The Farmer's Bride

1. What is the dramatic situation in this poem?  How is the farmer-speaker related to his wife (e.g. stanzas 1, 3, 5)?  What could be the possible reasons  for his wife's aloofness from and fear of human beings (e.g. stanza 3)?
2. Stanza 4 has a vivid description of the winter scene which is not quite like that of a farmer's.  What's the function of this stanza?

1. Among the five poems we read, only "My Last Duchess" has a living and listening auditor on the scene.  Why do the other speakers speak if there is no (specific) listener?
2. What are the major differences between dramatic monologue and lyric?
3. Some critic said that most of B. Springsteen's songs, such as "Born in the U.S.A." and "I'm on Fire," are dramatic monologues.  Do you agree?
   　

1. Are there some significant differences between Robert Browning and the two female poets in their treatments of love?  To be more specific, you can compare the duke with the farmer, "Porphyria's Lover" with "After Death."

Fu Jen English Literature Databank (English Historical Periods and Cultures)

Introduction to Literature, Spring 1999 (Ray)

Introduction to Literature: Society and Identity (Kate)