Bread and Wine (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Friedrich Hölderlin
- First Published: 1894
- Type of Work: Elegy
- Genres: Poetry, Elegy
- Subjects: Poetry or poets, Human race, Gods or goddesses, Jesus Christ, Greece or Greek people, Wine or wine making, Night, Olympic Games
The Poem
“Bread and Wine” is a nine-stanza poem written in an elegiac form based on Greek and Roman elegies—a form used to express a sense of tragedy. Written by Friedrich Hölderlin in 1800, it is often cited by critics as a poem that marks the culmination of his younger period. That is, it is the work of a poet who is reaching the peak of his powers.
The nine stanzas that constitute the poem divide easily into three sections of three stanzas apiece. The first section begins in contemporary times (that is, Hölderlin’s times) by looking at a town at night. As...
[The entire page is 2098 words long]
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