
English Language and Literature ETDs
Publication Date
4-28-1972
Abstract
This dissertation explores the influence of his life in Devon on the poetry of Robert Herrick. Much has been naively assumed regarding this influence, particularly by authors of short popular articles, or in brief introductions to a selection of the poet’s work in anthologies. Little has been actually produced, however, to substantiate the claim that Herrick's poems on country life are what they are because the poet moved from London to Dean Prior in 1630 and lived there almost eighteen years before publishing his complete works in one volume. That many of his poems cannot be dated with absolute certainty further makes an unsupported claim to Devon's influence on Herrick open to question, yet the assumption remains. On looking at the matter closely, though, one does find considerable justification for linking much of Herrick's poetry to his years in Devon. The traditional authorities on Herrick, F. W. Moorman and Floris DeLattre, paid attention to the style and content of the poems in general. They and L. C. Martin, the editor of the Oxford Herrick, also make some suggestions on the order and dating of Herrick's work. Their ideas form a basis for this study. Most of the latter half of Hesperides and many, if not all, of Noble Numbers were probably written at Dean Prior. Those poems which deal with country life in one form or another are written in a homely, realistic style, quite different from Herrick's more ornate and artificial style. Although he can use both styles alternately in the same poem, we see Herrick's inclination for the homely reflected in both his style and content in many poems. This homeliness brings us closest to his real experiences at Dean Prior. We find it predominantly in poems related in one way or another with the countryside and country life, poems which seem additionally likely to have been written in Devon from their position in the text. Many of his poems can be seen to be related to the people, practices, or situations that Herrick must have been familiar with at Dean Prior. The history of seventeenth-century Devon, and the writings of contemporary local historians, often parallel the content of Herrick's poetry. The dissertation cites many such parallels, and attempts to place Herrick as completely as possible in Dean Prior and its surroundings. This can be done to a surprising extent, and reveals Herrick as unusually aware of the various aspects of life around him while poet and parson in the village. His awareness can be seen in four general areas: nature and the countryside of Devon, the people of Devon, the country customs of the area, and the various superstitions and beliefs of the people surrounding him. Although some connections are somewhat speculative, there is a good case for considering the tone and content of much of Herrick's poetry as inspired by his rural life in Devonshire.
Degree Name
English
Level of Degree
Doctoral
Department Name
English
First Committee Member (Chair)
Edith Buchanan
Second Committee Member
Hoyt Trowbridge
Third Committee Member
Katherine Gauss Simons
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Recommended Citation
Beer, David F.. ""The Countries Sweet Simplicity": Devonshire Life in the Poetry of Robert Herrick." (1972). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/engl_etds/395