David Harper

I read this poem for the first time when I went to Carleton University ... in 1965, or 60 years ago! Earlier this evening, while watching a TV programme, Marvell's poem came to mind. As you may well surmise, it came about as a direct result of the theme of the show: The coyness of the principal female lead, and the persistence of the male lead, against all odds and in the face of mounting resistance. One of the things that had resonated for me, as it had so very long ago (though strangely, as if it had been not so very long ago at all), was the eloquence of the appeal coupled with his persistence despite rising odds against ever achieving any actual physical satisfaction. Just imagine, a poem so well written that it not only stayed in my mind, but that a show watched so long afterward could cause me to dwell on its import, as well as its impact, so long after the first reading.

At times the view of the Late Victorian Period is one of very uptight sexually and spiritually people, serious in business and prudish in morals. This tale of voyeuristic sexual pleasure, in large part, is what drives the dark and not always subtle humour. Great read for literary-minded individuals particularly.

What a tragedy that President Trump's sense of history expands outward from his own hubris of corruption and deceit to ensnare those of similar orientation and ambition to feed only their own narrow interests. Students will be studying the Trump Era for many generations to come, both to understand how the country could have fallen so low, and how to protect against a recurrence of that evil national disease.