Write an essay on your chosen poem. (Chosen poem is Ben Jonson, ‘To Penthurst’) PDF

Preview

Summary

A close reading/critical analysis of Ben Jonson's country house poem 'To Penthurst'. Received first class mark. ...

Description

Ben Jonson’s ‘To Penthurst’

In his 1616 poem ‘To Penthurst’, Ben Jonson writes in praise of Sir Robert Sidney’s Kent estate. ‘To Penthurst’ became a seminal work and inaugurated the sub genre of Country House Poetry: poetry concerned with acclaiming country manors and their wealthy patrons. Jonson’s discussion of traditional family values, the importance of nature and his distaste for unnecessary grandeur are in keeping with the rest of his work and indeed the rest of the sub genre. However, a closer reading of ‘To Penthurst’ reveals Jonson’s broader and more controversial commentary on society that remains as relevant today as it was in the seventeenth century. From the outset of ‘To Penthurst’ Jonson sets up opposition between city and country, and aims to immortalise the traditional values of the English manor. He writes that Penthurst ‘canst boast a row of polished pillars, or a roof of gold, thou hast no lantern whereof tales are told’1, but instead ‘joy’st in better marks of soil, of air, of wood, of water.’ The use of an asyndetic list and repetition of the word ‘of’ give a factual, familiar tone to the sentiment. By contrast, the plosive alliteration in the phrases ‘polished pillars’ and ‘tales are told’ lends the phrases a flippant quality, echoing Jonson’s distain for lavish lifestyles and ostentatious architecture. Furthermore, the syntactic proximity of the words ‘not’ and ‘built’ in the opening line imply that Penthurst was not architecturally designed by man, but perhaps developed organically, and is one with the land.

1 The Norton Anthology of English Literature, ed Stephen Greenblatt, 7th edn. (USA: W. W. Norton & Company), 2012, Vol B. pp. 1546-1548

Jonson’s love of classical literature is exposed through this Poem, and gives reverence to his message by immortalising Penthurst in classical tradition. The importance of nature is further implied as Jonson alludes to classical Greek gods of wildlife and fertility, claiming that Penthurst is where “Pan and Bacchus their feasts made.” The structural form of ‘To Penthurst’ mirrors that of Martial’s epigram, Biana Nostri Villa, Basse Faustini (Book III, No. LVIII): beginning with study of the building, moving to comment on the agriculture and finally focussing on the community hospitality.2 Moreover, Jonson’s use of the phrase ‘ruddy satyrs’ combines a classical image with a colloquial adjective, associated with the outdoors and a rustic lifestyle. The juxtaposition of ideas presented by Jonson as he aligns nature and classical traditions further presents Penthurst as an important place where nature, art and culture can live in harmony. Jonson’s praise of the the traditional manor house lifestyle, and by extension the Lord and Lady of the house, is clear throughout ‘To Penthurst.’ Distain of ‘edifices […] those proud ambitious heaps’ that are ‘built to envious show’ frame the poem, being the first and last ideas offered by Jonson to the reader. The use of the word ‘heaps’ is here potent, suggestive of something empty, with no real form or meaning. This word also appears in Jonson’s poem, ‘To Robert Wroth’3, from the same collection as ‘To Penthurst’, which also explores opposition between city and country, the rich and poor. The repetition of words, ideas and phrases is a key trait that spans across Jonson’s work. Indeed, George Parfitt argues that this repetition ‘increases a sense of sharp meaning’ and this vocabulary ‘describes a firmly held philosophical pattern.’ 4 Jonson writes in ‘To Robert Wroth’ of a 2 Articulated by G. R Hibbard in The Country House Poem of the Seventeenth Century Vol. 19, No. 1/2 1956, p. 163. 3 Ben Jonson, ‘To Robert Wroth’, < http://literature.proquest.com/ > consulted 15.10.15. 4 George Parfiitt, Ben Jonson: Public Poet and Private Man (London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1976), p. 5.

‘heape a mass of wretched youth.’ Although a far more dramatic description, it is used by Jonson in both poems to describe the shallowness of high society and grandeur. Jonson’s use of the word ‘boast’ also clearly portrays his distaste at the ostentatiousness of the new architecture. Peterson articulates that the ‘virtues of the old, honourable and productive manor shine in comparison with the meretricious architecture and cold inhospitality of the new one.’5 Certainly, the focus shifts throughout the poem. Jonson begins with a discussion of the building and grounds of the estate and moves towards commenting upon the hospitality and people inside. Indeed, the very last lines present the difference between an estate that is simply ‘built’ and one in which ‘thy lord dwells’. Here, the spondee stalls the rhythm and allows for the reader to dwell on the importance of Jonson’s final sentiment. Jonson also aims to contradict the viewpoint as the country life as a simple, pagan one. He writes that the children of the estate have been ‘taught religion’ and ‘read in their parents’ noble parts.’ It’s clear here that Jonson aims to present the importance of the people and life within the house – not just the building itself. Jonson’s distaste for grandeur and pretence is also exposed through what Parfitt describes as a ‘frugality’6 of language. Wordsworth writes that the best poetry ‘takes situations from common life… in a selection language really used by men… [and] throws over them a certain colouring of imagination’7. Although writing almost two hundred years before Wordsworth, Jonson’s writing is an example of this trait. He writes in plain style, moving away from the Petrarchan traditions of his predecessors and indeed his contemporaries, such as Shakespeare. Jonson’s use of commonplace lexis and his simple sentence structure, 5 William A. McClung The Country House in English Renaissance Poetry (London: University of California Press Ltd, 1977), p. 18. CHECK THIS PETERSON OR MCCLUNG ??? 6 Wesley Trimpi, Ben Jonson’s Poems A Study of The Plain Style (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1962) p. 95 7 NORTON needs reference to wordsworth!!!

for example ‘thy sheep, thy bullocks, kine, and calves do feed’ echo the everyday speech of the ‘farmers and clowns.’ Not only does his use of language mirror the content of his poem (his critique of unnecessary flamboyance), it also arguably gives his message more depth. Indeed, Wesley Trimpi goes so far as to argue that ‘exuberant and inflated language must not be sought after in a style meant to carry conviction.’8 Though clearly not true of all works of literature (some of the most powerful messages in literature are intricately constructed through metaphor), Jonson’s plain style here allows for the reader to adhere to his cause, by mirroring the simple life that he’s writing about. While Jonson’s use of steady iambic pentameter throughout the poem could arguably contradict this theory, by giving the poem a clearly poetic nature, I would suggest otherwise; in echoing traditional sonnet form, Jonson is alluding to ‘To Penthurst’ as a love poem - an ode to Penthurst. This would be more relevant to Jonson’s seventeenth century audience, who would be far more familiar with traditional sonnet form. The title of the poem would also suggest this: ‘To Penthurst’ suggests that Jonson is gifting the estate with his art. Most interesting is Jonson’s discussion of society within ‘To Penthurst.’ With the use of phrases such as ‘that is his lordships shall be also mine’ and ‘thy lords own meat’, Jonson is presenting an idealised, communist way of life where ‘all come in.’ This fair and simple depiction of society compliments his distain for the nouveau riche and unnecessary wealth. The image of fish ‘leap[ing] on land before the fisher’ arguably shows man and nature living in perfect harmony, a depiction of what Alexander Leggatt coins as ‘reciprocal human kindness’9. The enjambment of this line breaks the pattern of terminal caesuras that has come previously, adding energy and pace to the line. Further aiding Jonson’s imagery is the 8 Wesley Trimpi, Ben Jonson’s Poems A Study of The Plain Style (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1962) p. 9 9 Alexander Leggatt Ben Jonson his Visions and his Art (New York: Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1981) p. 110

alliteration of ‘leap on land’ which too alludes to the liveliness of the fish. While Leggatt argues that this shows a ‘willingness’10 of nature to cater for man, this utopian image of Penthurst allows for more satirical readings. The outlandish ideas of the leaping fish and the claim that Penthurst sees not even a ‘man’s groan’ suggests a dream-like world that is too good to be true. Leggatt refutes this idea, claiming that although ‘due allowance has been made for […] fun […] we may conclude that Penthurst is not a good place in a dream, but a good place in the real world’11. However, Jonson’s use of rhyming couplets throughout the poem lend ‘To Penthurst’ a whimsical, musical tone that is suggestive of a fantasy that’s ultimately unattainable in the real world. Furthermore, Jonson’s anthropomorphism in his use of the personal pronoun ‘thou’ and verb ‘joy’st’ to describe the building removes the poem from reality from the outset. When taken further, ‘To Penthurst’ can be read to have cynical undertones. Jonson alludes to the creation story from Genesis in the lines ‘fig, grape, and quince […] hang on thy walls, that every child may reach.’ Here, the images of figs, reaching for hanging fruit and a walled garden are suggestive of the story of the garden of Eden, which has infamously disastrous consequences. Here it can be concluded that while Jonson strives for a communist society, he is suggesting that it’s unrealistic. The reality of the situation is that “farmers and clowns” would not be eating ‘thy lords own meat’, and just as there’s a hierarchical order in nature, there should be too in society. Jonson acknowledges the impractical nature of the feast, as he admits that the family is ‘far beyond the need of such’ food that’s being gifted upon the estate. Furthermore, in expressing how ‘nor, standing by, a waiter doth my gluttony envy’, Jonson reveals his own personal greed, a trait for which he has expressed severe distaste throughout the poem. Indeed, another of Jonson’s poem in 10 Alexander Leggatt Ben Jonson his Visions and his Art (New York: Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1981) p. 110 11 Alexander Leggatt Ben Jonson his Visions and his Art (New York: Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1981) p. 112.

the same collection, ‘To Sir Robert Wroth’, expresses not cooperation between the classes but contention as he writes of the ‘rudeness’ of the ‘rural folk’ during a feast where all have been invited. Furthermore, the use of the phrase ‘and what praise was heaped/on thy good lady then, who therein reaped her just reward’ clearly shows Jonson’s cynicism at both the generosity of the lady of the house, and the gratitude of her guests. The use of the word ‘heaped’, as discussed previously, is used by Jonson in a variety of negative manners throughout his work, and here is suggestive of the hollow and superficial nature of her guests’ thanks. The phrase ‘reaped her just reward’ also has a clearly mocking tone when paired with the phrase ‘high housewifery.’ McClung writes that the hierarchical society of a European manor was the unit and model of the earlier medieval state […] Little remained of such society in the seventeenth century England except a stubborn belief on the part of many […] that it had been a divinely ordained way of life that was in a state of decay’12. Indeed, order and hierarchy are key themes of much country house poetry. Marvell writes in ‘Upon Appleton House’, another seminal work of the sub genre, that ‘all things are composed here like nature: orderly and near’. This sense of structure is portrayed in ‘To Penthurst’. In lines 23 – 44 Jonson presents the animals and wildlife of the estate in clear and measured descending order: from ‘thy bollocks, kine and calves’ to mere flowers and fruit. He also orders the land itself: ‘the lower land’ and ‘the middle grounds’. Here, the regularity of the line length and rhyme scheme serve to mirror this sense of perpetual order in both nature and society. Throughout ‘To Penthurst’ Jonson suggests inextricable links between man and nature, perhaps suggesting that human society should look to copy the hierarchical natural order. For example, he describes ‘blushing apricots’ and ‘ripe daughters’. Giving human adjectives to fruit and 12 William A. McClung The Country House in English Renaissance Poetry (London: University of California Press Ltd, 1977), p. 5.

agricultural adjectives to humans not only alludes to the girls’ fertility, but suggests ties between man and nature that cannot be undone. Mentions of ‘thy Lady’s Oak’, and that the names of ‘many a sylvan’ are etched in to the bark of trees further suggests the perpetual relationship between humans and the natural world. ‘To Penthurst’ can therefore be read as a medium through which Jonson projects his ‘stubborn belief’ 13; here he shows that while a dreamlike, communist society where ‘all are welcome’ appears as ideal, it will eventually lead to chaos - human society should strive for the hierarchical and stable order that nature so well exemplifies. Jonson presents Penthurst as a living structure: consuming, reproducing and interacting seamlessly with nature, driven by the community spirit within its walls. While predominantly a whimsical, playful poem praising the Sidney family unit and the traditional values of the estate, Jonson’s poem remains relevant and interesting by encouraging political and social debate.

Bibliography Primary Works The Norton Anthology of English Literature, ed Stephen Greenblatt, 7th edn. (USA: W. W. Norton & Company), 2012, Vol B. 13 William A. McClung The Country House in English Renaissance Poetry (London: University of California Press Ltd, 1977), p.5

Secondary Works Parfiitt, George, Ben Jonson: Public Poet and Private Man (London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1976), McClung, William A., The Country House in English Renaissance Poetry (London: University of California Press Ltd, 1977) Trimpi, Wesley, Ben Jonson’s Poems A Study of The Plain Style (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1962) Leggatt, Alexander Ben Jonson his Visions and his Art (New York: Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1981) G. R Hibbard The Country House Poem of the Seventeenth Century Vol. 19, No. 1/2 1956)

Footnoting multiple references Reference Norton...