Country House Poems

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British Literature I 11 October 2012 The “Country House” Poems Historically, in the time period these pieces were written in Country Houses were seen as a symbol of power and wealth. It was clear that the more land you owned the more power you had. This is why the country side quickly became a more popular place for the rich and powerful, because there was a surplus of land up for grabs. Power and wealth are two of the more probable reasons why Ben Jonson, Aemilia Lanyer, and Andrew Marvell wrote their country house poems. Because, by complimenting the country estates, they also gave compliments to the owners and proprietors who would likely give them favor from the flattery they received. Thus these three poets probably exaggerated greatly in their descriptions of the estates to please the owner. The house in “To Penshurst” was of a very modest build. It was not built to be a glamorous beacon of “Hey look who’s rich!”, but to seem like a welcoming building to all. Jonson directly lists the qualities that Penshurst does not have in the following lines, “Thou art not, Penshurst, built to envious show, Of touch or marble; nor canst boast a row Of polished pillars, or a roof of gold; Thou hast no lantern whereof tales are told,”(1434) to show the reader what the owner could have made with the wealth he had, but instead decided to build something different from the average country house, and make it something everyone would be comfortable coming to. This not average look can be seen in both Lanyer and Marvell’s poems as well. In “Upon Appleton House”, it is clearly seen that the house itself is not a grandeur display of wealth, but simply very large and made of wooden planks. It is not made to overshadow everyone with its wealth; however it does seem that the owner does want to outshine another nearby country house. The house in “The Description of Cookham” is a
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