![]() |
Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Miniver Cheevy" is a poem written in 1910 by Edwin Arlington Robinson that explores the theme of nostalgia and idealism. The poem tells the story of a man named Miniver Cheevy, who is dissatisfied with his life in the present and longs for a simpler, more idealized past. The poem is structured in eight stanzas of varying length and follows a consistent ABAB rhyme scheme. The first stanza introduces Miniver Cheevy and establishes his sense of dissatisfaction and longing for the past. The second stanza describes Miniver's physical appearance, noting that he is "sick of modern passion" and "wears a lordly mien." The third and fourth stanzas delve deeper into Miniver's longing for the past, describing his love of medieval tales and his desire to be a knight or nobleman in a bygone era. The fifth stanza introduces a female character, named "Alice Meynell," who is presented as a symbol of the idealized past that Miniver longs for. The sixth and seventh stanzas continue to explore Miniver's dissatisfaction with his present life, describing his loneliness and sense of alienation from the world around him. The final stanza delivers the poem's punchline, revealing that Miniver's longing for the past is ultimately futile, as he would not have been happy in any era, and that his dissatisfaction with the present is largely a product of his own self-pity and lack of initiative. Overall, "Miniver Cheevy" is a powerful and ironic commentary on the human tendency to idealize the past and to romanticize simpler, more "authentic" times. The poem suggests that this idealization is ultimately misguided and unproductive, and that true happiness and fulfillment can only be found by embracing the present and taking an active role in shaping one's own destiny. Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THIRD AVENUE IN SUNLIGHT by ANTHONY HECHT A CUP OF TREMBLINGS by JOHN HOLLANDER VINTAGE ABSENCE by JOHN HOLLANDER SENT WITH A BOTTLE OF BURGUNDY FOR A BIRTHDAY by JOHN HOLLANDER TO A CIVIL SERVANT by EDMUND JOHN ARMSTRONG WINE by FRIEDRICH MARTIN VON BODENSTEDT |
|