"The Fire Sermon" Annotations
From The Waste Land Wiki
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===Oliver Goldsmith=== | ===Oliver Goldsmith=== | ||
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When lovely woman stoops to folly | When lovely woman stoops to folly | ||
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| + | This quotation alludes to Goldsmith's book ''The Vicar of Wakefield'': | ||
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| + | :“When lovely woman stoops to folly, | ||
| + | :And finds too late that men betray, | ||
| + | :What charm can soothe her melancholy? | ||
| + | :What art can wash her guilt away? | ||
| + | :The only art her guilt to cover, | ||
| + | :To hide her shame from every eye, | ||
| + | :To give repentance to her lover, | ||
| + | :And wring his bosom, is-to die.” | ||
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| + | The context in ''The Waste Land'' differs in that the woman does not feel shameful after intercourse with lover, and instead resumes her everyday life. Directly before the quotation reads: | ||
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| + | Hardly aware of her departed lover; | ||
| + | Her brain allows one half-formed thought to pass: | ||
| + | "Well now that's done: and I'm glad it's over." | ||
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| + | Th reactions of the woman in ''Vicar'' and in ''Waste Land'' are polarized--while one feels the guilt and shame of her sinful act, the other seems entirely detached from emotional ties or burdens. | ||
==Stanza 7== | ==Stanza 7== | ||
