Analysis
Sir John Suckling, a poet of reaction at the Caroline court, challenged prevailing literary and amatory conventions of the 1630s with his iconoclastic and libertine pose. His poetry often contrasted the sophisticated Continental models of his contemporaries by employing native forms like ballads and riddles, while he simultaneously disavowed the title of "poet" in favor of an amateur status. Over time, Suckling's work evolved from iconoclasm to a more balanced expression, as seen in "A Ballad upon a Wedding," where he reconciled idealism with a realistic view of love.
Early Influences and Themes
Thomas Clayton identifies four distinct periods in Suckling's poetic career, with his earliest works demonstrating a keen receptiveness to religious themes. His initial pieces, discovered in the late 1950s, include a Christmas devotional sequence and meditations on faith and salvation from 1626. Although derivative and lacking in literary merit, these poems hint at recurring themes in Suckling's later works. For instance, "Faith and Doubt" explores a speaker caught between desire and skepticism, foreshadowing the libertine skepticism in his amatory verses. "Upon Christmas Eve" offers a vibrant depiction of rural customs, revealing Suckling's fascination with country life and providing a prologue to the rustic elements that later emerge in "A Ballad upon a Wedding."
Searching for Style
The period from 1626 to 1632 showcases Suckling's experimentation with various poetic forms as he sought a personal style. During this time, he wrote several popular and humorous pieces, including riddles and ballads, alongside more serious courtly lyrics. One recurring theme in many of these works was love and sexuality, though Suckling's treatment of these topics often varied in tone and approach.
"A Candle" and Other Bawdy Rhymes
"A Candle," a short riddle, exemplifies Suckling's early bawdy humor, characterized by double entendres that verge on adolescent jest. It describes a "thing" used by "the Maiden Female crew" at night, only to reveal the answer to be "a candle," leaving the reader momentarily discomfited. Similarly, "A Barley-break" and characters like "A Barber," "A Pedler of Small-Wares," and "A Soldier" playfully explore love and sexuality. In "A Soldier," the speaker combines bravado with innocence, encapsulating Suckling's early struggles to master the language of gallantry.
Love Lyrics and Courtly Verse
Suckling's attempt to write conventional love lyrics during this period often highlights his inexperience with such forms. While technically proficient, these poems lack the vitality of his bawdier works. For instance, "The Miracle" rehashes the Petrarchan fire and ice paradox without inspiration, and "Upon the first sight of my Lady Seimor" fails to breathe life into Caroline Neoplatonism. His poem "Non est mortale quod opto: Upon Mrs. A. L." struggles with the theme of an unapproachable perfect woman, a topic Carew successfully navigates.
The Disjunction in Suckling's Work
Despite the contemporaneity of bawdy and Platonic works, Suckling often reserved bawdiness for "subliterary" genres, creating a literary disjunction between love and sexuality. As he matured, Suckling bridged this gap by integrating courtly forms with rustic themes. "The deformed Mistress" exemplifies this blend, combining high-flown diction with unattractive physical features to striking effect. "Upon T. C. having the P." humorously subverts the fire-and-water conceit by discussing Carew's struggles with a medical condition.
"Upon my Lady Carliles walking in Hampton-Court garden"
This piece exemplifies Suckling's skill at blending humor with a critique of poetic conventions. In a dialogue between T. C. (presumably Carew) and J. S. (Suckling), the former deifies a countess while the latter reduces her to a mortal state. The degradation of Lady Carlisle from goddess to a common woman underscores the chasm between poetic ideal and reality. Here, Suckling casts himself as the plain-dealer,...
(This entire section contains 1208 words.)
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challenging poetic pretensions by claiming he is "not born to the Bay." This self-portrayal as an outsider criticizes his own struggles to conform to prevailing literary modes.
Blending Love and Skepticism
Between 1632 and 1637, Suckling composed his most renowned lyrics, which often juxtapose skepticism with serious contemplations of love. During this time, Suckling grappled with reconciling his libertine leanings with the more idealistic Platonism. In "Honest Lover whosoever," he humorously addresses youthful love's absurdities with indulgent tolerance, reminiscent of Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde." Meanwhile, "Why so pale and wan, fond Lover?" skillfully fuses humor and advice, culminating in a comic twist that underscores Suckling's ambivalence towards platonic sentiments.
Libertine Lyrics and Cynicism
Suckling's libertine works explore the reduction of love to mere physicality, borrowing an argumentative style reminiscent of John Donne but lacking the latter's metaphorical innovation. In "Sonnet II," love is equated to a satisfying meal, whereas "Womans Constancy" likens lovemaking to bees pollinating flowers. "Loves Offence" conveys love as "the fart of every heart," marking a nadir in Suckling's cynical exploration of love.
The "Against Fruition" Poems
In "Against Fruition I," the speaker argues against consummation, asserting that anticipation surpasses fulfillment. Here, consummation is likened to read romances or seen sights, with the mistress appearing reified rather than deified. The poem challenges platonic ideals, while "Against Fruition II" explores the unsettling idea of honesty in a woman who yields despite her purity. These works subvert platonic arguments, creating a poetic dead end.
Reconciling Love and Reality
In his later years, Suckling sought to reconcile idealism with skepticism. His "Letter to a Friend" and "An Answer" feature "Jack" and "Tom" debating marriage versus libertine ideals. Here, Tom flips Suckling's libertine arguments, suggesting marriage's "ravishing Realities" overshadow Suckling's "pleasing Dreames." This dialogue hints at a synthesis of love and sexuality realized in "A Ballad upon a Wedding."
"A Ballad upon a Wedding"
This poem, with its rustic imagery and ballad form, harks back to Suckling's early works. By depicting an aristocratic wedding through a yokel's eyes, Suckling revitalizes the epithalamium tradition. Homely rural details highlight the bride's beauty, echoing themes from Suckling's early pieces. The poem's conclusion integrates love's realities and ideals, with the speaker humorously reflecting on the wedding night:
At length the candles out, and now
All that they had not done, they do:
What that is, who can tell?
But I beleeve it was no more
Than thou and I have done before
With Bridget, and with Nell.
Through this integration, Suckling reconciles love's real and ideal aspects into a unified vision.
"The Wits" and Literary Affairs
Aside from "A Ballad upon a Wedding," Suckling's later works often addressed literary themes, revealing his growing acceptance of his role as a poet. "The Wits," composed during the 1637 laureateship scramble, satirizes Caroline poets through the ballad form used in "A Ballad upon a Wedding." Suckling critiques contemporaries, excluding himself from the poetic competition, reinforcing his image as a plain-dealer. Despite disavowing establishment standards, Suckling's self-exclusion underscores anxieties about his poetic worth.
Final Works and Poetic Maturity
In Suckling's last works, there is a noticeable acceptance of his poetic vocation. "An Answer to some Verses made in his praise" reveals a modest acceptance of poetic tribute, indicating his maturation. The onset of civil war curtailed Suckling's career, yet before his 1642 death, he achieved a poetic and personal growth reflected in his late works. Although his oeuvre includes pieces of varying quality, from insipid platonic lines to grating libertine exercises, Suckling consistently demonstrated a keen comic sense and a sensitivity to rural life unparalleled by his contemporaries. His poetry, though small in volume, captures the fascinating progression of his artistic self-realization.
