Life of andrew marvell

In , however, his father drowned in the Hull estuary and Marvell abandoned his studies. His very public position—in a time of tremendous political turmoil and upheaval—almost certainly led Marvell away from publication. In the early years of his tenure, Marvell made two extraordinary diplomatic journeys: to Holland —63 and to Russia, Sweden, and Denmark — In , after eighteen years in Parliament, Marvell died rather suddenly of a fever.

After his death, he was remembered as a fierce and loyal patriot. Now considered one of the greatest poets of the seventeenth century, Marvell published very little of his scathing political satire and complex lyric verse in his lifetime. Although he published a handful of poems in anthologies, a collection of his work did not appear until , three years after his death, when his nephew compiled and found a publisher for Miscellaneous Poems.

When Marvell returned, he found work as a tutor to the daughter of Fairfax, who had recently given command of the Parliamentary army to Oliver Cromwell. During his three years as tutor to Mary Fairfax, Marvell composed almost all of his most important poems, drawing on the vivid experiences he had abroad and also on a powerful romantic longing, the object of which may have been none other than his student, Mary Fairfax.

The earliest of these major "Fairfax poems" was Upon Appleton House , a poem written as a contemplation of the merits of a life of public service as opposed to a life of inner insight. This marked a turning point in Marvell's life and career. Upon Appleton House , however, marks the crucial change in Marvell's style from juvenile student to mature poet.

The poem is far too long to quote in full here it consists of nearly a hundred sections consisting of eight-line couplets :. In Marvell befriended the revolutionary poet, John Milton. During his time abroad Marvell had been a supporter of Charles I and had opposed the English revolution and the rise of the Commonwealth, but with Milton's help he gradually became a staunch advocate of the revolution and the rule of parliament.

Milton wrote a glowing recommendation that Marvell be appointed to the post of Assistant Latin Secretary to Cromwell's Council of State, a post which he secured in In the same year he became a tutor to Cromwell's nephew, William Dutton. In he was elected to Parliament from his hometown of Hull in Yorkshire, a post he held until his death.

In the Commonwealth collapsed, Cromwell was executed, and the monarchy was restored by the return of King Charles' son, Charles II , from exile. During this time of upheaval, Marvell, in his quiet way, demonstrated his skill at political maneuvering; he not only avoided all punishment for his cooperation with republicanism but also helped convince the government of Charles II not to execute Milton for his antimonarchical writings and revolutionary activities.

From until his death, Marvell was a conscientious member of Parliament, answering letters from his constituents and going on two diplomatic missions, one to Holland and the other to Russia. When Marvell was three, the family moved to Hull as Rev. He was educated at the Hull Grammar School, and Trinity College, Cambridge and remained until when his father died in a boating accident whilst crossing the River Humber.

Marvell became a tutor to a young gentleman taking the Grand Tour and spent four years travelling across France, Holland,Switzerland, Spain, and Italy. The sojourn provided material for Marvell's most profound poem, "Upon Appleton House". The Oxford Handbook of Andrew Marvell. New York: Oxford University Press, To be read alongside Hirst and Zwicker and Augustine, et al.

Life of andrew marvell

Healy, Thomas, ed. Andrew Marvell. Longman Critical Readers. London: Longman, Hirst, Derek, and Steven N. The Cambridge Companion to Andrew Marvell. Marvell Studies. Formerly the Andrew Marvell Newsletter , Marvell Studies is an online, open-access, and peer-reviewed scholarly journal, and the official publication of the Andrew Marvell Society. Patrides, Constantinos A.

Lectures are written in language highly accessible to undergraduates and offer a cross-section of critical approaches still relevant to students today. Wilcher, Robert.