4 h 46 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a poem about a sofa could lead you into gardens, winter fields and the troubles of an age?
In The Task, William Cowper explores nature, faith and human struggles in a long poem in blank verse. He moves from a sofa to a garden, from a quiet winter evening to a country walk. Trees, hedgerows and changing light draw his eye, while human suffering keeps calling his thoughts beyond the countryside.
This collection pairs The Task with the comic ballad The Diverting History of John Gilpin, the schoolroom satire Tirocinium and a friendly verse letter. Cowper's voice is tender, funny and anxious. His Christian faith shapes reflections on God, kindness, slavery, cities and cruelty, bringing the pleasures of English country life beside the moral questions that trouble him.
What you’ll discover
- A sofa opens doors Follow an everyday subject into a wide, thoughtful journey through country life.
- Nature seen up close Linger over trees, winding water and changing light with a poet who watches closely.
- The warmth of winter Settle into The Winter Evening, then step outside for carefully observed walks in frost.
- Kindness and hard questions Explore how Cowper brings faith and concern for suffering into his reflections on society.
- Laughter beside reflection Meet another side of Cowper through John Gilpin's comedy and Tirocinium's schoolroom satire.
Who will love it
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.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A sofa becomes a whole poem
- Nature heals and country life teaches
- Cities, fashion and the sins of the age
- The winter evening at home
- Winter walks and the lessons of kindness
- John Gilpin and the other poems
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- 15-minute summary
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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La Tâche et autres poèmes
by William Cowper · 1785
A sofa leads Cowper into gardens and winter fields, where he reflects on faith, slavery and kindness to living things.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
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.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
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.
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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.
The author
William Cowper
1731–1800 · English poet and hymn writer
William Cowper (1731–1800) was an English poet and hymn writer. He was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, and lived for many years in Olney, Buckinghamshire. He contributed to Olney Hymns, published in 1779. His poem The Task appeared in 1785. He died in East Dereham, Norfolk.
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