Housmann Essay

2720 Words11 Pages
The Melancholy and Pessimism in Housman's Poems A.E. Housman was a human figure whose life and career were often moving as well as extraordinary. The melancholy and pessimism in Housman's poems capture the attention of readers and is perhaps the reason why his poetry is still read and studied today. Alfred Edward Housman, a classical scholar and poet, was born in Fockbury in the country of Worcestershire, England on March 26, 1859. His poems are variations on the themes of the regrets and frustrations of young men, especially soldiers. (Encyclopedia C-D Rom). Most of Housman's poems were written in the 1890's when he was under great psychological stress, which made the tone of his poems characteristically mournful and the mood dispirited (Magill 1411). "In the world of Housman's poetry, youth fades to dust, lovers are unfaithful, and death is the tranquil end of everything (Magill 1412)." Throughout his life, Housman faced many hardships. He was frail, often sickly, very devoted to his mother, and alienated from his father. (Magill 922) The loss of his mother at age 12 shattered his childhood and left him with tremendous feelings of loneliness, from which he never fully recovered. His father began to drink as a result of his mother's death and began a long slip into poverty. When Housman went to college, he had a deep and lasting friendship with Moses Jackson. Although Jackson and Housman were from similar backgrounds, Jackson was everything that Housman was not. Jackson and Housman became not only fast friends but also roommates for most of their college career. (Magill 924) Housman soon developed a passionate attachment and fallen in love with him. When the relationship did not work out, Housman plunged into a suicidal gloom. His remark that "I have seldom written poetry unless I was rather out of health," seems to support the opinion that emotional trauma
Open Document