Page 2: Developing Themes and Conclusion

The second page delves deeper into the characterization of the bride and the farmer's growing obsession. It also explores the poem's use of natural imagery to reflect the emotional state of the characters.

The bride's affinity with nature and animals is further developed:

Quote: "Happy enough to chat and play / With birds and rabbits and such as they / So long as men-folk keep away."

This passage highlights the bride's comfort with nature in contrast to her fear of human (particularly male) contact.

The farmer's perspective becomes increasingly desperate and obsessive:

Quote: "Shy as a leveret, swift as he, / Straight and slight as a young larch tree, / Sweet as the first wild violets, she, / To her wild self. But what to me?"

These lines demonstrate the farmer's conflicted feelings, admiring his wife's beauty while lamenting her inaccessibility.

The poem's conclusion uses winter imagery to reflect the bleakness of the situation:

Highlight: Descriptions of falling leaves, magpie feathers, and holly berries create a sense of decay and impending doom, mirroring the decline of hope in the marriage.

The farmer's desire reaches a disturbing crescendo in the final lines:

Quote: "She sleeps up in the attic there / Alone, poor maid. 'Tis but a stair / Betwixt us. Oh! my God! the down, / The soft young down of her, the brown, / The brown of her - her eyes, her hair, her hair!"

This repetitive, frantic ending reveals the farmer's obsession and hints at potential violence or assault.

Definition: Enjambment - the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next, used here to convey the farmer's racing thoughts and emotions.

The page concludes by summarizing key aspects of the poem:

• It is a narrative poem with themes of unrequited love
• It uses extensive imagery from nature
• The rural setting is integral to the story
• The young wife's lack of voice emphasizes her powerlessness
• The poem explores themes of isolation and potential abuse

Page 1: Introduction to The Farmer's Bride

The first page introduces Charlotte Mew's poem "The Farmer's Bride", providing an overview of its themes and structure. The poem begins with the farmer's perspective, describing his marriage to a young bride who becomes fearful and runs away.

The opening lines establish the rural setting and the bride's youth:

Quote: "Three Summers since I chose a maid / Too young maybe - but more's to do / At harvest-time than bide and woo"

This introduction hints at the farmer's lack of romantic consideration in choosing his wife, prioritizing practicality over emotional connection.

The bride's fear and rejection of her husband are vividly portrayed:

Quote: "When us was wed she turned afraid / Of love and me and all things human; / Like the shut of a winter's day / Her smile went out, and 'twasn't a woman"

These lines emphasize the bride's transformation from a young girl into a frightened, withdrawn figure, using winter imagery to convey emotional coldness.

The poem then describes the dramatic chase to recapture the runaway bride:

Highlight: The use of words like "chased," "flying," and "frightened fay" create an atmosphere of pursuit and fear, likening the bride to a hunted animal.

The page concludes with the farmer's actions to confine his wife:

Quote: "We caught her, fetched her home at last / And turned the key upon her, fast."

This line reveals the controlling and potentially abusive nature of the farmer's treatment of his bride.

Vocabulary: "Fay" - an archaic term for fairy, emphasizing the bride's otherworldly and delicate nature in contrast to the farmer's roughness.