AQA- English Literature at AS Level, Literature B

Aaaah, can you help me on openings for tennyson please? (lady of shallot, mariana)

I swear there's hardly anyone doing Mariner! How are you revising it? I'm literally just rereading it now and hoping it will all go in! Sorry to ask but could you tell me how the French Revolution comes into it since I don't get that interpretation at all!

I have never even heard of the French Revolution interpretation of it.
Only interpretation I've learned about was that Coleridge was taking opium, leading to a "drug-induced nightmare" which could explain all the strange colours and the terror that the Mariner feels, it's a way of Coleridge showing how he was affected by the drug.

My teacher said symbolism won't come up as it isn't applicable for all novels and it HAS to be applicable to all.

Aaaah, can you help me on openings for tennyson please? (lady of shallot, mariana)

Lady of Shalott opening I'd stick to just Part 1. It sets the scene of Camelot and the island of Shalott where the Lady is trapped. The comparison of the two - Camelot is bustling, Shalott is inactive. The Lady is introduced here as well and given a mythical aura.

Mariana I'd concentrate on on the first couple stanzas and how setting is introduced and her troubles are reflected in setting.

For openings I'd stick to Lady of Shallot rather than Mariana because 1) I hate Mariana what a boring sod lol and 2) there isn't a clear beginning for Mariana as her pain blurs everything, blah blah.

HAHAHA you just made me laugh
good luck, you'll be fine!!!!!

Hey, I'm retaking this exam tomorrow. The Rime is a nightmare at first but you'll understand it if you grasp a few key concepts :

It is a lyrical fantasy ballad which explains the otherworldly nature of the poem. Yes, this was probably influenced by Coleridge's addiction to opium. At the time of writing people used opium as a pain killer and it wasn't recognised as a harmful drug. The spiritual aspect is created through the use of repetition e.g repetition of 'the ice' in part 1. It comes across as an incantation to the reader, provoking them also to enter into this otherworldly state. One interpretation is that the poem is a 'drug-induced nightmare' but coleridge also tries to present these horrors as beautiful and shows how appreciation of nature can have a positive influence on humans. For instance the mariner later describes the 'slimy things' in the sea as 'water snakes' who 'moved in tracks of shining white' - its arguably because of this that the albatross fall of his neck.

I'm not sure what you mean by the French Revolution but the poem was written at the beginning of the english romantic period. The poem is set in the medieval period, well before the romantic period. Many poets viewed the medieval period as the 'golden age' because man was more a part of nature at that time.

Hope this helps

How would you talk about openings for the poems? In terms of having a specific purpose for them?

I'm doing Browning and Hardy

For Hardy I have no clue why his openings are significant. He doesn't really have a common pattern. I thought about talking about his use of questions, but he only does that once.