The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem

Stephen HawesProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 249K words
Chapters: 25

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem by Stephen HawesAuthor: Hawes, Stephen, -1523?,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 5, 2018

Editor's review

Stephen Hawes's The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem is a fairly representative work of early Tudor English poetry, telling in allegorical form of the protagonist's growth and pursuits, covering study of the "seven liberal arts"—grammar, logic, rhetoric, and others—along with chivalric episodes and moral instruction. Its importance lies in bridging the medieval allegorical tradition and the transitional forms of Renaissance English poetry, making it valuable for the study of English poetry history, educational ideas, and court culture. The verse language belongs to the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English, and its spelling and syntax pose a real barrier for today's readers; it is therefore better suited to close reading and academic study than to casual reading. Readers willing to slow down and draw on notes and background materials can see a complete vision of an ideal of knowledge and a program of life discipline—this is its most intriguing aspect.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars studying the history of English poetry and the medieval-to-Renaissance transition
Literary readers interested in allegorical poetry and the allegorical tradition
Cultural-history readers concerned with early English educational ideas and the "seven liberal arts"
Advanced English learners willing to read slowly and consult notes

Not a good fit for

General leisure readers hoping for easy story reading
Those with weak English unable to cope with archaic spelling and syntax
Those interested only in modern poetry or contemporary fiction

Reading tips

Read the introduction or background material first to understand the allegorical structure and the "seven liberal arts" framework before entering the verse text.
Prepare an annotated edition or consult relevant background materials, checking allusions and old words as they arise.
Read closely in sections, reviewing the layers of allegorical meaning after each part rather than following plot alone.
Excerpt representative lines for language comparison to appreciate the features of the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is this poem mainly about?

It allegorically depicts the protagonist's course of study and growth, covering such disciplines as grammar, logic, and rhetoric, interspersed with chivalric episodes and moral instruction; overall it presents a vision of an ideal of knowledge and a program of life discipline rather than a single linear story.

Why is it harder to read than modern poetry?

The work dates from the early sixteenth century, and its spelling, syntax, and vocabulary stand at the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English; with dense allegory and allusion, modern readers need notes and background knowledge, so the reading pace naturally slows.

Is it suitable as an introductory text to English poetry?

Not really a first choice for beginners. It suits readers who already have some experience reading English poetry and are willing to study it with notes; beginners might start with heavily annotated selections before deciding whether to read the whole work.

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About the author

Stephen Hawes Author · English

Stephen Hawes (d. c. 1523) was an early Tudor poet, possibly born in Suffolk, who served as a attendant in the household of Henry VII. Public information about his life is limited, and he is known mainly through his works. His poetry follows Chaucer and Lydgate, favouring allegory and moral instruction, and exercised some influence on Spenser. His major allegorical poem, The Pastime of Pleasure, was printed in 1509 and traces the pursuit of knowledge and virtue through allegory; other works include The Example of Vertu, The Convercyon of Swerers, and a poem on the coronation of Henry VIII, A Ioyfull medytacyon to all Englonde. The library holds five of his works, which deal largely with moral conduct, religious repentance, and court ceremony, written in archaic language and making frequent use of allegory and dream visions.