The reputation of John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester, as a rake has imparted an air of dilettantism to his poetry. By contrast, Rochester: The Poems in Context emphasizes his sharp, restless intellect, a more powerful driving force in his poems than the sensual appetites stressed by previous critics. Marianne Thorm�hlen uncovers his familiarity with, and sly allusions to, events and leading characters in Restoration politics; his awareness of trends in science, theology and philosophy; his acute representations of ...
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The reputation of John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester, as a rake has imparted an air of dilettantism to his poetry. By contrast, Rochester: The Poems in Context emphasizes his sharp, restless intellect, a more powerful driving force in his poems than the sensual appetites stressed by previous critics. Marianne Thorm�hlen uncovers his familiarity with, and sly allusions to, events and leading characters in Restoration politics; his awareness of trends in science, theology and philosophy; his acute representations of contemporary mores; and his commitment to high standards in literary craftsmanship. A more complex picture of Rochester emerges: that of a serious artist tackling major issues during a particularly turbulent period in English history. Alongside its literary analyses, the book offers insights into late seventeenth-century culture: religious discord, the position of women scholars and poets, military matters, statecraft and foreign affairs under Charles II, and developments in philosophy and science.
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It is obvious that Marianne Thormahlen knows her stuff. She not only is deeply familiar with Rochester, but she knows the body of literature of the time from France and Italy as well, and the ancient classics that scholars like Rochester drew on. She also knows everything that has been written about Rochester up to this point. Unfortunately, she expects you to know it all too. She gives paragraph-long chunks of quotes or poems in Greek, Latin, and French, without offering a translation. She drops names without explaining who they are. She continually makes obscure references. Most annoying, she does not give the full text of the poem she is explaining, leaving it up to you to find the collection of Rochester's poems that she favors (Vieth's) and have it beside you in order to follow her discussion. Lacking Thormahlen's background, I found it very heavy going for very little new insight. After wading through what everyone else thought about the poem, an education in itself for sure, one finds her take on it, which often is little more than a declaration, without supporting exegesis, that Rochester was more clever, a better craftsman, and a more serious artist than previous critiquers have given him credit for.
