To Penshurst (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Ben Jonson
- First Published: 1616
- Type of Work: Epistle/letter in verse
- Genres: Poetry, Epistolary literature, Cavalier poetry
- Subjects: Nature, England or English people, Upper classes, Food, Home, Sixteenth century, Birds, Animals, Houses, mansions, or manors, Nobility, Gardens or gardening
The Poem
“To Penshurst” is a 102-line poetic letter written in heroic couplets. It is primarily descriptive and discursive and mimics the pastoral poems of Horace (65-8 b.c.e.) and the invitational poems of Martial (40-103 c.e.). The poem is addressed to Penshurst, the estate home of the Sidney family located in Kent. At the time when the poem was written, Sir Robert Sidney was the head of the Penshurst household; Sir Philip Sidney, the poet and courtier, had died in 1586. While rooted in the physical reality of the actual Penshurst estate, the poem also uses myth and...
[The entire page is 1481 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
