Andrew Marvell, Damon the Mower

Brendan Prawdzik (Penn State University)
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“Damon the Mower” demonstrates Marvell’s capacity to transform conventional genres and literary echoes into mysterious and idiosyncratic verse.

The poem quickly introduces a song by Marvell’s titular mower. Pathetic fallacy has been literalized as Damon’s internal sense of sexual and romantic inadequacy becomes mirrored in his pastoral context. He sings “With love of Juliana stung”; meanwhile, “everything did seem to paint/ The scene more fit for his complaint”. The day is fair “Like her fair eyes”, yet it is also “scorching like his am’rous care” (2-6).

The poem quickly introduces a song by Marvell’s titular mower. Pathetic fallacy has been literalized as Damon’s internal sense of sexual and romantic inadequacy becomes mirrored in his pastoral context. He…

1204 words

Citation: Prawdzik, Brendan. "Damon the Mower". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 June 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35639, accessed 19 March 2024.]

35639 Damon the Mower 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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