My favourite transferred epithets are in Wodehouse. "It was plain that I'd shaken him. His eyes widened, and an astonished piece of toast fell from his grasp".
I stumbled onto your channel by pure algorithmic chance and it turns out I love listening about foreign literature while working. Thanks for making such a learned content, and cheers from France!
I’ve forgotten whomever stated the following as representative of the greatest written lines of poetry. I cannot disagree: “Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.” When I used to hike more, and especially on my long hikes, I’d memorize poetry. The feeling I developed for Keats could not be simply expressed. I now believe his use of hypallage (a word of which I had never heard) marks a large part of his great genius. You’ve made me appreciate his poetry even more, which I didn’t think possible.
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this channel. I am enjoying it immensely! It’s bringing back wonderful memories of my time in school. I thought about majoring in Fine Lit (at least that is what is was called 35 years ago) but Law won out. I have always believed that you never say in six words what could be said in thirty! It’s such a shame that goes against the teaching of today, words are wonderful things and we should use more of them!! Thanks so much for a bit of insight into Keats. I can’t wait to see what’s next! 👍😎
Another great example of hypallage in this poem comes in stanza 4, where Keats writes, "Away! away! for I will fly to thee, Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards, But on the of Poesy" (italics mine). Wings, of course, do not have eyes (unless you're taking about cherubim). But this line introduces the idea he will develop in this stanza and the next, that of sensation without sight, of "embalmed darkness" (another hypallage). I'd suggest that the word "plot" in line 8 refers to a plot of ground or locality, not to a scheme or conspiracy. I say so because Keats alludes to the green beech trees and shadows one might find in a forest, where his "Dryad" (a forest nymph), the nightingale, does its singing. He mentions the forest again at the end of the second stanza, its leaves in the second line of the third, and develops the imagery of a blind, fragrant darkness in stanza 5. He yearns that he might go there too and join the happy bird, far away from the perils and mortality of human life. Ironic, because his idealized, song-filled forest is itself an image of death. Moreover, Keats doesn't say he has taken an opiate--- not this time, anyway!--- rather he feels heartache and a drowsy numbness of sense he had taken poison or a drug. What actually confounds him is being "too happy in [the bird's] happiness" (stanza 1, line 6) as he's overwhelmed by the images of escape the nightingale's song opens up to him. Of course, having told us how insensible he feels, Keats, like the artist he is, manages to sing about it quite sensibly.
That's also a great point about the dual meaning of the word "plot" - I'd not thought of it in terms of a 'plot of land' before. Thanks for pointing it out to me.
@@DrOctaviaCox well, the phrase wraps to the next verse...”In some melodious plot Of beechen green” I see a clump of beech trees with the birdsong emerging from it.
Reminds me of an angsty poem I wrote in college, where I went meta on this. It ended something like They speak of lonely rooms. My room isn't lonely. I am.
I think the line "And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries" may contain both an epithet (deaf heaven) and a transferred epithet (my bootless cries). I'm assuming the speaker has transferred his bootlessness to his cries.
Hmmm - an interesting example. If heaven is deaf then the speaker's cries would be bootless (useless). But then, if heaven were really deaf to his cries then he wouldn't be troubling heaven ... ?
@@DrOctaviaCox My thought is that the same cries from a more favored person would be clearly heard by heaven. So heaven is selectively deaf, and some cries are booted.
I think that if Hansel and Gretel were being written for the first time in this time period, then sweet smelling house might be used as a diversionary tactic.
Do you have any questions or queries about epithets, hypallage, or transferred epithets? Or Keats’s use of them?
Could you add the English subtitles pls? Thanks for your helpful video!
Sippin' a cozy beer and learning all about hypallage from my new favourite RUclips channel is a good way to spend a tired Sunday.
My favourite transferred epithets are in Wodehouse. "It was plain that I'd shaken him. His eyes widened, and an astonished piece of toast fell from his grasp".
Ha! - fabulous example. I shall have an astonished piece of toast for my breakfast tomorrow.
I stumbled onto your channel by pure algorithmic chance and it turns out I love listening about foreign literature while working. Thanks for making such a learned content, and cheers from France!
Ha! - excellent. Cheers right back at you.
I’ve forgotten whomever stated the following as representative of the greatest written lines of poetry. I cannot disagree:
“Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.”
When I used to hike more, and especially on my long hikes, I’d memorize poetry. The feeling I developed for Keats could not be simply expressed. I now believe his use of hypallage (a word of which I had never heard) marks a large part of his great genius. You’ve made me appreciate his poetry even more, which I didn’t think possible.
Thank you, John - that's very kind of you to say. He does have a way with words does Keats - almost magical. Octavia
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this channel. I am enjoying it immensely! It’s bringing back wonderful memories of my time in school. I thought about majoring in Fine Lit (at least that is what is was called 35 years ago) but Law won out.
I have always believed that you never say in six words what could be said in thirty! It’s such a shame that goes against the teaching of today, words are wonderful things and we should use more of them!!
Thanks so much for a bit of insight into Keats. I can’t wait to see what’s next! 👍😎
I agree - words are indeed wonderful things
fascinating content as always, thank you for making this!!
Thank you, Wildroses. Much appreciated. Octavia
Amazing video! Thank you!
My pleasure! Octavia
Another great example of hypallage in this poem comes in stanza 4, where Keats writes,
"Away! away! for I will fly to thee,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,
But on the of Poesy" (italics mine).
Wings, of course, do not have eyes (unless you're taking about cherubim). But this line introduces the idea he will develop in this stanza and the next, that of sensation without sight, of "embalmed darkness" (another hypallage).
I'd suggest that the word "plot" in line 8 refers to a plot of ground or locality, not to a scheme or conspiracy. I say so because Keats alludes to the green beech trees and shadows one might find in a forest, where his "Dryad" (a forest nymph), the nightingale, does its singing. He mentions the forest again at the end of the second stanza, its leaves in the second line of the third, and develops the imagery of a blind, fragrant darkness in stanza 5. He yearns that he might go there too and join the happy bird, far away from the perils and mortality of human life. Ironic, because his idealized, song-filled forest is itself an image of death.
Moreover, Keats doesn't say he has taken an opiate--- not this time, anyway!--- rather he feels heartache and a drowsy numbness of sense he had taken poison or a drug. What actually confounds him is being "too happy in [the bird's] happiness" (stanza 1, line 6) as he's overwhelmed by the images of escape the nightingale's song opens up to him.
Of course, having told us how insensible he feels, Keats, like the artist he is, manages to sing about it quite sensibly.
"viewless wings" - great shout. It's rather an uncanny image all round as poetry doesn't have wings either.
That's also a great point about the dual meaning of the word "plot" - I'd not thought of it in terms of a 'plot of land' before. Thanks for pointing it out to me.
@@DrOctaviaCox well, the phrase wraps to the next verse...”In some melodious plot Of beechen green”
I see a clump of beech trees with the birdsong emerging from it.
Your videos are so helpful. I hope you are doing well in your new ventures
I have been watching your videos and just wanted to say thank you. I have been learning so much and you have enhanced my reading very much.
Thank you for your wonderful channel! I'd never heard of "hypallage"!
Nice job
Reminds me of an angsty poem I wrote in college, where I went meta on this. It ended something like
They speak of lonely rooms.
My room isn't lonely.
I am.
My background in epithets includes the examples Aphrodite Stategeia and Cow Eyed Hera.
And here I always thought an epithet meant somebody got cursed out.
I think the line "And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries" may contain both an epithet (deaf heaven) and a transferred epithet (my bootless cries). I'm assuming the speaker has transferred his bootlessness to his cries.
Hmmm - an interesting example. If heaven is deaf then the speaker's cries would be bootless (useless). But then, if heaven were really deaf to his cries then he wouldn't be troubling heaven ... ?
@@DrOctaviaCox My thought is that the same cries from a more favored person would be clearly heard by heaven. So heaven is selectively deaf, and some cries are booted.
I think that if Hansel and Gretel were being written for the first time in this time period, then sweet smelling house might be used as a diversionary tactic.
I've always thought that epithets were nicknames and not always nice?
His stubbornness earned him the epithet "senator no.". What does senator no. Mean here ?