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The Scholar Gipsy is a pastoral elegy written by Matthew Arnold in 1853. It reflects Arnold’s melancholy over the modern world and expresses admiration for a legendary Oxford scholar who joined a band of gipsies to learn their mysterious knowledge. The poem explores the contrast between the timeless, dream-like life of the scholar and the restless, disillusioned lives of modern people. Important Text Lines and Summary: Stanza 1: Go, for they call you, Shepherd, from the hill; Go, Shepherd, and untie the wattled cotes: No longer leave thy wistful flock unfed, Nor let thy bawling fellows rack their throats, Nor the cropp’d herbage shoot another head. But when the fields are still, And the tired men and dogs all gone to rest, And only the white sheep are sometimes seen Cross and recross the strips of moon-blanch’d green; Come, Shepherd, and again begin the quest. Summary: Arnold begins with an address to a shepherd, telling him to finish his daily duties and come to sea...

Introduction: Madame Bovary  by Gustave Flaubert tells the story of Emma Bovary , a beautiful but restless woman who seeks passion and luxury in life. Disillusioned by her dull marriage to a country doctor, she turns to romantic fantasies and extramarital affairs. The novel is a critique of romanticism and a powerful exploration of desire, disillusionment, and societal constraints . SUMMARY Charles Bovary , a simple and unambitious country doctor, marries Emma , the daughter of a wealthy farmer. She dreams of a life filled with love, excitement, and luxury, shaped by the romantic novels she has read. “Before marriage she thought herself in love; but the happiness that should have followed this love not having come, she must, she thought, have been mistaken.” Emma quickly becomes bored with her domestic life and uninspired husband. She craves something more—something thrilling and passionate. “She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris.” Emma meets Rodo...

The Bee Meeting is the first poem in Sylvia Plath’s famous “Bee Sequence,” written in October 1962 during the final, intense period of her creative output. The sequence consists of five poems: The Bee Meeting , The Arrival of the Bee Box , Stings , The Swarm , and Wintering . Together, these poems form a complex meditation on identity, gender, power, creativity, and transformation. The Bee Meeting introduces many of these themes through a surreal and unsettling account of the speaker’s participation in a village beekeeping ritual. While on the surface the poem describes a seemingly ordinary village bee meeting, Plath’s highly charged imagery, disturbing undertones, and personal symbolism reveal much deeper anxieties and conflicts. The poem moves beyond the literal, portraying an intense inner struggle about vulnerability, control, identity, and social pressure. Summary of the Poem The poem opens with the speaker feeling confused and vulnerable at a village bee meeting. She has be...

“Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” is one of William Wordsworth’s most famous and personal poems. He wrote it in 1798, and it was published in the book Lyrical Ballads , which helped start the Romantic movement in English literature. The poem is set near the River Wye in Wales, a peaceful and beautiful place that Wordsworth visited again after five years. In the poem, he shares his thoughts and feelings about nature, remembering how it helped him through difficult times and made him feel calm and happy. He also speaks to his sister Dorothy, hoping she will feel the same love for nature. The poem shows how nature can teach us, comfort us, and help us grow as people. It mixes beautiful descriptions of the landscape with deep thoughts about life, making it a powerful and emotional piece of writing. Full Title: Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour, July 13, 1798 TEXT AND SUMMARY: Lines 1–8: Five years have ...