Another hard tale of a parent and a child - in this case a Mother and daughter. The Tale actually begins with the Mother's parents who are fatefully indulgent, granting Dorothea, their only surviving child's ('Sons they had lost' - Crabbe is always alive to social facts such as the infant mortality rate) every wish, so …
Tag: crabbe
Crabbe – Tale 7: The Widow’s Tale
My original comments..... >>>A simple narrative and moral here. Nancy Moss is a farmer's daughter who has been away at school in 'town'. When she returns to the farm she is disgusted by the eating and living habits, and her father's expectations that she will attend to household tasks. He also wants her to marry …
Crabbe – Tale 6: The Frank Courtship
Mt original comments.... >>>Jonas Kindred (great name!) is a stern Puritan, a domestic tyrant who rules his wife and daughter, Sybil, with a rod of iron. When Sybil goes to stay with her Aunt, who is definitely not a Puritan, she learns of worldly pleasure. Jonas however finds a serious young man, Josiah, whom he …
Crabbe – Tale 5: The Patron
My original comments.... >>>This is a typically contradictory Tale which can be read in two ways. The story is, as usual, simple. A prosperous farmer's son, John, takes to writing poetry. When his father backs a local Lord at an election, John writes a satiric verse in favour of this Lord which brings him attention. He …
Crabbe – Tale 4: Procrastination
My original comments... >>>The basic story is simple. Young lovers Rupert and Dinah do not got married because Dinah has a wealthy aunt who basically manipulates Dinah into putting Rupert off. He departs overseas to seek his fortune. She stays with the aunt, and gradually becomes more and more attached to a rich and comfortable …
Crabbe – Tales 1-3
I intend to proceed by reproducing the comments which I have so far written on Tales 1-7. These were posted to ECW (see link on right) and I apologise for the problems with formatting. I will then add a summary of any discussion which ensued and my responses. I start with Tales 1-3 taken together because …
Crabbe : An Introduction
I started to read George Crabbe as part of a group read on Eighteenth Century Worlds (link on right) in April 2008. At that point I really knew nothing of the poet other than that one of his poems formed the basis for Britten's opera Peter Grimes. When I look back at what I first wrote …
Moving Toyshop 