The Lie (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Sir Walter Ralegh
- First Published: 1608
- Type of Work: Satire
- Genres: Satire, Poetry
- Subjects: England or English people, Seventeenth century, Truth, Truthfulness and falsehood, Puritans or Puritanism, Mind and body
The Poem
Given that “The Lie” is now Sir Walter Ralegh’s best-known poem, it would be ironic if the French critic Pierre Lefranc were correct in his assertion, in Sir Walter Ralegh, Ecrivain, L’oeuvre et les idées (1968), that it was not written by Ralegh. The earliest known manuscripts, which date from approximately 1595, are unsigned, as is the first printed version in Francis Davison’s A Poetical Rapsody (1608). Lefranc argues that the poem is obviously the work of a Puritan, which Ralegh emphatically was not. Lefranc further argues that the poem is...
[The entire page is 1550 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
