7.1.1
Summary, Structure & Form
Summary of The Farmer's Bride
Summary of The Farmer's Bride
Charlotte Mew was a turn of the century poet. She was born into impoverished circumstances. The Farmer’s Bride explores themes of disappointment, loneliness and longing for a deeper emotional connection.
Background
Background
- Charlotte Mew was born in 1869 to a very poor family.
- Three of her brothers died when she was a child, and two siblings were committed to mental hospitals later in life.
- The Farmer's Bride was published in 1916 and explores the relationship between a farmer and his young bride.
Summary
Summary
- The poem follows a young farmer who has chosen a new young wife.
- They are married in summer, but as soon as the winter arrives, the young wife withdraws from her husband and runs away.
- The poem continues as the young wife returns to the farmer, but they never truly interact and the narrator likens her to a hare.
- As the winter deepens, so does the farmer’s longing for an emotional and physical connection with his new wife.
- The poem ends with the narrator lamenting the emotional distance between two people so geographically close.
Context
Context
- Mew explores a relationship that did not begin organically – the farmer chose a young bride that he did not know.
- This is a marriage of two strangers, and the poem follows how they fail to connect because of the girl’s youth and fear of her older husband.
- Mew’s narrator had hoped marriage would end his loneliness – but instead, the presence of his distant wife has made this loneliness sharper.
Structure and Form in The Farmer's Bride
Structure and Form in The Farmer's Bride
Here are some examples of the structure and form in The Farmer's Bride
Dramatic monologue
Dramatic monologue
- The poem is entirely from the narrator’s perspective - his wife is silent throughout.
- This does not necessarily reflect the narrator’s lack of respect for her, but demonstrates their lack of connection.
- The reader is allowed as much access to his wife as he has.
Rhythm and Rhyme
Rhythm and Rhyme
- The poem is written in iambic tetrameter.
- The poem does not have a regular rhyme scheme.
- The rhythm of the poem drives the narrative forward, but the lack of rhyme gives the poem a darker and more serious tone.
- The brief moments of rhyme are used to highlight certain moments in the poem – such as when his wife returns and when the narrator laments that he has never ‘heard her speak at all.’
Structure
Structure
- The early stanzas of the poem describe the scene, and give us the facts of the narrative.
- But as the poem progresses, we are given more of a sense of the narrator’s longing and desire.
- This is reflected in the use of exclamations and dashes in the final stanza. These demonstrate the farmer’s intense feelings and longing for his wife.
1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis
5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis
7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
8.1Walking Away Analysis
9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
10.1Follower Analysis
11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963
11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis
12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis
13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
14.1Singh Song! Analysis
15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis
16Grade 9 - Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
Jump to other topics
1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis
5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis
7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
8.1Walking Away Analysis
9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
10.1Follower Analysis
11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963
11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis
12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis
13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
14.1Singh Song! Analysis
15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis
16Grade 9 - Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
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