The Farmer's Bride- Charlotte Mew

The Farmer's Bride- Charlotte Mew

1. Feelings

   • Desire
     • The farmer is clearly attracted to his wife, however she does not feel the same. (Unrequited love)
   • Fustration
     • The farmer wants to be with his bride. They have been married a long time, but she does not feel the same way that he does
   • Fear
     • Felt by the farmer's bride towards men.
     • Could be felt by the farmer when he struggles to keep his desire for his wife under control.

2. Summary

   • The Farmer has been married to his wife for some time now (years?). But she is a maid that appears to be afraid of him and other men. Throughout the poem the relationship is portrayed as being out of love. However the farmer begins to have feeling of love for his "bride". This love is unrequited however. She has rejected him, but he wants to be with her and have children with her. Towards the end of the poem he is struggling to control himself and it is unclear on how long the farmer will be able to resist taking her by force.

3. Possible Comparrisons

   • To His Coy Mistress- Andrew Marvell
     • Status
       • Can be argued that the women's status in both these poems is considered less.
     • Time
       • The narrators are aware of the passing of time while their desires are unfulfilled.
       • To them the time seems like a type of loss.
       • They want to change their relationships for the better (in their opinion). The women may disagree.
   • Sonnet 41 - Shakesphere
   • Hour - Carol Ann Duffy

4. Context

   • Charlotte Mew wrote the poem during the 19th centry
   • Based on her story in the farming community
   • During this time, marriages were not necessarily arranged, they were often organised according to valuable family matches and convenience, rather than love

5. Structure

   • Time
     • "Three Summers since" (1st line) - (towards the end) Christmas time. So a sense of time passing throughout the poem.
   • Six Stanzas
   • Rhyme (1st Stanza): a-b-b-a-c-d-c-d-d
   • Language