n oton ly ofBrowning’s con ception of th e c lose con n e c tion be twe ena m an an d his work , but a lso of hi s id ea l of art;it must have sou l . With Brown in g , a ll art m ustbe fu ll of life to b e good ; it m ust con ta in gre a tidea s ; it must in d ica te idea ls ; m ere pe rfe c tion of

form is n ot en ough . So m uch,briefly

,for hi s art.

Th is le ads u s to ask through wha t m ed iumBrown ing chiefly revea led hi s id e a s. How doe s

Brown in g usua l ly let u s kn ow wha t he th inks an dfe e ls? What does h e ta lk about?Me n an d wom en .

Ye s. An d th is poem is n o exception ; ra ther itillustra te s th e rule . It is on e of the fin e st examples ofBrown ing

’

s portraya l of character . Brownin g d epicts for u s a m an an d a wom an . An d h e

doe s so wi th such truth fuln e ss th a t we n eve r on cestop to th ink tha t his portrayal m ay n ot be

67


correct . We fe e l that both An dre a an d Lucreziaare ve ry re a l . We kn ow them be tte r than we dom any of ou r friends, for we have se en in to the irve ry souls. Th ey are types of hum an n a ture thatany on e can re cogn ize a lm ost at a glan ce . Ye s.

Brown in g has h ere given u s a ve ry vivid portraya lofhum an n a ture . He d e a ls chiefly with im age s ofhum an be ings in ord e r to reve a l h is own ide as an dfee lings. Brown ing uses im age s of hum an be in gsa s hi s m a te ria l . In th e third place an d fin a lly, letus se e wha t n otion of life Brown ing has

,a s he

re vea ls it in this poem . Is passion a good thing?Yes. In Brown in g anyway.

Yes. Just as pa in ting m ust have soul an d life , som an m ust have a passion for som eth ing . Som epeople thin k th ey a re pe rfe ct ; pe rhaps th ey are ;but Brown in g would say th ey we re m ore sure lyd e ad than if they were in the ir graves. Faul tlessne ss in life , like faultle ssn ess in pa in ting, me an sspiritua l d e a th . The m an who , like An dre a d e lSarto , sacrifice s or d egrad e s em otion or passion ,

sacrifice s an d d egrade s h is own spiritua l an d infin ite life . The fin est an d be st spirits in lifea lways aspire to som e thing beyond the ir re ach.

Wha t a m an achieves at on e stage is to b e usedm e re ly a s a stepp in g-ston e to th e n ext . The re isn o stopping. Life is impe rfe c t ; it is imperfect sotha t m an m ay grow . The en d of life is n ot to

produce som e exte rn a l result, to a ccum u la te

m on ey an d property, but to go on,e ven to the

e nd Of life,deve loping mind an d soul . Man is

68

SOME PRACTICAL WORK

ge tting re ady for imm ortality ; if he d eve lopsste ad i ly he wi ll b e the be tte r prepared for i t ; if h ebecom es lazy , if he sinks in to le th argy an d in activity, h e will n ot on ly n ot a ccom plish anythin gin this l ife ; h e will n ot se e God . Such is Browning’s doctrin e .

SOME FORMAL ELEMENTS

THIS Class-exercise speaks for itself . There are ,of course

,lim its to its full significance . In the

first place,the character of the poem studied

excludes much emphasis upon pure beauty of

phrase and line . B rowning is essentially ethical,

philosophical,and religious In hi s interests . 'He

himself gave precedence to philosophy overpoetry. In consequence

,the emphasis in the

class-exercise submitted was necessarily uponethical content ; relatively little was said aboutpure imaginative beauty

,because there was little

occasion for such comment . Bu t in the study of

other poets,Keats and Shell ey

,for instance

,thi s

phase of poetry was emphasized by the teacher.No single class-exercise or even several exercisesin the study of on e author can bring ou t

,with

unmistakable clearness,what a teacher aims at

effecting in the course of a term or a year.Thi s is on e limitation . A further limi tation

arises from the fact that the full significance andall the details

,Often very significant details , of a

teacher’s method of conducting the work cannot

70


possibly be indicated through the class-exercise.With a view to affording som e compensation forthis lim itation

,I have discussed a number of the

more essential points likely to arise in connectionwith such study. They are as follows

When and how to begin the study of a poem .

1

Some teachers make the mistake of beginningthe study of a poem by assigning the poem or a

part of it for home preparation . No practice ismore likely to bre ed among pupils a hearty dislike for poetry . Poetry is n ot subject-matter forlessons ; it is something to be enjoyed . Lessonsthere must be ; but le ssons will be futile unlessthey serve finally to de epen and broaden enjoyment of poetry itself . The study of a poem

,

unless the poem be of th e very simplest kind,

shou ld always begin in class ; if , in beginning a

poem , an assignment for home study is made atall

,it should be in material bearing upon the

poem and essential to understandin g it,not a

part of the poem itself .The reason for this plan becomes apparent on a

momen t’s refle ction . The study of poetry in thehigh school implies that the poem in hand repre

1 Cf. Arlo Bate s, Ta lks on the Teaching of Literature, chap.

VIII : the best thin g in the book.

7 1


sents some thought,feeling

,or action that is an

ideal for the pupil . To the teacher this ideal maybe very simple

,very elementary

,perhaps long

since attained ; but for the pupil it representssomething relatively new or as yet unattained inexperience .

1 Required to make his own start inbeginning the study of a poem

,lacking the

inspiration of the teacher and the stimulus Of thec lass , blocked frequently by unfam iliar allusionsan d confused imagery , the pupil easily becomesdiscouraged and turns from hi s task in wearinessand defeat . On the morrow he does not know hi s“ lesson The teacher works in vain against adogged opposition ; and the finest pedagogicalefforts toward stirring interest and awakeningenthusiasm fall dead . The pupil is right

,the

teacher wrong. The pupil’s lack of interest,his

opposition,even hi s di slike for poetry are the

natural and almost inevitable result of a viciousmethod . What the pupil usually lacks is thenecessary imagery or information to make thepoem intelligible to him . Without thi s “ apperc eption mass , as the psychologists call it

,any

poem must be largely misunderstood , if indeed itdoes not appear to be veritable rubbish .

The method of beginning the study of a poem1 See The Making of Poetry, p . 1 79 etseq.

7 2


b egins by asking ,“Who can tell me something

about the Crimean Wa r? Where was it fought?What nations were engaged? Why? What is alight brigade? ' Whi le information is beingelicited

,images essential to the true understand

ing and appreciation of the poem are rapidly

grouping themselves in the pupil’s m In d . Even

thi s kind of activity has its pleasure . Some of thein formation the teacher herself will doubtlesshave to furnish . This can be given orally or byreading such a brief sta tement as the followIng

The famous charge of the En glish Light Brigade,immortalized in Te n nyson ’

s poem , took place at theba ttle of Ba laklava

,durin g the Crim e an War,

Octobe r 25, 1 854 . Ba laklava is n ot far from Sebastopol on the borde rs of the Black Se a . The story is athrillin g on e of brave ry an d of Obe dien ce to ord e rs.The fu ll strength of the Russian a rmy, cove red froma t tack by thirty gun s, lay at a distan ce of a m ile an da ha lf from the a rm ies of the a llies (English , Fren ch ,an d Turks) . Mackenzie ’s The Nin ete en th Cen tu rygives th e se particulars :

Up to this time ou r Ligh t Cava lry Brigade hadn ot be e n e ngaged. Lord Lucan ,

the ir command e r,

n ow rece ive d by the han d ofCapta in Nolan a writte norde r to advance neare r th e en emy. On readi ng thisorder Lord Lucan asked its beare r how far theywere

74


to advan ce . He re ce ived a reply whi ch h e con struedwith fa ta l in accura cy, to sign ify tha t i t wa s hi s du tyto cha rge the en emy. Th e L igh t Brigad e m ade itse lfready to a t ta ck the Russian a rmy. Eve ry m an kn ewth a t som e te rrible m istake wa s sen ding th e brigad eto d e stru ction ,

but n o m an shrun k from hi s dutyof Obe di en ce . They rode stra igh t down th e va lleytowards the won de rin g Russian s an d in full vi ewof the Chi e fs Of th e ir own a rmy, powe rle ss n ow to

restra in them . As the exc i tem e n t of ba ttle ga in edpowe r ove r m en an d horse s the pace in cre ase d . The

shot of th e Russian gun s tore through the ir ran ks,but di d n ot aba te the spe ed of the ir advan ce , thefie rcen e ss of th e ir a tta ck . They ga lloped the ir horsesbe twe en the Russian gun s, cuttin g down th e gunn e rsas they passed . Th ey rode down an d scatteredsevera l squadron sof cava lry. An d then they paused ,an d turned back , an d ga lloped toward th e sh e l te rof British lin es. The Russian s reopen e d upon themwith grape an d can iste r. The ir re turn was bese t byan overwh e lmin g force ofRussian cava lry ; but theycu t the ir way through an d re ached th e position theyhad le ft scarce ly ha lf an hour be fore . Six hun dredan d seve n ty m en wen t forth to tha t m em orableride , but only on e hun dred an d n in e ty-e igh t cam e

back .

'

Murdock’s The Recon stru ction ofEu rope says thatthe brigade would have be en utterly d e stroyed ,wiped ou t of existen ce , but for the brill ian t an dtim e ly charge of a Fren ch company which a ttrac tedthe a tten tion of the Ru ssian s away from the English ,

75


leavin g the va lley comparative ly cle ar for a fewm in utes for the re tre a t of the remn ant of the LightBrigade .

1

Itwill be a boy of thin blood who is not stirredby this account ofthe charge ofthe LightB rigade.To tell the story would be better still ; for in thatway there is carried home unconsciously to thepupil’s mind a conviction of the kind of intereston the teacher’s part that makes it worth whileto have mastered the story for herself . However

,

even to read the story will do . Then the teacherbegins

,reading with vigor and the suggestion of

picturing all vividly in imagination“Ha lf a le ague , ha lf a le ague ,Ha lf a le ague onward '

,

and who can fail to see and feel the difference?It is the difference between success and failure.Now the imagination is stored with appropriateimagery for understanding the poem ; some of thefeelings stirred by the poem itself have alreadybeen aroused ; there is an added magic in the

rhythm ; and the fine idealism of the poem isbrought home to the pupil with an enrichingpower that makes him , from that moment to theend Of his life

,a different and a better soul . The

1 Wa itm an Barbe ’s Famou s Poems Expla ined , New York,1908. The teacher will fin d it he lpfu l.

76


poem has served its true end ; the pupil has und e rstood it and enjoyed it.As a rule

,it is best to present this introductory

material in class ; the living voice adds interestto the material

,and increases the value Of it to

the pupil. In some cases , of course , such a planis impracticable . If the subject-matter is too longto '

b e conveniently handled within the hour insuch a way as to make an actual beginning uponthe poem

,especially if the material is inherently

Interesting in itself,there is n o good reason why

pupils should not be asked to read it before coming to class .This material

,in such a case

,not the poem or

its opening lines,will be the “ lesson ' assigned .

It would be an extravagant waste of time toread in class from The Ara bi an Nights a su fli cien tbody ofmaterial to lend interest to Tennyson’sRecollection s of the Arabi an Nights. The child

,

of course , should have been brought up on The

Arabian Nights; but many children have had notrue nursery life ; they have n ot even heard aboutTheAra bi an Nights. For all such unfortunate chi ldren

,Tennyson’s poemmust be almost meanin g

less until they have read somewhat extensivelyandwith delight inTheAra bian Nights. An assignment preliminary to the readin g of Keats’s Ode

77


to a Nightinga le would almost certainly be theB iblical story ofRuth .

1 Byron’s Chi lde Harold’

s

P i lgrimage , B ryant’s To a Waterfowl

, Wolfe’sBu ri a l of S irJohn Moore

,Southey’s The Battle

of Blen heim ,Tennyson’s Crossin g the Bar , and

scores of other poems call for some kind of preliminary statement by the teacher or reading bythe class

,if the poems are to take on their true

meaning and be enjoyed . Too Often , I fear , weteachers forget that what is unbroken sunlight tous is Stygian darkness to the child . When thepupil lacks the appropriate imagery it is uselessfor the teacher to say

,

“Thi s is beautiful ' ; thepupil must be led to see and feel that it isbeautiful .As so Often in the teaching of poetry

,the

teachermust use judgment in decidingwhat to do .

Often it is well to make a change just for the sake1 Perhaps th e fin est lin e in th e poem is tha t d e scriptive of

Ruth ,

“She stood in tears am id th e a lie n corn .

'In a h igh

school sen ior class of forty pupils, th e writer foun d but twowho kn ew the story ofRuth . To severa l, “ corn '

m ean t m a iz e(Missouri corn ) , a lien '

m e an t importe d , so tha t the comm on

im age for m ost m embers of the c lass was of a girl stan din g ou tin a Missouri cornfie ld (or in th e m idst of som e imported corn )cryin g , an d for n o apparen t re ason wh atever. Yet th is is a

be autiful lin e , an d tea chers te ll th e ir pupils so . Sm a ll won d ertha t pupils often think poe try rubbish , th e ir te a ch er a prete n der, an d th a t th ey th em se lve s be com e prigs an d hypocritesin stead of lovers of poe try'

78


ofvariety. A Class-exercise even ha lf anticipatedby the pupil is well-nigh fruitless . For the hi ghschool pupil

,inte rest in subject-matter and

theme rather than faith in prospective pleasureand profit or even in the teacher herself mustusually be the carrying medium . Always beginin class the study of a poem tha t involves textuald ifli cu ltie s or that repre sents new or unattainedexperiences for the chi ld . An d most poems forclass-study

,properly selected

,will involve just

such difficulties and experien ces . After such anintroduction

,after interests have been awakened

and enthusiasms have been stirred,substantial

assignments for home study and preparationmay be safely made .

The history of literatu re and its relation to the studyof poetry

1

The precise relation of the history of literatureto literatu re itself has n otas yet been determined ;even the scope Of the hi story of literature is n otdefin itely fixed . A few years ago the tendencyin the study of literature

,followin g the teachin gs

of biological evolution,was to reduce everythi ng

1 Se e R. M . Love tt, The Historica l and Biographi cal Backgrou nd in Teachin g Literatu re . Supplem en t to th eJou rnal ofthe Michigan Schoolm aster’s Club .

79


in literature,and especially in poetry

,to an his

torical basis ; to find the same kind of development in poems that we perceive in organisms ;an analogy was read from the field of descriptivescience to the field of art , more especially to thefield Of poetry ; principles and methods weretransferred bodily .

Nor hasthe movement been without advantage . First

,it has wonderfully broadened our

view Of the field of literature . Not so verymany years ago literature meant

,at the most,

c lassical and modern literature ; now we knowthat the poetry of the primitive man is just asmuch poetry to him as Shakespeare and Tennyson are poetry to us . Without regard to the stageof its development, literature now signifies theentire field an d scope of literary expression .

Again , the biological analogy has given us something oi a method of research . If not the evolu tion ,

at least the continuity of literature isseen to be a fact . As in other fields ofknowledge ,so in poetry

,much that we have is to be ex

plained in terms of origin and development . 1

An d finally,thi s analogy has enabled us to re

duce to a basis of fact many things formerly1 Lim ited , ofcourse , to the e lem en t offact the e lem en t that

can be described .

0


feeling for poetry,and of an intelli gent apprec ia

tion of poetry , is increasingly recognized as anearlier

,more difficult

,and by far more important

task than the study of facts about poetry.

In the hi gh school,an appreciation and a joy

ou s delight in the individual poem ; a comprehe nsion of its meaning ; a feeling for its emotionaltone ; an enjoyment of the beauty of its di ction ,style

,and form

,are undoubtedly the primary

object . Bu t thi s appreciation opens the way fora wider study of poetry . The perception

,not

only of similarities in the work of different poetsbut of differencesas well

,opens up a study of the

way in whi ch each poet’s work is moulded by,and gives expression to

,hi s life and character

,

and how his life and character and hi s view of

life have been moulded by the people and thetime in whi ch he lived . N0 one can become trulyinterested in the work of any writer withoutbeing stirred with curiosity to know somethingabout the man himself

,and even about hi s times .

The atta inment of precisely the end which thetru e teacher of poetry sets up for himself in evitably involves new and further problems .How much

,then

,of the history of litera ture

shall I attempt to teach? quite properly asks thetea che r

'

of poetry in the high school . Only the82


divine gift of common sense will enable on e to

answe r that question . A broad rule , on e to beeterna lly watched an d requiring a vigilant eyefor special application

,may be safely phr ased

thus : Get the i n terest; stir the en thu siasm of the

pupi l; then carry him j u stasfar as he wi ll go with

ou t loss of in terest in to the facts of the history ofliteratu re . Granted a genuine appreciation , themore hi storical background the better . The historical element exists for the appreciative , findsits ultimate justification in the appreciative ,must ever refer to it ; helps indeed to broadenand deepen it

,to carry it from one poem to

another,from on e period to another ; makes it

truer,safer

,less personal

,more Objective .

In general , if one follow the natural methodon e cann ot go far wrong . It is a fa ct that allthose who possess a fine appreciation and a wideknowledge of poetry acquire their appreciationand knowledge in the same way : they enjoysome particular poem ; they become curious toknow something about the author ; they seek tole arn the antecedent conditions and the imm ed i

ate circumstances that influenced him in writingthe kind of poem he wrote . They proceed frombooks to men

,from men to periods

,from periods

to movements in national life . The typical forms83


of experience which poets express lend themselves happily to such advancement . They aredi stinctly personal , as in the lyrics of Shelleyand Tennyson

,and the poetry of Byron ; they

are national,as in Vergil and Milton , expressive

of characteristics,traits

,and peculiarities of a

people ; they are universal , as in Shakespeare ,pecu liar to no people

,but the same in all men

,

irrespective of race,age

,or country

,who repre

sent a common stage of Civilization . Beginningwith distinctly personal experiences

,poetry

widens its circle,first to an age

,then to a country ,

then to man universal . The cultivated reader,

even the pupil who graduates from high school,

may not unreasonably be expected not only tohave a hearty appreciation of the best productions of the Chief English poets

,but also to have

an intelligent knowledge and understanding ofthe biographi es of authors

,something of literary

movements and their associated national chara cte ristics

,and at least some intimation of the

universal appeal of poetry to the heart of

humanity .

It is evidently this ideal,under a reversal of

method,that has produced some unfortunate

results . It is no uncommon practice,or used to

b e , to begin the study of poetry with a body Of

84


facts . The pupil was called upon to recite gliblydates which had n o significance for him ; names ofauthors ofwhom he had read noth ing and reallyknew nothing ; criticisms , of the justice or accuracy of which he had no knowledge whatsoever.A spurious admi ration for the unread masterpieces of literature and an ingrained charlatanismwere the inevitable resul t . The r apturous praisingof poetry which the pupil had never read becamea tribute to hi s assumed culture and a token of apretended intellectual attainment . 1

Vicious as this method undoubtedly is , theresult might have been worse . Under it, pupilsoften developed into unconscious hypocrites ,praising things they knew n ot of ; but they wereat least for literature , not against it . The veryassumption by the pupil of a liking for literaturethat he had not read carried with it the probability that some day he might read it . He hadfaith because he did not know and could n ot

u nderstand . If he did n ot read because the

1 If this statem e n t se em s stra in ed an d unre al to any teacher,he is fortun ate . In every school wh ere th e writer has everra ised th e question with pupils, Why do we study li tera ture ?there were foun d pupils who be lieved that poe try was studi edin order sole ly th at th ey m ight later pass m u ster in politesociety. In on e case the te a cher rem arked to the writer : “Thatgirl’s reply represen ts her hom e tra in ing pre cisely. '

85


method prevented him,he at least acknowledged

the authority of those who should know ; hekept his commonplace views in the background ;and he paid obeisance to superior taste. In timehe doubtless came to have a measure of sincerityin his devotion . He might have been a Philistineof a deeper dye . When the worst that can be saidagainst this method has been uttered andthere is much to say it must still be acknowledged

,I think , that there is some value in mere

lists of books and authors . Many a pupil leavesthe high school to-day a positive ignoramus forthe lack of a few pointed lessons on the historyof literature .

Under ordinary circumstances , the study ofthe history of literature in the high school mightmost safely be confined to biography. Bu t evenfor the study of biography no invariable rule canbe laid down . In some cases the study of thepoet’s life should precede the study of the poems ;in others it should be the last thing taken up ; instill others it will be best to consider the poet’slife in the course of studying the poems . Of on ething the teacher may feel assured : that the storyof a poet’s life

,well told at the right time , will

make a hearty appeal to the class and add to theinterest and effectiveness of the study. Don’t

86


read it ; tell it . Biography is a kind of elevatedgossip . It has to do rather intimately with otherpeople’s affairs ; and the re i s such a thing as adignified and justifiable in terest in this sort ofthing. Indeed

,it may be through precisely this

kind of study that th e commonplace taste of

many members of the Class will be elevated froma desire for mere tittle-tattle to a sympatheticand intelligent interest in people and socialevents .In the study ofbiography , the nearest approach

to a guiding rule is probably this :Teach the poet’s

life when the study of his poems seems to demandbiographi ca l an d histori ca lfa ctsfor in terpretation .

Only as the study of a poet’s life increases interestand adds to the sign ificance of poems being studied , ought this kin d ofwork to be taken up .

The type of poem studi ed affords the chiefreason for varying the method . In general

,the

study Of a poet’s life should precede the study oflyric poetry . The lyric gives expression to thepoet’s own feelings . Not only will it add to theinterest to know what sort of person it was whohad such feelings , but often a feeling can havesignificance for th e reader only in case he knowsto whom it belon ged . Think of Bum s

’s songs

,

and you see how true this is . In epic poetry the87


case is different . The great epic has to do withnational themes . The life of the poet

,though it

may form ' a significant part of some nationalmovement, is more likely to be submerged in it .The biography then might come at any appropriate stage . In the drama , the poet

’s life is of stillless immedi ate consequence . It is quite possibleto study one of Shakespeare’s plays satisfactorilywithout knowing a single fact of Shakespeare’slife . Clearly

,the place for biography, when

studying the drama,is after the reading of the

play.

The order of taking up Browning’s poems presented in the preceding pages seems to callnaturally for the study of the poet’s life somewhere near the mi ddle of the discussion of the

poems themselves . Afte r the pupil has readHome-Thou ghts, from the S ea ; Home-Thoughts,

from Abroad ; Cava li er Tu n es; Why I am a Li beral;

The LostLeader , he begins to ask in class ,“Did

Browning live in I taly? Was he a liberal? Was

he a friend of Wordsworth? Did he resent notbeing made Poet Laureate? ' Then , surely, is thetim e for taking up the poet’s life . Again , afterhaving readMy S tar ,A Fa ce , and Prospice , a realinterest in Elizabeth Barrett is created . In two

high-school classes in Browning the pupils read88


might attempt such a task is n ow happily imagineary. Bu t even at the high-school stage the intima tion should be clearly made that no on e can

really know an author until he has learned all hecan about the author’s life , his character andmotives

,his environment

,and the national life

of which he has formed a part. A systematicstudy of biography and at least a few lessons onthe hi story of li terature will generally convey thisintimation . A great deal can be done incidentallyby the teacher .It should never be forgotten that the chi ef pur

pose of the study ofpoetry in the high school hasto do with the understanding and appreciating ofpoems themselves

,not with facts about these

poems or their authors,certainly not with the

judgments of critics . Ifwe wish to cultivate ourmusical taste

,we must hear good music ; if we

wish to understand and enjoy painting and sculpture , we must see good painting and sculpture ;if we wish to enjoy architecture

,we must see

bui ldings of artistic construction ; if we wish tounderstand and appreciate poetry

,we must read

and study poetry,not books about poetry. The

teacher who succeeds in bringing home to a pupilsome adequate measure of the inherent beauty

,

d elight,and charm of a single grea t poem

,be it

90


Micha el , An drea del S arto, L’Allegro, orMacbeth

,

has done infinitely more for the pupil than if hesends him ou twith an encyclopaedic knowledgeof the facts of literature from Beowulf to RobertBridges . The pupil who

,in some adequate

measure,has been made sensible of the beauty

,

inspiration,and power of poetry ; who has been

led to feel the awakening and liberalizing effectof a single great poem ; who has learned notmerely to talk about poetry in the class-roombut to read it with delight in his leisure hours ,has learned the secret of lite rary appreciation.

N0 teacher can bestow a finer gift.

Memori zing

It is well to memorize a great deal of poetry.

First,memorizing is essential to true mastery.

No one can be said truly to have mastered a poemuntil he has memorized it ; for truly to know apoem is to know the language of that poem.

1

Change the words, you change the meaning or

modify the feeling ofa poem,a lways to an inferior

form . Only its own language can successfullyintima te the idea or awaken the emotion of a truepoem , be it Andrea del S arto, The Ode to Du ty, orMacbeth . The critique

,paraphrase

,restatement

1 Cf. Bradley, Poetryfor Poetry’s Sake.9 1


in other form,are a ll desirable and helpful in

class-study ; but each makes a new product ; isin no sense the poem itself ; is but a part-meaningin a form more immediately familiar

,perhaps

,

but finally always less efl'

e ctive than the poemitself . To have memorized the language of apoem is to have gone a long way towardkn onthe poem as it really is .Something even more important than mastery

is gained . Especially at the high-school stageis it true that to store the mind with the noblethoughts and the lofty sentiments of greatpoetry is to repel vulgar and commonplace views

,

to exert a refining influence upon taste and language

,to elevate morals , and to provide in later

years an unfailing source of consolation for thedi sappointments , the disheartenments , and thedefeats of daily li fe .

Discrimination and judgment with regard towhat is selected for memorizing must be exer

cised if an actual aversion to poetry and distastefor it are to be avoided . Clearly, not all poetrystudied should be memorized . Some of it is toolong ; much of it is not distinctive enough invalue . Always the relative value of a poem or oflines in it should be taken into account . Extensive memorizing of poetry should certainly b e

92

POETRY IN THE HIGH SCHOOL‘ No invariable rule for the time of memorizinga poem can be laid down . In a few cases it is wellto memorize a poem before studying it in class .Poems

,such as lyrics

,whi ch give expression to

some familiar thought or feeling ; poems in whichpupils find“Wha t oft was thought , but n e ’e r so we ll express’d ;Som e thin g , whose truth convin c

’d at sight we fin d ,

Tha t give s u s ba ck th e im age of ou r m in d '

will lend themselves best to such a plan . Hood’sI remember

,I rem ember is illustrative . As a

general rule,however

,it is best to defer the

memorizing until after the poem has been studiedin class ; it will be best , at least , in the case of allpoems n ot likely to be clearly understood andenjoyed by the pupil

,reading by himself .

In the hands of a skillful teacher,memorizing

becomes an easy part Of the pupil’s task , a largepart of it being accomplished in the class-room .

Before he realizes it , the pupil may have learnedmuch of the actual language of a poem . To a ccomplish thi s desirable end

,the teacher must

in sist that,in hi s replies

,the pupil give the exact

words of the author,not merely the general idea .

Habits of accuracy and precision are the indirectfruits of thi s mode of memorizing . In the teaching of a poem,

the teacher should again and again

94


pu t such questions as :“What does the poet himt

self say? “Q uote the exact lines .

' “In what

poem th at we have studied have you found thisidea expressed before? Q uote the passage .

'

After spending four class-hours on An drea delS arto, students were asked this question :

“If

some one should say to you ,as you walk home

’

to-day,

‘I have just read Andrea del S arto,

’whatline or lines would come to your mind? ' The

following are passages given :

I am grown pe ace fu l as Old age to-n ight .

I regre t little , I would change still le ss.

Ah , but a m an’s re ach should exceed his grasp,

Or what ’s a he aven for? '

Love , we are in God ’s han d .

How stran ge n ow looks the life he m akes u s lead ;So fre e we se em ,

so fe ttered fast we are ''

A common grayn ess silvers eve rythin g ,All in a twiligh t , you an d I a likeYou ,

at the poin t of your first prid e in m e(Tha t ’s gon e you kn ow) , but I

,at eve ry poin t ;

My youth , my hOpe , my art, be ing all ton ed downTo yon der sober ple asan t FIe soIe

This kind of exercise take s longer to tell aboutthan it does to perform .

'

After such review,the

teacher can say,

“

Q uote your favorite five linesfrom Andrea del S arto,

' and to the pupil’s own

95


surprise he can repeat them . He has memoriz edthe essential parts of the poem without havingto do it as a task .

Memorizing poetry under such conditions asthese becomes a very real pleasure . Pupils arealways glad actually to “ know ' a poem thathas meaning to them ; it is the task of acquiringit that is irksome . Moreover

,the pupil knows

what he is talking about . Such memory workmeans more than the repetition of words . Images Oi a delightful and wholesome charactercrowd in upon the young imagination of the pupil

,and he comes more fully into possession of

the poetic experience . At the close Of a term,by

repeating passages again and again and corre lating lines

,the pupil will have made one more step

toward realizing the full truth ofDante’s lines :

All

Are ble ssed , even as the ir sigh t d escendsDe eper in to truth , where in rest isFor eve ry m in d .

'

The valu e of good reading

The desideratum is the education , inte llectual and spiritual

,especially the latter, without

which the mere teaching and training are . .va in

and impotent . ' “The organs of speech can b e

96


Interpretative reading of this kind involvescertain invariable requirements . In the firstplace

,it must be free from gesture and display.

Reading,says Corson , is not acting ; and private

as well as public readers will do well to lay thestatement to heart . All theatrical effects shouldbe studi ously avoided . In no way should thereader obtrude himself . He is the living voicebetween the poet and the listener

,and as such he

should keep himself and his personal qualities inthe background . Again ,he should read veryslowly.

In poetry thought is often condensed ; connections are often remote ; images inherently pleasingin themselves

,so that the mind takes pleasure in

lingerin g upon them ; even the language is rareand unusual . The effects of these several conditions can be successfully produced only by reading slowly . Then

,rise and fall Of tone should indi

cate the sen se ; as the reader reads , the meaningshould unfold itself . It should , too , suggest theproper feeling to the listener . It should not onlyavoid monotony ; it should stir anticipation andexpectation constantly . Finally

,it should make

ind e ed fortun ate . Bu t every on e can do som e th in g towardimprovin g h is Voice . Corson ’

s little bookwill give on e pra ctica lsuggestion s. It should b e followed by som e such book as

Swee t’s The Sou nds of English, Oxford , 1908.

98


evident the rhythm of the verse . Better to fallinto a sing-song than to read poetry as if it wereprose .

1 The meter Should be emphasized ; rhymesshould be clearly marked ; an d even the end of

the line,where th ere is n o rhyme , should be indi

cated by a pause . Good readin g makes clear thefiner shades of meanin g and conn ection ; givespleasure to the ear through the music of the verse ;and stirs the fitting emotion through harmonyof tone and meaning .

The ideal method Of studying a poem is tohave the tea cher read the poem aloud first ; thento study it critically ; then to read it throughagain . The last reading may often be done exclusive ly by pupils ;more difficult parts may at timesbest be read by the teacher . Except in the caseof very simple poems , readily understood andapprecia ted by the pupils

,it is a mistake to begin

the study of a poem by calling upon some member of the cla ss to re ad a loud . A moment’sthought will show that the request is really con

tradi ctory. Good reading demands,first of all ,

that on e sha ll Clearly understand the sense of

what he reads . Bu t the pupil has not yet studied

1 Scott , Wordsworth, Cole ridge , an d Ten n yson a ll turn ed

the ir read ing of poe try in to a kin d of chan t. Chan t or singsong that fails to ind icate the sen se is, of course , fata l .

99


th e poem ; he does not understand it . How,then,

can he read it intelligently? The request impliesprecisely the mastery of the poem that the pupildoes not possess . In the practicalwork submitted

,

it wi ll have been observed that , during the classroom discussion

,practically all the reading aloud

was done by the teacher ; it will have beenobserved also that the last assignment for thepupils

,after the poem had been carefully studied

in Class , was reading the poem aloud . This is asit should be .

Certain almost unsuspected advantage s springfrom following such a plan . The most importantof these is that the pupil enters more fully intothe feeling and spirit of the poem than he possiblycan under other conditions . It is a fact alwaysto be kept in mind by the teacher of poetry thatemotion communicates itself in subtle wayssimply through the presence of other people .

Every teacher , sensitive to the response of herclass

,knows how waves of emotion pass over the

class from time to time . Every pupil knows,

without defining the matter to himself,how much

more deeply moved he is by the living voice ofthe teacher than he is by the dead words on the

page . Bu t especially true is it that all forms offe e ling connected with art are social in character ;

I OO


teacher follows the custom ofbeginning the classstudy of a poem by saying

,John , please read

the first stanza .

'Even though John had studied

his lesson the night before,he knows within him

that he does not really understand the lines andcannot re ad them well . His respect for theteacher leads him to suppose that

,for some re a

son , she must be right ; but he still feels that it isfoolish for him to read . Sometimes he has avague suspicion that the request is made

,not

because the teacher expects much of him,but

simply to “ get things going .

' The result gene ra lly confirms John

’s judgment and point ofView . Again the pupil is right

,the teacher wrong.

Bu t where interpretative reading of the kind Ihave described is used

,all this feeling of arti

ficia lity goes ou t at a stroke . The pupil no longerfeels foolish in reading well . The stimulus thathe gets from his teacher’s reading

,and the intee

tious enthusiasm caught from his classmates,stir

in him such natural and delightful feelings thathe forgets himself . There is awakened in him thedesire

,n otonly to read the poem a little bit better

than his neighbor does,but

,some d ay at least ,

in some measure even “ as teacher reads it . '

Through good reading , imitation of pre cISe ly

th e best that is to be gained from a poem comes102


thus to be stimulated in the pupil . The teacherof poetry who has a good voice is blessed of

heaven . By this means sh e can give an in spiration and convey an unspoken encouragement thatsink deep with young people who hate to appearin the light of being directly profited .

'In te lli

gent comprehension,deepened interest and en thu

siasm ,truer and more delicate feelings

,favorable

forms of competition,commendable imitation

these are among the rich fruits that spring fromgood reading

,judi ciously employed in the teach

ing of poetry.

Title an d theme or tru e su bj ectof a poemThe title and the theme of a poem are often

not the same . Not all poem s,of course

,can

properly be sa id to have a theme . Especiallytrue is this of son gs an d lyrics . There a re somedangers , too , in attemptin g to formulate thetheme of any great work of art “The Story of

Perverted Ambition ' does n ot truly representwhat there is in Ma cbeth

, ye t if we attempt toformulate its theme th is sta tement might verywell do . Each work of a rt is

,indeed

,the on ly true

expression of its idea . Yet,sin ce great poems do

undoubtedly contain gre at idea s,it is often a

help to try to formulate these ideas as a means of103


coming into a Clearer understanding and a richerappreciation of the poetic value of the poemsthemselves .Andrea del Sarto

,a man’s name and the title

of a poem,affords us no idea whatsoever of the

theme of the poem . The theme might be variouslyphrased as , The secret causes in a man’s soulof artistic failure ' ; or ,

“The confli ct in an artistof great skill and promise

,between hi s devotion

to hi s art and his infatuation with a beautifulbut heartless and wicked woman '

; or , again ,The tragic ruin wrought in the life and art ofa potentially great man through a destructiveinfatuation with a beautiful but ignoble woman .

'

Bu t no statement , however true or com prehensive it may be

,can adequately represent the

poem . The poem differs from the statement just .

because it is more . Could we effectively reduce apoem or a play to the statement of a theme or toan essay

,there would no longer be any use for the

poem . The poem is what it is because nothing elsecan possibly take its place or fulfill its function .

Yet the statement of a theme will often serveas a help to a Clearer understanding and a richerappreciation than would otherwise be possible .

Oftentimes,perhaps as a rule

,the subject of a

poem is something that is not in itself inherently104


m ore important ideas can be worked out in class;others can be studied out by the student .Under this plan , a great amount of reading that

students.would otherwise n ot enjoy

,yet reading

that high school pupils should do,whether pre

paring for life or for college,can be done with

celerity and comprehension in connection withclass-work . Four or five days may seem a longtime to spend on one poem of Browning’s ; andyet , with that time well spent , a basis for a greatdeal of reading that may be quickly done is provid ed . The recitation on Ulysses showed th atthe stu dents read this poem understandingly.

P rospi ce needs only five minutes after An dreadel S arto has been elaborated . IfRa bbi B en Ezra

has been previously read,Coleridge’s You th and

Age , Byron’s To a You thfu l Fri en d

,Shakespeare’s

Thattime ofyear thou maystin me behold , Shelley’s

S tan zasWritten in Dej ection n ear Naples, Keats’s

Ode to a Nightinga le , Milton’s sonnet On His

B lindn ess may be quickly worked ou t and eu

joyed by the students immediately after Andreadel S arto. In this manner poetry takes on a growing unity ; it comes less and less to be thought ofby pupils as a Chaotic mass of poems . Novelsthat embrace similar situations may be used as

parallel outside readings .1 06


The sign ifican ce of the m en ta l image in tea chingpoetry

The material ou tofwhich poetry is made is themental image . Though for the sake of con venien ce we speak ofpoetry as being in books , poemsare of course not found on th e printed page.Neither do poems consist of ve rsified language .The language ofpoe try,whe th e r written , printed,or spoken , is but the sym bol of something else ; itis n ot th e poem itself ; it is the mechanical meansof represe n tin g or of ca llin g up mental images . Apoem is really a state Of mind . It is an innerexperience of a definite type . It is n ot in anysense an external thing . It is n ot even a fixedquantity . Mi cha el or Ham let is on e thin g atfifteen , an almost entirely different thing at fifty.

A poem is made up prima rily of groups ofmentalimage s

,arranged in such a way as to unfold new

and significant ideas and to produce worthyforms of feeling .

Poetry begins and ends in feeling. Why, then,this recourse to mental imagery? Because thereare n o images Of feeling . An im age is the represen tative in the mind of something that we cometo know through ou r sen ses ; and for everythingwe come to know through ou r senses we can ca ll

1 07


up some kind of image a cloud , a tree , a bird,a horse

,a person ; but for no kind of feeling itself

can we ever possibly have a di rect image . Thi ssimple fact determines and fixes the wholenature of poetry . The poet does not say : “ Feelgrief and loneliness . ' That would not move us atall . We can get n o images of these feelings

,and

So we are unmoved . Bu t when the poet groupsimages ofa common tone-color together and givesus

,B re ak, break, break, we share hi s experience

with him . SO , the poet does not say :“ Feel a

deep,an almost unexpressible joy

,imagining you

hear the song of the Skylark .

' That,he well

knows , would be useless . To share hi s emotionwe must duplicate his imagery

,or approximate

doing so : and so he writes :

Ha il to the e , blithe spirit 'B ird thou n ever we rt ,

Tha t from he aven ,or n ear it,

Pou re st thy full he artIn profuse stra in s of un prem ed ita ted art.

'

Following the poet’s language,duplicating his

imagery,we come readily into something of the

poet’s feeling . We have the poetic experience ofon e kind of deep joy ; just as in the other casewe have the poetic experience of grief and lon e liness .

1 08


presenting material from Vasari , of getting at thefacts of the lives of Andrea and Lucrezia

,of

readi n g about the period in which they lived,is

to gain more accurate,vivid images

,- images

more nearly duplicating the poet’s images thanwould be possible otherwise and so to gain thepoet’s conception of these characters

,see how he

viewed them,discern what he saw lacking in their

lives,and finally apprehend the true ideals in

terms ofwhi ch he judged they failed:Certain important fa cts concerning the mental

image should be firmly grasped in order to teachpoetry su ccessfully . First

,there is a rising scale

of images . The worth of a poem is definitely fix edin part by the kind of central imagery it uses .Whoever the poet may be , a poem on a stonemust

,in general

,be of less worth than a poem on

a bird ; a poem on a bird mu st , in the same way,be of less worth than a poem on a man . The

Green Lin n et, however perfect , must ever be lessthan Mi cha el . The drama is the hi ghest order ofpoetry

,not because it happens to include the

name of Shakespeare , but because it uses thehighest type of imagery known to poetry

,man

himself . Roughly grouped,images might be

arranged as follOws: stone , earth , fire , water,plant

,animal

,man . The scale is not fixed, except

1 10


that it must always culminate in man . The basisof relative va lue among images is the degree towhi ch their corresponding objects will themselvesadmit the life of m an ; the extent to whi ch manmay project his life into things about him ; thedegree to which he may humanize or personalizethem . A stone will admit only a limited side ofman’s life ; a plant a little more ; a bird or animalstill more ; and man most of all . In his fellowm analone does man find all his experiences paralleled ;into man alone is he able to project the fullmeasure of his li fe . In all poetry , the cha racterof the images as well as the manner of theirarrangement will go far toward determining thetrue worth Of a poem .

Equally important is the fact discovered a fewyears ago

,that people diffe r

,Often remarkably

,

in their dominant type of imagery . For the word“horse

,for example , some will get a vivid ,

intense,defini tely colored and located image of a

particular horse ; some will get a less vivid imageof a horse

,n ot located or colored ; some will get

simply a curved line corresponding to the horse’sneck or back ; some will get an image of touchthe sleek coa t of a horse ; a few will get anolfactory image the smell of a horse ; otherswill get a sound image the “ clankety-Clank '

I I I


of the horse’s feet on the pavement ; and otherswill get simply the word “ horse .

'

These d ifferences are now a matter of familiarknowledge

,but we sometimes fail to catch the

significance of them for the teachin g of poetry.

For all practical purposes,for getting along in the

world, any image wi ll do; one is just as good as

another. Bu t for understanding and appre ciat

ing poetry,the vivid

,intense

,fully detailed image

is almost invariably indispensable . Suppose wea re reading the lines from Hen ry V,

descriptiveof the tired army horses

th e ir poor jadesLob down the ir heads, droopin g the hides an d h ips,The gum down -ropin g from the ir pale -d e ad eyes,An d in th e ir pa le dull m ouths the gimm a l b itL ies foul with ch ew

’d grass, still, an d motion le ss.

The boy who characteristically gets the word“ horse

,

' whose imagery is made up of signs andsymbols

,he who is possibly the budding mathe

m a tician ,scientist

, or philosopher ; or the b oy,born a Chemist

,who characteristically gets the

smell image of things ; or the girl , the potentialmusician

, who hears the beat and clang of thehorse’s feet on the pavement these will n otsee this picture in a flash as will those who are

headed for the study ofpoetry ; those who readilyI I 2


vated . Bu tuntil on e has the right imagery , untilon e comes into something of the same contentand frame Of mind of the poet

,poetry must of

necessity be,to him little more than “words

,

words,words . All Successful teachi ng of poetry

must take into account the disparity of types ofimagery characteristic of different m inds . 1

Another important fact will not unlikely beoverlooked at times . We are apt to think thatonly those images of whi ch the poet has given usdefinite token in language make up hi s poem .

Bu t thi s is far from being true . The poet has toldus so . Wordsworth tells us that a half-hour’sroam through “ imperial bowers would leavebehind a dance of images for weeks ; images cameuncalled for and “ rising up like exhalations .

'

An d Shelley tells us that the most gloriouspoetry that has ever been communicated to theworld is probably a feeble shadow of the original

1 Other d iffere n ce s asid e , the gre ater varie ty of type s of

im agery like ly to b e foun d in the average h igh school c lass isitse lf sufficie n t rea son why the tea cher in high school shouldre ad m ore slowly

,an d attempt to re ad much le ss, re lative ly,

than the te a ch er in th e un iversity. The gre ater th e d isparityof im agery, the le ss should b e re ad ; the gre ater the n e ed Ofread in g m ore slowly. Wh ere stud e n ts “ e le ct ' litera ture , theywill alm ost ce rtain ly b e visua liz ers ; th ey will “ see ' th in gs.With them on e m ay re ad m ore rapid ly. It is easy to discoverthe dom inan t type s of im agery .

1 14


conceptions of the poet . Any on e who reads hisSkylarkmust realize this . Th e im age of the skyla rk is a mere center about which othe r imagesgrouped themselves

,probably with extreme

rapidity . Images , we m ay believe , fairly stormedupon th e poet’s mind as he listened en rapturedby the bird

’s song,an d as he wrote his poem .

It is these secondary or a ssocia ted images , thefringe or clothes , as they have been called , of thecentral images tha t are ofprima ry importance inteaching poetry . Here it is that the peculiartouch of genius is best reve a led . For thoseimages which are directly repre sented on theprinted page are

,or should be , selected by the

poet with an intuition of wha t,in general

,they

will a rouse . Here it 13 too,tha t the teacher’s con ¢

summate skill is requi red . For the guiding questions that are asked should always be framedwith a view not only to having the pupil getthe central images true and clear

,but also to

arousin g properly associated imagery . It is theassocia ted imagery

,the “ secon da ry stories

,

' asStevenson calls them ,

that chieflymake th e poem,

as art,contem plative ; 1 make it in exhaustibly

suggestive ; m ake it more at fifty than it possibly1 Hen ce the reason always for re ading slowly an d de liber


could be at fifteen . In any poem,the central

images,those directly signified by the language

of what we call the poem,merely strike certain

notes,and these echo endlessly throughout the

kn own and unexplored recesses of the mind . Anypoem well taught becomes

,accordingly

,a life

possession . As the years go by,a poem grows

richer . The more on e brings , the more on e finds .New groupings of images forever gather joyfullyabout the old

,familiar

,central images of the

poem ; new shades of meaning are apprehended ;new suggestions caught ; further and richer typesof emotion experienced .

1

The stu dy of verse -form

For purposes of the study of poetry in highschool

,verse-form may consistently be regarded

as an essential part ofpoetry .

2 In order to appreciate individual poems and to understand someof their points of similarity

,high-school pupils

should,accordingly

,have a clear unde rstanding of

the types ofmeter and of the chief poetic forms.

1 Se e The Making of Poetry, pp . 78—80 .

1 Itwill b e advisable , I th ink,n ot to ra ise the que stion with

h igh-school pupilswh e th er it is possible to have poe trywithoutverse , though they can re ad ily en ough se e that it is possible tohave verse tha t is n ot poe try. Se e The Making of Poetry,chapter v.

1 16


form will best be given in connection with thestudy of individual poems . On occasion

,this

kind of incidental instruction m ay be broadenedinto a somewhat formal exposition . Probablythe best plan is to take advantage of some topicwhi ch relates to verse and to use that as a meansof introducing the subject . The teacher shouldalways watch closely the interest of the class andnever carry the discussion in its formal aspectsto the point of weariness and dislike . Bu t, skillfully handled

,even the di scussion Of the technical

aspects of verse may be successfully introducedon occasion , and the pupil brought to a clearunderstanding of the different types . There is noreason why a pupil graduating from high schoolshould n ot have a clear and accurate knowledgeof the main types ofmeter and of stanzaic form.

Poeti c di ction

The total effects ofbeauty and of thought thatwe gather from a poem do not come merely fromthe poem as a whole ; they come from the parts .The words and phrases of a poem should

,when

ever possible , 1 be beautiful in themselves andsuggest beautiful images ; they should contribute

1 Cf. the statem en t by Coleridge , Biographia Literaria , p . 149

(BOhn“A poem of any length n e ither can be , nor ought

to be , all poe try.'

1 18


something to the thought of the poem ; and theyshould affect th e feelings . Poetic diction , withwhich we can here deal only very cursorily, is ,accordingly, a phase of the study of poetryimportant alike for pupil and teacher .This is n ot the occasion to consider the dis

tin ctive characteristics of poetic diction , but on eor two suggestions of possible helpfulness to theteacher may be made . In the first place , poeticdiction is concrete . Very few abstract, generalterms will be found in good poe try . Poetry dealswith the concrete and the pa rticular, not withthe abstract and genera l . It is for this reasonthat the diction Of poetry , contrary perhaps topopular conception , more nearly approaches thediction of everyday life than does the diction of

prose,especially expository prose . Daily life and

poetry alike deal chiefly with individual things,

n ot with classes , with the concrete , not th eabstract ; expository prose deals with abstractconceptions and general ‘terms . Vasari saysLucrezia was faithless

,jea lous

,overbearing

,and

vixeni sh . These terms really convey little thatis impressive to ou r minds . Compare with theseterms and their effect the actual language of thespeaker in even the first four lines ofAn drea delSarto, as B rowning imaginatively conceived a

1 19


concrete and particular situation . He makesAndrea say, do n ot let us qu arrel anymore

my Lu crezia bear with me for on ce S it

down and all shall happen as you wi sh You

tu rn you r face but does it bring you r heart?'

Even now we know more than Vasari has told usor ever can tell us . All that lies behind thesewords

,all that is implied , can never be put into

language . Who shall exhaust the full content ofsuch expressions as “ quarrel any more ,

' “MyLucrezia

,

' “ does it bring you r heart?'SO

,too

,

the expository writer would probably have saidthat the trees within the convent wall “weregrouped '

; but the poet says they are“huddled .

'

A glance at any page of poetry will confirm thestatement that the diction of poetry is mainlyconcrete .

Another very important characteristic of

poetic di ction is its suggestiveness . The greatphrases and lines in poetry are inexhaustiblysuggestive . The longer on e dwells upon them themore one fin ds ; as a man grows older, poetrygrows richer . Such expressions as

Than u n swept ston e , b e sm ear’d with sluttish tim e '

andTh e murm urin g surge

That on the u n n umb e r’d id le pe bbles chafes1 20


latter have,in consequence

,a much lower emo

tion a l accompaniment than have the wordslearned early in life . Domicile

,

' as a word,is

just as good as “ home ' ;“ demise is as good as

“ death '

; bu t unless it be to indica te a speaker’s

a rtificiality, neither is likely to be found inpoetry . When the poet wishes to awaken emotion he naturally selects words most likely toarouse it ; he selects words whi ch have such assoc iation s as will affect the emotions strongly ; andth ese are the words that go back even to earlychildhood . Shakespeare frequently indicates thedifference between genuine and pretended emotion through a difference in langu age ; the sincerecharacter uses simple language

,the hypocritical

Character uses words of foreign derivation .

Regan , in Kin g Le ar , says she is“ alone felici

tate ' in her dear hi ghn ess’ love ; Cordelia saysshewill “ love and be silent . ' Exeter , inHen ry V,

recounting with deep feeling the death of York,says :

Bu t I had not so m uch ofm an in m e ,An d all my mother cam e in to my eyesAn d gave m e up to te ars.

'

All , except two words in this passage , are monosyllabic . The most effective poetic di ction issimple d iction.

1 22


Poetic diction is simple and short for a stillfurther reason : it is more econ omica l for the poet.Wha tever the poetic form ,

th e poet has only arelatively limited am ount of spa ce in whi ch toexpress hi s thought or in timate his feeling . In

the case of the sonnet,for example

,the poet is

definitely limited to a given number of availablesyllables ; there are only fourteen line s

,each of

a specific number of syllables . It behooves thepoet

,then

,to use the simplest and shortest words

available,n ot on ly because of the stronger emo

tion a l accompanimen t that such words have,but

because they are short .

“Woe' and “

overwhe lming sorrow mean precisely the same thing .

Bu t to u se ove rwhelming sorrow,

' an expressionof six syllables , instead Of

“woe

,

' a word of on e

syllable,would be burning up available space

with a prodi gality destructive Of the artistic endin view . Mere econom y , then , is a further reasonwhy poetic diction Should be made up chiefly ofshort

,simple words .

Regarded from the point of view of parts ofspeech , n o words in poetic diction a re moreimportant than the verb an d the adjective . A

moment’s reflection will show why thi s is true.Poetry , we have seen , deals with the concreteand particular ; it deals , moreover

,with things

1 23


wi th which , for the most part , we are familiar.Most of the nouns in poetry represent thingsfam iliar in the world about us . The poet presentsthese things in a new light . An d he does sothrough the distinctive use of verbs and adje ctive s. Adjective and verb alike express anattribute

,a quality

,a state

,or an action of a

thing or person . In the case of the adjective,the

attribute or whatever it may be,is a ssumed as

belonging to the Object , as when Wordsworthspeaks of the “ shuddering ivy .

'In the case of

the verb,the attribute or whatever it may be is

declared to belong to the Object or person,as

when the poet says the “hour steals . ' Oneassumes

,implies

,or takes for granted the recog

n ition of the connection between “ shuddering '

and “ ivy the other explicitly states that thereis a connection between “ hour ' and “ stealing .

'

So Browning says ,“Shu t the money into this

small hand '

;“serpen tin ing beauty

'

,

“A com

mon grayness si lvers everything ' ; My youth ,my hope

,my art

,being a ll ton ed down '

;“Tha t len gth of conve n t-wa ll a cross the wayHolds the tree s safer , huddled m ore in side .

'

Poetry,as Aristotle says

,deals with the par

ticu lar in the light of the universal . Poets do n otu se distinctive verbs and adjectives simply for

1 24


What the verb or adjective is to the noun , themetaphor and simile are to the poem as a whole .Verbs and adjectives , indeed , very largely makeup the life of the metaphor and simile : the twoare very intimately connected . A suggestion ortwo may be of help . In the first place , anypossible notion that

,by the use of metaphor and

simile,the poet decorates simple things for the

sake of effect should be broken down . Pupilsshould

,by every possible means

, h e led to see andfeel the naturalness

,even the inevitableness , of

poetry . Bu t they m ay easily become confused.

While studying a poem they are impressed by thepeculiar effectiveness

,let us say

,of a simile . Bu t

when they attempt to use a like simi le in theircomposition they are told it is bad style . Nowonder they feel beaten back and forth ' Toavoid such confusion they must see that thegreat end of prose

,especially expository prose

,is

clearness ; and that the chi ef justification for theuse of a simile in prose is to add to the clearness .In poetry

,on the other hand

,they must see that

the great end is the arousing of elevated andrefined feelings ; and that the chief justification

n on e could be m ore worthy. In the succe ssful accomplishm en tof it, in the pupil’s joyous atta inm en t of it, lies all th ere is orever can b e in the teaching of poe try.

1 26


for using a simile is to contribute to emotion alsuggestiveness . In each ca se the figure of speechis the same ; but the use of it is essentially di fferent . Poets do n ot

“ decorate ' their poems withfigures of speech .

Figures of speech mean , chiefly, the illustration of the unfami liar or the unknown in terms ofthe known . Few of us

,for example

,have seen

the sea . Bu twe have all seen a man plough ; wehave watched with interest as the soil curls upand rolls over from the ploughshare . How shallthe poet enable us to get his idea

,with its due

emotional accompaniment , when he wishes totell us about a vessel on the sea? He says

,

simply,the ship plou ghs the sea .

' 1 He does n otdo that for effect ; he does it so that , at once , hemay convey an idea and awaken feeling. Noneof us has seen Wordsworth’s “Lucy '

; but wemay know her as she really was

,because we have

all seen

A viole t by a m ossy ston eHa lf h idd e n from the eye '

Fa ir as a star, whe n only on eIs sh in in g in the sky .

'

So great is the significance of the metaphor

1 Figure s ofspee ch , of course ,we ar ou t in tim e ; they becometrite . In on e sen se , al l language is me taphorica l.

1 27


and the simile in the study of character that afurther word must be added . I do not hesitateto say that there is n o more certain

,unfailing

indication of what makes up a person’s innercharacter

,of what consistently engages his mind

,

than the metaphors and similes he uses . Naturally

,thi s is so . For

'

in endeavoring to make theless familiar clear , one turns inevitably to whathe best knows ; he dips for hi s material into thewell-springs of his personality . What he produces

,

then,comes from his inmost heart

,from the

essence of his personality . With all their consummate cleverness

,the most able villains in

Shakespeare are still unable to avoid thi s trap .

Addressing Laertes , the king in Hamletneed useonly on e figure

,indicating his conception of the

service of Polonius to the state,and we know

him for what he is“The he ad is n ot m ore n ative to the he art ,The han d m ore in strum e n ta l to the m outh .

One such flash from the poet’s pen and we knowthe king for a physical-minded man , an eaterand a drinker . Had Desdemona known the sign ifican ce for character of figures of speech , shemight have averted the tragic ruin that fell uponher and her lord at the hands of Iago . Iago hasa mind like a sewer ; the images that he uses come

28


tion and to our moral sense . Macbeth and LadyMacbeth , Brutus and Julius Caesar , Hamlet andOphelia

,Othello and Iago

,Sa tan in P aradise Lost,

Lancelot and Guinevere , the Duke in My LastDu chess , Andrea del Sarto and Lucrezia : all areevi l or failing characters

,failing rather than

inherently evil,n o doubt

,if we see deep enough ,1

but all alike lacking in precise ly those moralqualities whi ch a study of their characters consiste n tly inspires . Why is this?In the first place

,the study of an evil or failing

character,artistically presented

,calls forth a

series of standards in terms Of which that Character is said to be evil or to have failed . To judgean act as evil or deficient is necessarily to have astandard according to which the judgment ismade . If we could n ot perceive what Macbethought to have done we could never know that hedi d wrong ; if we could conceive n o ideals ofwhichAndrea and Lucrezia fell short , we could findnothing to condemn in their lives . Bu t Shakespeare makes it clear , if it need be made so , that

1 All the gre ate st poe ts, Shake spe are espe c ia lly, make iteviden t tha t ign oran ce rather than inh ere n t viciousn e ss an d

d ege n era cy of m an is th e fruitful sourc e of error an d tragicwaste in life . Th is conviction ,

con sisten tly implied by thete acher

,e spe cia lly in te a chin g dram a

,wi ll b e foun d to have a

very real , however subtle , efle ct upon pupils.

130


Macbeth should never have killed his king ; andBrowning lets us know that Andrea should neverhave sacrificed his art for an ignoble woman .

Each character is so presented by the artist asto make it reasonably evident wha t the impliedideals are . These intimations of ideals the readercatches and groups together in imagination intoa conception of an ideal character .An d there the pleasure lies . Not in what the

poet gives us but in wha t he enables us to do forourselves do we find delight . Just as the childprefers the rag doll to the doll fully equipped

,so

the reader prefers the evil or fa iling character tothe perfect character . Each affords more roomfor the play of imagination . The child does notplay with the rag doll ; she plays with her imagination ; the doll is simply a concrete startingpoint ; the child

’s imagination joyously calls upimages of wha t th e doll is conceived to be “ baby

,

mother,grandparent ; the bold outlines of the fig

ure,the lack of de tail

,leave the imagination u n

checked in its,play . SO the reader of a poem or

play does n ot want a perfect character . Thatwould leave his imagination nothing to supply .

He wants the outline,chiefly a negative outline

,

that will enable him to bu ild up a conception ofa character for himself. “

Always ,' if I may quote

13 1


words that I have used elsewhere,nomatter how

perfect in some respect the poetic representationof a thing or person may be

,there must be some

occa sion,some room

,for the play of the imagina

tion ; there must be some opportunity for thereader to construct for himself

,to supplement

,to

add,to supply almost endlessly ou tofhis own ex

pe rien c e ; always he must be left free to do morefor himself than the poet does for him ; and yet todo something which

,without the poet’s aid

,he

could by himself never effectively attain .

' 1

Bu t the reader does more than thi s . He doessomething more than find On the earth thebroken arcs ; in the heaven a perfect round .

'In

the moment of his msth e tic pleasure he becomesin imagination the ideal which he has conceived .

Let us see how this comes about.

All th e stan dards which any on e m ake s u se ofare but refle ction s of his own po ten tia l se lf ; they area part of him se lf . A standard of fe e lin g, of thought ,or of action which any on e holds, is som ethin g towhich he regards him se lf as at le ast poten tia l ly capable oi risin g ; it is, in the true st sen se , a reflection of

him se lf. It is this id e a l se lf tha t e ach re ade r orspecta tor be com es. So lon g a s he rem a in s in an

aesth e tic a ttitud e , so lon g as th e flash Of ple asureand de light lasts, h e actua lly be com es his ide a l an d

1 The Making of Poetry, p . 1 73 .

132


ing,the mind of the b oy or girl is moved toward a

fine and lofty idealism ; if they are commonplaceor base

,the mind is dragged down . It might

seem as if the type of Character to be studied inpoetry

,in order to attain th e better end

,would

be a character whi ch embodied all the virtues oflife . Bu t it is not so . No type of character

’

is

more efficacious in producing desirable moraleffects than the evil or failing character

,presented

under artistic conditions and in accordance wi ththe laws of art .

Possi ble application of a poem1

In poetry,as in other things

,we find what we

bring , receive but what we give . The pupil who1 Be cause ofth e dan ge rs involved , this se ction is ofle red with

som e trepidation . It should n ever b e forgotten by th e teach erof poe try that the va lu e of poetry is always conta in ed in the

experi ence towhich the poetry itselfgives rise , n ot in som e possiblem ora l or pra ctica l application of it. If a teach er se es from the

glow of a pupil’s face that a poem has sa tisfied the im agin ation ;if she is a ssu red tha t the pupil’s im agery is true an d vivid , an dhis fe e ling “right, ' Sh e will do we ll to let comm en t an da ttempted applica tion go . Bu t before she can sa tisfy th eim agin ation of a pupil, she m u st often reduce the e lem en ts ofth e poem in to term s of the pupil’s experien ce . This m ay

involve going fa r ba ck in to a pupil’s life ; it will a lm ost ce rta in ly involve the askin g of m any question s, an d the ca llingou t of comm en ts to provid e for d ifle ren ce s in th e type s of

im agery an d for varie ties of exp erien ce amon g pupils. Whenth e appropriate im agery has be en brought in to the foreground

134


acknowledged that the study of poe try in highschool meant to her a prepa ra tion for politesociety , sim ply brought to h e r study some of theartificial ideas ofh e r home life . Man y pupils areonly a little le ss unfortun ate . T0 some , poetryis simp ly a school task, irksome and ann oying.

To others,it is a rather unreal th ing

,pleasant

enough to read an d even study,but having n o

very vita l connection with life itself , especiallywith the lives ofpersons about u s a s we see themfrom day to d ay ; it has to do with the far-away,with the remote and the ideal ' if it is n ot precise ly something with which to animate an hourofva cant ea se ,

'it is n ot a t least very intimately

rela ted to life .

NO sma ll part of the task of the teacher of

poetry consists in breaking down these false andartificia l con ception s

,an d in helping the pupil

to replace them by others more worthy . Poetry

of im agin a tion ,th e a ttempt to brin g the pupil in to a full en joy

m en t of the poem should b e re n ewe d . The tea cher of poe tryhas con stan tly to work ba ck an d forth from im agery to appre

c iation , from appre c ia tion to im age ry. Th e e n d of a ll studyof poe try is the poetic exper i en ce . Any m e an s that is e con om ica lly h e lpfu l in brin gin g about tha t e xpe rie n c e for the pupil ise n tire ly ju stifiable . Each te a ch er m u st h erse lf b e judge of

occa sion s, ways, an d m e an s. What is don e in the se se ction s ism ere ly suggestive , as m any oth er parts of such a tre atise mustb e .

35


becomes a living reality to the pupil,broadens

his experience,liberalizes his mind

,helps to save

his soul indeed,in large part as he comes to con

c e ive worthily of poetry : n ot only to feel itsbeauty but also to see that it has practical bearings upon everyday life , that it is a reflection of

life,a representation of its eternal laws and of its

enduring ideals . Morals can be treated in thisway as in no other ; for the truth of moral questions is accurately perceived as those questionsare seen in the light of aesthetic conditions . Notthat poetry should be m ade didactic and thatthe teacher should assume the attitude of amoralist ; poetry should teach whi le it delights ,and the teacher wi ll accomplish most by n ot

assuming the attitude of the moralist .Such questions as ,

“Have you ever met anAndrea del Sarto in real life? Can you recall on efrom history? Have you ever seen any on e evid en tly capable of doing fine things who gavethem up and let them go for the sake of something that really dragged him down? Did youever know a very bright pupil who let hi s study

go for the sake of sport or of social life?' bring

home to the pupil the theme of the poem with a

revealing power of vivid reality . In teachingS au l,

“All

’

s love , yet all’

s law 'can be made the

136


with few exceptions , no on e is more willing or

anx ious to live these conceptions .Nor does the teacher always have to draw the

conclusions . Read An drea del S arto; then readUlysses; and the pupils will set up their own ideala t once . Read Wordsworth’s To My S ister , orBrowning’s My S tar or P rospi ce immediatelyafter An drea del S a rto

,or institute comparisons

among these poems , and no lectures on realwomanhood are needed . The discussions thatarise from Ra bbi B en Ezra will do more to makethe students realize that riches do not meansuccess than forty lectures on serv1ce by thepreacher . Such discussions require tact , sympathy

,and a quick appreciation of the lights and

shadows in the pupils’ faces . Bu t the consequentremarks overheard in the corridor or the street

,

snatches of conversation,phrases in themes

,as

well as the moral tone,deportment

,and conduct

of pupils,

1 show with what happy frequency theseed has fallen upon fertile ground . It is therealization of being this kind of sower that bringsreal joy to the life of an English teacher .

1 Se eJastrow’s little book, The Q u a liti es ofMen

, HoughtonM ifl‘lin Co .

,Boston an d New York. Tha t sen sibi lity is the

m easure of th e man is the th em e .

138


Composition an d literatu re

The study of poetry has little to do directlywith prose composition . We re ad poe try for

enjoyment ; we seek to un de rstand an d appre ciatethe great masterpieces of literature . We readprose

,usually

,to ge t in formation ; sometimes we

study it for the sake of form . Though the studyof poetry will doubtless elevate ou r diction andrefine and cultivate ou r feelin gs

,it is be st

,on the

whole,to study poetry without much reference

to composition . The place and fun ction ofpoetrydiffer essentially from the place and function of

prose,especially expository prose .

Yet it is possible occa sion a lly to connect thestudy of poetry with work in composition .

Themes constitute a very important pa rt of anEnglish teacher’s work . Often the chi ef difficultyis in finding a motive to write . It may not beamiss to show here how short papers may attimes be sa tisfactorily used in connection withthe study of poetry. Short papers are of greatvalue . Their restricted form practically forcesthe pupil to express himself with special care ; andthey a re a practical aid to the teacher in thatthey may be quickly read .

A series of short papers followed the study of

I 39


Andrea del S arto. Among the topics were : “Was

Lucrezia the Cause Of Andrea’s Failure? an d

My Idea of Success . Short Sketches of thelives of the four painters mentioned in the poemwere written and illustrated by pictures takenfrom art catalogues and by the Perry Pictures .Such papers grow naturally ou t of the pupil’sexperience and knowledge and compel him toorganize ideas that might otherwise be vagueand fleeting . Two of the papers written are

submitted

WAS LUCREZIA THE CAUSE OF ANDREA’S

FAILURE ?

Lu crezia was n ot the cause of Andrea de l Sarto’sfa ilure . He fa iled because he lacked in will powe r,fortitude , an d ambition , th e most e ssen tia l things inthe m aking of a gre a t m an .

Andre a did n ot have en ough wil l powe r to ove rcom e th e temp ta tion s tha t he m et in life . He showedthis when he stole the gold e n trusted to him by KingFran cis He shows it , too , when h e says:

In th is world , who can do a thin g , will not;An d who would do it, cann ot, I perce ive .

'

An dre a te lls his wife tha t , with h e r he lp, he mighthave don e be tte r work an d accomplished more . Bu t

if he himse lf had posse ssed m ore fortitude ; if he hadn ot depen ded on othe rs to he lp him ; if he had take?

140


Ou tside reading

At the high-school stage,pupils should do a

great deal of outside reading . Many authors,

like Dickens and Scott , if not read at this time ,are likely never to be read at all . In general

,all

material assigned for outside reading should bemuch more simple than the material read in class .Often the mistake is made of assigning for ou t

side reading poems fully as difli cu lt as those readin class . The ideal list is on e that begins withpoetry and prose of a kind that boys and girlsdelight in without urging or much explanation

,

and proceeds by almost imperceptible gradations,

year by year,until the mind can understand and

enjoy such great works of art as King Lear andI n Memoriam . Beginning, let us say , with Scottand Campbell in poetry

,and Stevenson and

Bronte in prose , on e could pass on to parts ofByron , to Longfellow , and the simpler poems ofTennyson ; thence to the light comedies of Shakespeare ; and finally to the more serious things ofB rowning and of Shakespeare . To fail to plansome such course of outside reading for the fouryears ofhigh-school life is to miss one of the greatobvious blessings of this most important period .

Such a course is not only ideal ; it is entirely feasi

142


b le , even easy. All that is required is that thenecessary books be available a matter n ow of

very little expense and that the course becare fully planned .

The motive for doing thi s outside readingshould be not merely the inherent interest of thematerial itself but the interest awakened in theclass-room . The test of outside reading is that itshall lead n ot only to more reading but to betterreading . One hi gh-school b oy,

I remember tohave heard

,had read all of Henty’s fifty-Odd

b ooks . Bu t he fa iled to go on to Stevenson , andnever read a line ofMeredith or ofHardy . Ou t

side reading should represent means of growth ,intellectually and emotionally , as well as meansof mere entertainment . Whether it affordsmeans of growth is the real test of its worth . It

should never be difficult enough to repel pupils,

yet it should have substance enough to enablethe youth to stretch hi s mind a little .

An effective means Of gettin g thi s motive towork is to assign for outside reading some of themore difficult poems of an author

,after the pupil

has been safely launched in the study of thatauthor and has gained some intelligent

,guiding

conceptions . After reading several ofBrowning’s

poems carefully in class , pupils will read with143

P OETRY IN THE HIGH SCHOOL

avidi ty such a poem as Christmas Eve and EasterDay, especially if the teacher tells the story inadvance . We all love a story , but boys and girlsat the high-school age are especially responsiveto a story well told . Often thi s task of telling thestory of a poem in advance can be delegated inturn to the more capable pupils . That the bestpupils can read a poem in advance and give agood account of it is a helpful guaranty to othersthat it can be done successfully by pupils as wella s by the teacher. Incidentally , the pupils whoare selected to tell a story get some excellentpractice in organization of material and in orald elivery, and the others are stirred with a spiritof emulation to be put in the selected class . Therequirement to be made in giving an account ofa poem

,play

,story

,essay

,or whatever it may be

,

is thi s :Give such an account of this piece of literature as you would to on e unfamiliar with itwhom youwished to interest in it and have read it .A great deal of this kind of work can be done

incidentally. Pupils should be stimulated to gobeyond the prescribed list . NO teacher can evertell when a seed may strike fertile soil

,and it may

sprin grin to fruits richer by far than those forcedinto gfowth in the heat of the Class-room . Not somuch what pupils read in class as what they read

144


to read . These and like statements made by th eteacher from time to time will be the means ofstimulating pupils to read a great deal that theywould otherwi se miss altogether . Occasionally itwill be well to take an hour off just to read something to the class . Don’t fear that you are losingtime ; you are probably gaining it . What you aredealing with

,after all

,is life

,not poetry. You

probably accomplish least when you work hardestwith conscious aim and purpose . Try

,for exam

ple , Tolstoy’s masterly little story

,The Long

Exi le . It may take twenty minutes,but it may

start some pupil reading,too

,and bring him for

the rest of his life under the spell of Tolstoy’sinspiring idealism . Who that loves literaturedoes n ot recall

,with pleasure and delight

,hours

when the teacher took a period Off just toreadsomethi ng to the class? Who that teaches litera ture does n ot know that these were hours ofsoul-stirring effect

,when many a class-hour’s

work was dull and lifeless?Library facilities are often very poor

,but in

these days of Cheap books a great deal can bedone with even a few dollars . Give lists of booksto the pupils ; group books suitable for each classon a special shelf in the library ; stimulate pupilsto buy books for themselves ; bring to the atten

146


tion of individual pupils books suited to theirneeds or tastes ; a s freque n tly as possible holdfive to ten -minute informal exercises in whichpupils tell of the most interesting book , poem ,

or

play they have read in the past mon th ; post lists ,prepared by pupils

,of the books read ea ch month

by each class ; make the class-requirements inthe way of reports and notebooks as informal aspossible

,otherwise you are likely to deaden the

interest ; give evidence yourself of a lively, sympathetic interest in wha t is bein g read

,and you

will be surprised at the amazing amount of

material that even pupils with the reputationof being dull and letha rgic can be induced toread .

1

1 Se e Report of the Comm ittee on Hom e Read in g, Nation alCoun cil of Te a ch ers of En glish , 68th Stre e t an d StewartAvenue , Chicago.

Also, Books for Boys a nd Girls, approved by the BrooklynPubli c Library for u se in its Ch ildren ’

s Room s. Published byth e Brooklyn Public Library

,19 1 1 . If it is n ot ou t of prin t,

a Copy will b e sen t on request.Also , Listof Textbooks , En glish Classics, Referen ce Books and

S upplem en ta ryRea di n g, authoriz ed by th e Board ofEducationfor u se in the public schools of St. Louis. Compiled byJ. A.

Long , Supply Comm ission er,January, 1909 .

Also, Booksfor Boys and Gi rls, in A Se le cted List of Books,re comm en d ed by the On tario Library Association . Publish edquarterly. Apply to E . A. Hardy

,Se cre ta ry of the On tario

Library Association , 8 1 Collier Stre et, Toron to, Can ada .

147


S ightwork

An admirable exercise in the study ofpoetry isthe use ofs ight work . To be able to tell a poorpoem from a good on e without help of any kind

,

without knowing even the name of the author,is

to be able to read poetry with true understandingand genuine appreciation . Tastes differ

,

“ thedoctors ' di ffer ; but there are poems , even of asimple kind

,of unquestioned worth and beauty.

To have pupils pick these ou t from others,even

to have them pick out lines and phrases Of specialbeauty

,is a most helpful exercise in the study

of poetry , and on e, moreover

,that pupils find

exhilarating and enjoyable . In this way pupilssoon get rid of the idea that a teacher or any otherperson who knows good poetry has some hiddensecret in his art ; they come to see that the onlymeans of coming to know good poetry is to readgood poetry , to steep one

’s self in it until on e isable to recognize in tu itive ly itsdistinctive quality .

A special stimulus may be given to this workby framing such a que stion as the following : If itwere necessary to select one of the followingpoems for publication on the ground of poeticalmerit

,which one would you choose? One of them

is nonsense .

148


When down ou r ca lm er ways was blown a gustOf son g tha t woke reverbera ting Night.

Ah 'happier treaders of e arth’s lowe r ways,Who pace sm ooth pa ths with le ss impe tuous bea t ;

Sin ce h e woul d c lim b wh ere ye can only gaz e ,On e m om en t pity his impa tie n t fe e t '

Other typical questions that may properly b ea sked in connection with sight work are as

follows1 . Give a suitable title to the poem .

2 . In a single sentence,state its theme .

3 . State concisely the substance of each stanza .

4 . In on e paragraph,give an outline of the

thought contained in the poem .

5 . Simplify the expressions you find obscure .

6. Make a list , with brief comments , of the moresignificant or striking words of the poem .

7 . Point ou t passages in which the music of th everse seems to accord with the subjectmatter in an especially happy way.

8. Describe the verse-form .

9 . Pick out passages suitable for memorizing.

10 . The poet’s imagination is constantly findinganalogies or similarities between the worldof m ind and the external world ; seeing deeptruth in the world of nature ; illustrate fromthe poem given you .

1 50


Dramatization an d other m ean s of cu ltivati ngin terest

In recent years dramatization has taken aprominent place in conn ection with th e study of

poetry in the high school . Dramatization has itsadvantages ; it has , too , its disadvantages . It isan excellent means of enforcing a study of historica l background . For a knowledge ofcostumes

,

manners and customs,sports and pastimes

,

preva lent in a period , nothin g will effect morethan dramatization . Not infrequently

,too , the

unimaginative pupil,dull and apathetic in class

,

will become vitally interested in what he isstudying when he is given an opportunity to actout some part . Moreover , it should never beforgotten that a great deal of the poetry we studydeals with scenes a n d situations with which mostof us are unfami lia r . Many pa ssages in Wordsworth can mean little to a b oy who has lived allhi s life on the .plains , or to a girl who has neverseen a lake or a mountain . At the best

,any poem

on the Skylark can mean little to on e who has n otheard the wonderful song of that little bird .

Ways and means, accordin gly, must Often bedevised whereby poetry shall take on the n e ce ssary touch of reality . Dramatization is one of

1 5 1


these . If the grotesque and farcical elements ofattempted dramatization can with reasonablesuccess be eliminated ; if pupils , even while theyenjoy themselves

,can be induced to make an

earnest eflort toward truthful representation ;dramatization can be made an effective aid to thestudy of poetry . Words accompanied by actiontake on fresh meaning for those who attempt torepresent their content ; and for those who do notact

,a further help toward clear visualization of

imagery and comprehension Is usually gained .Judi ciously and di screetly handled , dramatization may be made a very real aid in the studyof poetry in the high school .The chi ef disadvantage and the chief danger is

that teacher and pupils alike may come to mistake dramatic representation for the study of

poetry itself . At its best , dramatization is onlya further motive for study ; it may be little morethan an interesting kind of activity suggestedby a poem or play . In studyingAndrea del S arto

,

for example,it would be quite possible to stim u

late an imaginative realization of Browning’smeager suggestions of scene and situation by having the scene represented by pupils . Bu t apartfrom getting the lines memorized by those whocompete for a place and there always should

1 52


crudely presented before him . U ltimately the

teacher’s task lies more in stimulating imaginaltive activity than it does in plann ing dramaticpresentations .Dramatization of plays is , of course , the most

justifiable of all efforts of this kind . In the teaching of Shakespeare especially , the teacher shouldremind the pupils constantly that the plays werewritten to be acted

,n ot primarily to be read .

Constant reference to the stage,and a stimulus

toward imaginative rea lization of what an actorwould probably do

,are Often a very great help .

Suggestions of this kind can be made the moreeffective when there is the prospect of actualpresentation to conclude the study. Bu t evenmore helpful

,perhaps

,as a means of aiding the

pupil to a full and rich realization ofwhat a playis

,is to have him do some original work himself.

Any pupil who has ever attempted to write asingle scene for a play

,however simple , will from

that time have not only a deeper respect forthose who wrote great plays ; he will have also aninsight into the conditions essential to the makingof a good play that no amount of instructioncould ever impart . There is even a further gain .

To the average high-school pupil,a great deal of

litera ture is likely to smack of artificiality. It

1 54


seems to him an unreal , a lmost an unnaturalthing . Some first-hand attempts at compositionwill do a great deal toward removing this e rron eou s impression . Many a pupil

,through a few

exercises of this sort,may have his mind cleared

of notions against which even an able teacherwould have to struggle

,and struggle in vain

,for

months,perhaps for years .

Just as there is a certain kind of dramatizationthat may be effectively used in high school work

,

so there is a certain use that can be made ofactualobjects referred to constantly in poetry . The

Cham bered Nau ti lu s will forever take on a different meaning once the pupil ha s seen the shell of anautilus . The study Of practically all poets canbe vita lized and made more interesting throughthe judi cious use ofobjects . A twig

,a lea f

,a bud

,

brought to class will Often give the right start tothe study of a na ture poem . A like use may bemade Of pictures . A set of the Perry Pictures1

is almost invaluable for illustrative purposes,

and the cost is very small . Here as before,how

1 Lan tern slid e s are still be tter. Noth in g ism ore efle ctive asa mea n s of givin g pupils a backgroun d for th e study of the

poe try of En glan d . Good slid e s c an b e obta in ed at a sh illinge a ch from Newton Co . , 37 Kin g Stre e t, Coven t Gard en ,

Lon don , W .C.,En glan d . Th e cost of a lan tern un fortun ate ly

pre cludes th e u se of slid es in m ost high schools.

I SS


ever , it is well to keep in mind that the concretething presented to the eye is but an aid to

ima gination . It is but a starting-point for fuller,

richer , and truer visualization than would perhaps be otherwise possible . The more nearly weduplicate the imagery that was in the author’smind when he wrote

,the more nearly we shall

understand hi s language and appreciate hi s poem.

With the fundamental imagery wrong,it is idle

to talk of understanding or enjoying poetry.

No time is ever wa sted,no amount of effort is too

great,to insure as near as may be a duplication

in the child’s imagination of the imagery thatstood ou t before the imagination of the poet .This done

,other things will largely take care of

themselves . Yet it is entirely possible that on em ay,

through unfortunate Choice ofpoem,or some

other unfavorable circumstance , spend so muchtime in getting a motive for the study of a poemand in stimulating an imaginative realization ofits imagery as never to arrive at the poem itself.Once more the teacher’s problem resolves itselfinto a question of judgment and common sense .

Revi ew an d exam in ation qu estion s

One of the most helpful means of bringingpupils to a satisfactory stage of preparation is

1 56


significant fact is that the class as a whole lea rn s

j u st a bou t twi ce as m u ch as i twou ld if left to planits own revi ewi ng . The results in actua l knowledge are double what they are likely to be underany other plan . Morever

,every on e comes from

the work in a better frame of mind . The pupilglows in hi s inner consciousness with a fine senseof mastery and of obligation satisfactorily performed . The examina tion has

,

left n o brownpaper taste in his mouth ; he still likes poetry.

There has been a fairn ess in imposing this taskupon him which is happily in accord with theideals set up in the study of poetry in class : theteacher seem s to aim at living what she tea ches ;poetry ha s something to do with life

,even in an

unsuspected quarter . Even the dullard a ckn owledges that his failure is “ all his own fault .How can he do otherwise? Every on e was assuredthat

,if he could answer the questions in the

review-set,he could pass the examination ; the

questions were based on the work done in andou t of cla ss ; the re can be n o excuse for any on e .

It is the weak pupils who always make thetrouble at the close of the work ; by this meansthe teacher may free herself of a series of troublesome problems .

In order to give some idea of the character of1 58


question tha t mi ght sa tisfactorily be used,I shall

submi t a few typica l que stions on An drea d el

S arto; th e type of question that pupils who tookpart in the exercise presented would be expectedto answer1 . State the circumstances under which Browning came to write Andrea del S arto.

2 . What does Andrea ’s name literally mean?

3 . Who was John Kenyon and what was hi srela tion to the Brownin gs?

4 . In a single sentence , sta te the theme of thepoem .

5 . In on e carefully written paragraph,give a

short description of the chara cter ofAndrea ;the same for Lucrezia .

6. Give a careful d e seription of the place whereAndrea and Lucrezia are when the poemopens .

7 . Name some of the painters mentioned in thepoem .

Mention on e painting by each . Give a verybrief description of it .

8 . What is th e ve rse -form ofAndrea del S arto?

How do you account for the colloquial effectof the lan guage?

9 . Q uote te n consecutive lines of the poem .

10 . State clearly the ideals of life that BrowningI S9


brings out in this poem,referring to passages

and situations in support ofyour statements .1 1 . What is B rowning’s doctrine about imper

fe ction ? How does he seem to justify it,

both for thi s life and for the next?1 2 . Locate the following passages

,indicating the

part of the poem (or nam i ng the poem ,as it

will be in some cases) from which they aretaken ; give the general connection ; andexplain very carefully all words or passagesin italics :

(a) My face , my moon ,my everybody

’s moon ,

Wh ich eve rybody looks on an d ca lls his,

An d,I suppose , is looke d on by in turn

,

While she looks n o one’s.

'

Such questions are only typical . Each teachercan readily make out a set adapted to the classand to the poetry studi ed . Itwill be entirely safeto mark certain questions

,such as nine and

twelve,as certain to appear on the fin al examina

tion . Th is further assurance is stimulating for thebest pupils

,fina lly condemnatory of those who

fail . There is absolutely no excuse for any pupilwho does n ot know something when he has beentold that it would be a sked on the examination .

Q uestion twelve is the type of question thatalways draws the line of distinction between the

160


class dominated by an unavoidable sense of fairplay ; that will , above all , send him ou t equippedwith twice the knowledge and appreciation thathe might otherwise have

,is a plan that no teacher

can well afford to neglect . It may n ot work forall

,but in the plan outlin ed I believe there are the

possibili ties of such a working scheme .

The enj oymen tof poetry in its relation to hard work

The true enjoyment of poetry and hard workgo hand in hand . Popular conception

,in and ou t

of school,is likely to be to the contrary. Every

body reads ; everybody is in some sense a studentof literature ; and the end sought by all is immedi ate pleasure

,free from effort . An d there is such

a thing as a kind ofpleasant and harmless browsing on the hi llsides of literature ; there is a kind ofliterature that yields a mild

,narcotic pleasure ;

there is even a kind of poetry that comes nearthe Class Of push-pin

,bowling

,and golf ; affords a

mild tonic of mental recreation ; and producespleasing forgetfulness ofone’s credi tors and of thestings of the world . With just these conceptionsthe high-school pupil may come to hi s task . Hemay think that he must fin d immediate pleasurein everything he reads . If poetry is somethingto be enjoyed, there should be no hard work ;

162


tasks should be easy , assignments light . Moreover, the tea che r

’s a im to produce pleasurethrough poetry seems to indorse th e view .

Bu t this popula r conception of the study of

poetry is , of course , wrong . Poetry is n ot froth,

n or is it yet the fumesofwine . Its end is pleasure ;but the plea sure is of the kind that comes

,in a ll

worthyp oetry , only after effort and hard work .

The tru e stu dy of good poetry demands a higher an d

fu ller exercise of ou r fa cu lti es than any other pu r

su it ar a ctivity. Most pursuits an d activities,

science,business , and the like , appeal but to on e

side ofman’s nature ; poetry appeals to the wholeman

,involves the whole m an . Poetry is a di sci

pline,intellectua lly and em otiona lly

,as rigid as

scien ce ; it demands nicer moral discrimina tionthan man is called upon to exercise in any othersphere of activity ; it sets standards of action towhi ch man , in his daily life , consistently fails toattain . The ple asure of poetry is refined andelevated . Itdiffers from the pleasure of the sodafountain or the m ovin g-picture show ; it cannot ,like these

,h e ga thered by the ca sua l passer-by,

even as he plucks th e obvious be rry on the bush .

Were it n ot so , the study ofpoetry in the high schoolcou ld n ot be j u stified . We workin order to gain a.

high pleasure . We work because we cann ot gain163


that high pleasure without work . The true en

joym e n t of poetry demands effort, steadiness ofpurpose

,sometimes even pain

,to achieve it.

Learning,said Aristotle

,is painful ; and the

adage is true even of poetry. Not that pain of

mental effort and hard work should be delibera tely sought ou t by the teacher , of course ; pupilsa re not necessarily learning anything , or growingin power

,or deepening their enjoyment merely

because they are working hard . Bu t they cannotgrow in power ; they cannot win heights of higherpleasure in poetry ; they cannot come to knowgood poetry for what it really is

,without effort

and hard work . The true enjoyment of goodpoetry lies beyond the hills of effort .Some of the reasons why thi s is so have already

b een glanced at . That the experience thought,

feeling,or action dealt with by the poem com

m on ly lies beyond the present attainment of thepupil is itself sufficient cause for work . Time andeffort are needed to grasp the true poet’s con c eption . Bu t even thi s can be done only after on e hasunderstood the poet’s language ; and that language

,we have seen

,is rare and unusual ; the

poet expresses his ideas in novel and d istinctiveways . Then

,the poet’s language is emotionally

sugge stive. Even the man rich in experience164


Manners and customs were perhaps different inhis day ; many words carried a meaning evenOpposite to wha t they n ow carry ; life was viewedfrom a different angle . Shakespeare’s playscontain thousands of references

,commonly in the

form of figures of speech,to a sport long since

obsolete — hawking ; and often, to kn ow what

Shakespeare says , is to know the practices of

hawking . T0 read Pope aright,to understand

and enjoy,for example

,hi sRape of the Lock, on e

must know the social and literary ideals thatanimated that period

,so different from our own .

The delights of Chaucer, his unexcelled portraiture of Character

,his sly irony

,his subtle humor

,

all must be lost to any on e unwilling to go throughthe effort of mastering the elements

,at least

, of

the English of that day . Historical remotenessmeans work

,if we are to read ou r poets with

intelligent understanding .

Then,poets are commonly learned men . If

they are'not always scholars in the academic

sense of the word,they do know a great deal

about a surprising number of things . Gray issaid to have been the most learned man of hi sday.

Milton knew hi s B ible and his classics so wellthat he referred to characters , situations , andideals in them with as much fami liarity and

166


fa cility as the mode rn b oy reels off the names ofthe membe rs of his ba seba ll team . An d so ittakes work

,an d ha rd work , too , to master in

cla ss a poem like Lycidas or L’Allegro, a s any

teacher who has tried it knows . Some times,as in

the ca se of B rowning,much of the lea rning is

hi ghly specialized . Browning deals primarilywith men and women . Bu t his men and womendiffer from the men and women of Burns and of

Wordsworth ; They are specialists : painters ,sculptors

,a rtists of on e kin d an d anothe r . An d

often,a s in the ca se of ou r cla ss-exercise

,on e

must know som ethin g about these people,not

m erely as type s of humanity, but as specialists,in order to understand B rowning’s poetry. Not

to have this in forma tion is Often to be repelledin the outstart . Sim ila rly , much of Ten n yson

’s

poetry must be dead to on e who knows nothingabout the Classics . Tha t poets have wide knowledge

,Often highly specia lized knowledge

,in

volves work,even hard work

,for the high-school

pupil .Involved in this attempt to rehabilitate the

historical con dition s of a period and to becomefamiliar with the poets’wider range ofknowledgeis a furthe r dem an d . He who reads poetry withunderstanding and appreciationmust escape from

167


himself,must break away from the narrow an d

conventional ideas that dominate hi s everydayactions . If he reads Wordsworth prompted bythe aim of finding something that will help himin advertising

,he will never

,of course

,really

understand and appreciate Wordsworth . In cidentally

,he will probably miss the truth in :

advertising. The poet’s view di ffers from that ofthe average man . It is free from considerations ofself-interest

,immedi ate service , use , and owner

ship . It is hi gher,truer

,more worthy. An d to

see it and grasp it involves a self-abandon, a

sympathy , and an imaginative realization ofimage and idea that can come only through a

lofty and elevated kind of effort . It IS no easytask to come into full sympathy and appreciativeunderstanding of the life and expression of a

people remote in time from ou r own,on e inspired

by different national and social ideals . Nothingis more difli cu lt for the mind that is u n disci

plin ed .

Yet just there the task lies . To understand an denjoy the poetry of another people

,the true

reader mu st get beyond the petty circle of hi sown li fe . He must see life through the eyes of th epeople whose poetry he reads . No other line ofstudy, no other kind of activity , makes so wide

168


conceptions , and ideals ; ethical values ; types ofemotional experience ; ends of practical achievement these it is the true reader of poetry

,even

the pupil in high school,must in some measure

apprehend,understand

,and make his own before

he reads poetry with understanding and enjoyment .The final reason why the hi gh enj oyment of

poetry involves work is the deepest of all . Toenjoy poetry is to know life on its best side

,and

to kn ow life is the last result of supreme effort.It is the hi ghest type of knowledge . High schoolpupils can be expected to make only a start inthe deeper knowledge of life

,and yet if they are

to make a start at all they must put forth effort ;they must do some hard thinking

,gain new types

of emotional experience,conceive higher ideals of

life and conduct . To read poetry aright,to win

its finest pleasures,to come into the satisfying

knowledge of what is best in life , the mind of thepupil must be kept active

,keen-edged

,and tense.

The serious study of Shakespeare , that whichseeks the highest pleasure

,will quite properly

result in an occasional headache . No poetrytruly worthy of the name reveals its secret of joywithout time and effort . Not on e reading , noteven twenty, may sufli ce . Songs we may except

1 70


again,perhaps . Time a n d effort , and that of the

highest order ; stron g and cle a r gra sp of intellect ;play of fee ling ; judgment in morals ; gatheringup of mem ories ; groupin g of im pressions ;reshaping andproj ecting of ideals , are a ll involvedin the arduous task of the true study of poetry.

Poetry is an expression of life . To know poetryis to know life . No knowledge is more worthy ;none more difli cu lt to atta in . The laws of person ality are inscrutable ; they operate im pe rceptibly. In comparison , the laws of physical andbiologica l scie n ce a re re latively simple . Scienceis the attempted description of tha t Side of lifewhich is prim a rily physica l ; a rt is the on ly ad e

quate representa tion of th e a ctivities of the innerlife . Poetry is a reve la tion of the laws of personality ; it deals with th e inner life ofman , with thelaws of his being . On ly through repeated readings

,through the gradua l m a ste ry of some of the

fundamental things in life,will many a poem

unfold its secret . Not until then will it afford thehigh enjoymen t

,the e leva ted an d refin ed feelings

,

which it wa s design ed to produce .

If the serious pursuit of poetry involves effort ;if to gain high pleasure from poetry there mustbe ha rd work , how much , then , the teacher ofpoetry in the high school may properly ask

,

1 7 1


should I actually undertake to read? It is diflicult

,if not impossible

,to say. Much depends

upon the teacher,upon the enthusiasm

,interest

,

and eagerness for the study of poetry she is ableto inspire . The best year that the writer spent inthe study of poetry in hi gh school was spent onjust thirty-six of Wordsworth’s poems

,ten of

them sonnets . The best days were those onwhich the teacher read a line of a poem

,laid down

his book,and led an animated discussion for the

hour . As the truth and beauty of some profoundidea was gradually u nfolded

,the scales of partial

blindness fell from our eyes ; invitin g areas in life ,hitherto unguessed at , were opened up ; worldsundreamt ofwere happily di scovered . Bu t therewas hard work . Every line , every word, wasdiscussed and worked over again and again ; everypoem in the book was memorized ; the exami

nations were the hardest in the school . Yetenthusiasm for literature ran so high in thatschool

,there was such a ready response in bring

ing up assignments , that other teachers had atask to get their work done . Many a pupil here

got his“ start ' in poetry ; some went on to the

writing of it ; others to the teaching of it . Inanother school that recently came under thewriter’s Observation the three-hundred-,odd pages

1 72


To understand what great poets say and toenjoywhat they Offer means effort and hard work.

But it is a kind of effort and hard work thatbrings deep satisfaction . It is a fundamentalmistake to read only that which is immediatelypleasant to us . Sustained effort, hard work,habits of thoroughness and accuracy will themselves help to contribute a lively interest to thestudy of poetry ; self-indulgence , the pursuit ofan immedi ate sensuous pleasure

,mental habits

of laxity and supe rficia lity ,will finally kill not

only immediate appreciation,but all the finer

kinds of feeling which poetry,rightly studi ed,

invariably yields .

Poetry and the teaching of poetry

To teach poetry is to add to the enjoyment of'

li fe . Poetry has one great central theme : thehappiness of man ; and poets have on e commonobject : to share with their fellowmen the joysthey find in life . Poets aim at affording a refinedand elevated kind ofpleasure . They discover andun fold unsuspected values in life . They offerconsolation in sorrow ,

fresh hope in disheartenment

,an added joy to happiness . As they

sharpen the edge of tragedy in life,they deepen

ou r sense of what is good . Poetry develops man’s'

1 74


mental and spiritual nature . It awakens him to

what life really is ; brings into fuller clearness hisrelation to the world ; extends his intellectualhorizon ; cultivates and refines his sensibilities ;broadens and steadies his moral nature . It opensup an ever-widening path of progress . It beginsprecisely where life falls Off and fails ; completesits partial achi evements ; reconciles its failures ;carries it on to successful issue ; and reveals thegrounds of true success in a concrete way bypresenting the inevitable and necessary endsof conduct . Poetry is a storehouse of wisdom .

Through it one may come to know life for what itreally is . With greater assurance of success thanon e can well have otherwise , on e may arm one

’sself for the battle of life . Poetry offers to mana perman ent possession of an ever-present andeasily accessible source of loftiest stimulus andhighest enjoym ent of all that is best in

.

life.To teach poetry is to pass on to others some

thing of this best in life . It is to idealize the real ;add to it the touch of inspiration . It is to be theliving voice for what the poet says . It is to bethe humanized form faintly , imperfectly, it istrue

,but still ofnecessity the humanized form

ofwhat poets contribute to life . All that is bestin li fe is the poetry of it . To understand and ap

I 7S


pre ciate poetry is to understand and appreciatelife on its best side , nothing less . To teach poetryis to clear the path and open up the way for thosewho do not know and have not seen the bestthere is in life . It is to throw the searchlight oftruth upon the highways of thought and character. It is to reveal the true ends of living, thechief values in life . It is to unfold the beauty ofthe commonplace and in the life of man. It is tostudy the patterns of what life may be and oughtto be . To teach poetry is to help the growing anddeveloping mind more truly to understand life ;to be alive to its realities and its opportunities ;and to perceive its capacity for affording refinedand elevated pleasure . It is to enable such a mindtemporarily to realize in imagination unsuspectedideals

,undivined forms of feeling

,desirable kinds

of action,eternal types of moral value . In a

smaller and fainter way,to teach poetry is to do

with poetry what poetry itself does for life : addto the joy of living.


Routledge , London ; Dutton , New York. New

Un ive rsa l Libra ry. Alm ost eve rything that Millhas written is worth read ing.

SHELLEY, A Defen ce of Poetry, in Essays and Letters,Walter Scott , Lon don .

SIDNEY, The Defen se of Poesy, edi ted by A. S . Cook,

Gin n ,Boston .

WORDSWORTH , Preface to the S econd Edition of theLyrica l Ba llads.

Preface to the Ed ition of 181 5 , with the Supplem en ta ry Essay. In any

'

comple te Wordsworth .

Ed i ted by Kn igh t , Ma cmi llan, New York. Also ,

Wordsworth’s Literary Criticism , edi ted by N.

Sm ith , Oxford Pre ss, Am e rican Branch , NewYork.

II . RECOMMENDED

ALDEN,R. M .

,En glish Verse , Holt 81 Co . ,

NewYork.

A he lpful book.

BARBE , WAITMAN , Famou s Poems Explain ed , Hinds,Noble an d E ldredge , New York , 1909.

Great Poems I n terpreted , Hin ds, Noble andEldredge , New York, 1914 .

BATES , ARLo , Ta lks on the Teachin g of Literatu re ,Hough ton Mifl in Co . , Boston an d New York.

Chapte r VIII is espe c ia lly va luable .

Ta lks on the Stu dy of Literatu re , HoughtonMifli in Co . , Boston an d New York.

BEECHING, H . C . The Study of Poetry, CambridgeUn ive rsity Pre ss. Brie f but good .

BENNETT, ARNOLD, Literary Taste and How to Form1 78


It, Doran 81 Co . , New York , 1910. Suggestive inmany ways. Con tain s a list of e ssen tia l books

,

called An English Library, d ivided in to fourpe riods.

BRADLEY, A. C. , Oxford Lectu res on Poetry, Macm il

lan , New York. On e of the m ost importan t lecture s, “

Poe try for Poe try’s Sake , ' is a lso published in pamph le t form . Oxford Press, Ame ricanBran ch , New York .

Shakespearean Tragedy : Hamlet, Othello, KingLear , Ma cbeth. Macm illan

, New York . In dispen s

able to any on e who is teachi ng Shake spea re .

BRIGHT and MILLER, The Elem ents of En glish Versi

j ication , Ginn , Boston . Brie f an d e lem en ta ry.

BUTCHER, S . H., Som e Aspects of the GreekGen iu s,

Macm illan, New York . The chapters,

“Th e Writte n an d the Spoken Word , ' “The Un ity ofLea rning, ' an d

“The Dawn of Rom an ticism in Gre ekPoe try.

'

CORSON , H ., The Aims ofLiterary Study,Macmi llan ,

New York. Ve ry sugge stive .

The Voi ce and Spi ritu a l Edu cation ,Macm illan

,

New York. Shou ld b e in the han ds Of everyteacher of poe try.

A Primer of English Verse , Gin n , New York.

Deals with verse chi efly in its aesthe tic an d organ iccharacte r.

DOWDEN, E . New Stud i es in Literatu re , Hough tonMifllin Co .

,Boston an d New York . Th e chapter,

“The Tea ching of English L ite ra ture .

'

Transcripts and Studies, Kegan Paul, TrenchI 79


Co . , London. The chapter,“The Interpreta tion

ofLite rature .

Encyclope dia Britan n ica , Article, Poetry.

Cambridge University Press. Good to begin with .

EMERSON,R.W . Essays, S econd S eries,

“The Poe t.'

Crowe ll, New York.

FAIRCHI LD , A. H . R.,The Making of Poetry, Pu t

nam’s, New York , 1 91 2 . Give s the write r’s con

c eption of the proce sse s invo lved in th e m aking of

poe try, of its na ture, the n e ed and value of it, andits chi e f form s.

HAZLITT, WILLIAM, On Poetry in Gen eral. In Haz

litt’s Works, or Hazlitt on English Literatu re , byJacob Ze itlin, Oxford Pre ss, Ame rica n Branch,New York.

HUNT, LEIGH, An An swer to the Q u estion What isPoetry,

'edi ted by A. 8. Cook, Gin n , Boston .

HYDE , WILLIAM DE WITT,The Teacher

’s Phi losophy

in and ou tofS chool, Hough tonMiflflin Co. ,Boston,

New York an d Chicago. Riv. Ed . Mon . Hasnothing directly to do with poe try, but n o teachercan afford to n eglect this little book.

The Five GreatPhi losophi es of Life , Macmi llan ,New York. A fulle r statemen t, worth while to anyt eacher.MACKAIL , J. W., Lectu res on Poetry, Longmans,Gre en Co., New York.

PALMER, G. H . The Ideal Teacher , HoughtonMifi inCo . , Boston, New York an d Chi cago. Riv. Ed .

Mon . Just as importan t an d valuable as Hyde’s

‘

little book.

180

OUTLINE

I . INTRODUCTORY

The prob lemTh e pre sen t purposeThe e lem en ts or factors Involved( I ) The te acher(2) The pupil

(a ) His gen era l importan ce(b) The pupil an d the high-school stage(c) Poe try an d its re la tion to the pupils

the h igh-school stage(3) The Poe try

II. SOME PRACTICAL WORK

Brown in g’s shorte r poem sBrown ing’s An drea del Sarto

III . SOME FORMAL ELEMENTS

When an d how to begin the study of a poemThe h istory of litera ture an d its re la tion to the studyof poe try

Mem oriz in gTh e va lue of good re ad ingTitle an d them e or true subje ct of a poemThe sign ifican ce of the m en tal im age in teach ingpoe try

183

OUTLINE

The study of verse -formPoe tic di ctionWhy study an evil or fail in g

‘

ch aracter?Possible applica tion of a poem

Com position an d litera tur eOutsid e re ad in gSigh t WorkDram a tiza tion an d other m ean s of cultivatingin terest

Review an d exam in ation question sTh e en joym en t of poe try in its re latlon to

workPoe try an d the te achin g of poe tryBibliograph ica l n otes

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