Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von Die Aufgabe und andere Gedichte
Für wen es gedacht ist
For readers who enjoy country walks, gardens, quiet evenings and a poet who talks to you directly. It also suits anyone curious about eighteenth century England, nature, faith and kindness.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
The Task is a long poem in blank verse by William Cowper, published in 1785 when he was fifty-three. It fills six books and wanders from a sofa to a garden, from a winter evening to a country walk, and from there to the troubles of the age. Cowper wrote it in the quiet town of Olney in Buckinghamshire, where he lived a retired life after years of fragile mental health. Most readers of his day knew him only as a writer of moral satires, and this was a very different kind of poem.
The volume also holds other poems. Among them are the comic ballad John Gilpin, the schoolroom satire Tirocinium, and a friendly verse letter to a friend. Together they show a mind at work: tender, funny, anxious and firmly Christian. You meet English country life in the 1780s through the eyes of a man who watches closely and thinks aloud about slavery, cities, cruelty and God. The poem began as a small challenge from a friend, so let us start there.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1A sofa becomes a whole poemFree
- 2Nature heals and country life teaches
- 3Cities, fashion and the sins of the age
- 4The winter evening at home
- 5Winter walks and the lessons of kindness
- 6John Gilpin and the other poems
Punkt 1 von 6
A sofa becomes a whole poem
The story of the poem's start is part of its charm. A friend of Cowper, Lady Austen, who lived near him in Olney, asked him to write a poem in blank verse and gave him a subject. The subject was a sofa. Cowper took the joke seriously, and the poem grew over about a year into something far larger than a household object.
The first book is called The Sofa, and it does begin there, with a playful history of seats. It moves from the rough stool to the comfortable cushioned furniture of the poet's own day, and it smiles at the idea that comfort has a long story. The tone is mock-heroic, as if a great subject were being treated with grand style. Cowper enjoys the gap between the lofty verse and the humble seat.
Then the poem slips away from the room and out of doors. The poet walks in the fields near Olney with his companions, and the sofa is left behind. He notices the river Ouse winding through the meadows, the elms, the sounds of the village and the people at work on the land. The walk becomes the real subject of the book.
This drift is the method of the whole poem, and it is deliberate. Cowper calls it a task, and he lets his thoughts follow whatever they meet. A reader learns early that the poem is a conversation rather than an argument. It is best taken at a stroll, with the poet pointing things out as you go.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about Die Aufgabe und andere Gedichte
What is The Task by William Cowper about?
It is a blank verse poem in six books. It begins with a sofa, then follows walks, a garden and winter evenings. Along the way it reflects on nature, faith, English society, slavery and kindness to animals.
Why is the poem called The Task?
The poem began when a friend, Lady Austen, set Cowper the task of writing about a sofa. He took up the challenge, and the name stuck as the poem grew into a much larger work.
When was The Task published?
The Task was published in 1785 in a volume with other poems, including John Gilpin and Tirocinium. Cowper wrote it in Olney, England, over about a year, when he was in his early fifties.
Is The Task hard to read?
Reading it a book at a time, and aloud, makes it easier. Many passages are simple, warm descriptions.
What is the main message of The Task?
Cowper argues that quiet country life, faith and kindness lead to a good and steady mind. He also warns against vanity and luxury in society, and speaks out against slavery and cruelty.