Page 1: The Farmer's Bride Analysis

Charlotte Mew's poem presents a compelling narrative of marital discord and female autonomy in Victorian society. The text explores the relationship between a controlling farmer and his young, frightened bride who attempts to escape their marriage.

Definition: Enjambement, used throughout the poem, is the continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line, creating a sense of disconnect between the couple's perspectives.

Example: The line "She sleeps up in the attic there/Alone, poor maid" demonstrates both physical and emotional separation through enjambement.

Highlight: The bride's association with nature and animals represents her desire for freedom and rejection of domestic constraints.

Quote: "We chased her, flying like a hare" reveals the violent, hunting-like pursuit of the escaped bride.

Vocabulary: "Frightened fay" describes the bride's fairy-like, ethereal nature, emphasizing her innocence and vulnerability.

The poem's structure reinforces themes of isolation and captivity, with the attic serving as both literal and metaphorical prison. The farmer's practical, unquestioning approach to his wife's capture reveals his view of marriage as a functional rather than emotional bond. The bride's retreat to nature and preference for animals over human company emphasizes her traumatized state and rejection of adult relationships, particularly male authority.