AGE: 1716-1771 -Age of rationalism -Age of the rediscovery of feelings -Age of Industrial Revolution LIFE: -Born in London -University educated first at Eton, then at Cambridge. -Classical education (LATIN and ITALIAN CLASSICS, CELTIC and SCANDINAVIAN POETRY. He also knew the OSSIAN POEMS) -Professor of MODERN HISTORY and MODERN LANGUAGE -Never made lectures -SHY and MELANCOLY · He lived in the Lake District, place of inspiration for the poets of the period -He made the GRAND TOUR OF FRANCE and ITALY -Buried in STOKE POGES MAIN WORKS: -History of English poets (not finished) -Many letters -Poems in a volume, divided into three periods. One of his most important poems was " Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" (2nd period) · Gray’s inspiration: CLASSICAL ---------> he stated that every-day language couldn t be the poetry language. PRE-ROMANTIC--> search for the “beautiful” and the “sublime”. By Romina Bragazzi

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD

-----------------------------Read the poem PREROMANTIC ELEMENTS IN THE TITLE: -ELEGY: - a MELANCHOLY poetic composition intended as a lament for the loss of someone. -COUNTRY: love for Nature -CHURCHYARD: interest in death. STRUCTURE: -Organised in 32 FOUR LINE STANZAS -JAMBIC PENTAMETER (10 syllables, 5 stressed and 5 unstressed ones.) -ALTERNATED RHYME ( a b a b) CONTENTS: - 1/12 Description of the place - Nature described through animals - 13/28 Poor people's life - 29/36 All people are bound to die, even rich people, so death makes men equal - 37/92 Humble people were unknown they could have had great qualities but they couldn’t use them to become important because their “lot” prevented them from it What their tombs represent - 93/116 Autobiographical elements, the poet seen as an honest man, description of his death - 117/128 The epitaph (a commemorative inscription on a tomb) SETTING: -A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD, typical of graveyard poetry, at the SUNSET MOOD: -Melancholy, desolate, picturesque The Elegy is both CLASSICAL and PREROMANTIC High style Taste for Nature Abstract words prsonified Taste for the sublime Apostrophe Melancholy Epithaph Meditations Universality of themes (very general themes: only in the epitaph there is a personal and autobiographical element Love for humble people though not described as a social class (poetical view of poor people. Social problems are not described ) - The poet puts himself among the humble people Influence of the past (Lucrezio,Dante) Attraction for churchyards Labor limae Love for simple things POETIC DICTION: - presence of uncommon and learned words Attraction for death latin structure (not an English structure) Alliterations, assonances, onomatopoeia By Romina Bragazzi

inizio