A Quoi Bon Dire - Charlotte Mew

CONTEXT (Author): Who was Charlotte Mew and what characterized her personal life and poetry?

British 19th/20th-century poet. Mew had a traumatic life facing mental illness, death, loneliness, and disillusionment. Her poems reflect her feelings of alienation and disconnection from society. She committed suicide.

CONTEXT (Family): What personal vow did Mew make regarding children?

Many of her siblings either died or had mental disorders, which meant Mew vowed to never have children so she couldn't pass it on.

TITLE: What does the French title, "À Quoi Bon Dire," translate to and what does it reflect?

It translates to 'what good there is to say' or 'what's the use of saying it.' It is an ambiguous reflection on love and the speaker's inability to express themselves after heartbreak.

SUMMARY: What is the poem primarily about?

The poem revolves around unconditional love. The speaker laments the death of their romantic lover and tries to communicate that even death cannot truly keep them apart as the speaker reflects on memories with nostalgia.

SUMMARY (End): What does the final stanza depict?

It paints a future picture of couples and the younger generation beginning their romantic journey, showing love to be bittersweet and tender.

AUTHORIAL INTENT: What is Mew's main purpose or tone in the poem?

Grieving / Reflect / Reveal. To Honour and Immortalise the love, and Draw attention to the pain of loss.

KEY QUOTATION (Past Memory): Which lines recall a specific, heartbreaking moment from the past?

"Seventeen years ago you said/something that sounded like Good-bye"

KEY QUOTATION (Shared Fate): Which line expresses the shared human experience of mortality?

"Everybody thinks you are dead / But I"

KEY QUOTATION (Aging/Time): Which line describes the physical effects of aging and loss?

"As I grow stiff and cold"

KEY QUOTATION (Final Romantic Image): Which lines conclude the poem with an image of enduring, shared love?

"While over there / You smiled, and I shall have tossed your hair"

KEY CONCEPT: Love as Powerful

The connection between power, youthfulness, and love is portrayed as the pair are seemingly reunited after death.

KEY CONCEPT: Love as Painful

The poem delves into the idea of grief and loss that defies adequate expression. The link between death and love brings sorrow and despondency.

KEY CONCEPT: Love as Complex

Mew sways between love being simple, tender and uplifting and being all-consuming and idealistic, which are difficult to fully comprehend.

KEY CONCEPT: Love as Transient

The imagery of nature and the passing of time shows how fleeting love can be, urging the reader to treasure such profound feelings.

ATTITUDES: List the main attitudes and feelings.

Melancholy, Longing, Frustration, Regret, and Ambivalence.

LANGUAGE (Pathetic Fallacy): What is the function of Pathetic Fallacy?

The mention of sunny or fine weather reflects hope and new beginnings, despite the poem's theme of loss.

LANGUAGE (Age Motifs): What is the purpose of Age Motifs?

Several words connected with getting older, 'grow' and 'old' show that time passes by and warns readers to make the most of life.

LANGUAGE (Semantic Field): What is the Semantic Field of Love?

The field of love (e.g., kisses, touching, being reunited) is the playful, romantic imagery at the end of the couple's kissing and touching.

SOUND (Sibilance): How is Sibilance used?

A frequent 's' sound creates a soothing, gentle tone to imitate the speaker's private thoughts. It hints at something sinister connected to death.

SOUND (Rhyme): What is the effect of the Alternate Rhyme?

The alternate rhyme shows the speaker's disjointed relationship with their lover (separated by death), creating a loose effect.

FORM: What is the specific form and its significance?

A Sonnet (14 lines) on the theme of love, but Mew deviates slightly from the usual rules, reflecting her grief and alienation.

FORM + STRUCTURE (Repetition): What does the repetition of "Good-bye" reinforce?

The phrase "Good-bye" appears twice to reinforce the speaker's ambiguous context—associated with a literal separation and one to do with life and death.

FORM + STRUCTURE (Split Lines): What is the function of split lines?

The last line of each stanza is split to highlight the speaker's strong connection with the lover and creates a loose effect like the speaker's thoughts.

FORM + STRUCTURE (Temporal Journey): How is the poem structured over time?

The poet arranges the poem from past, present to future to create the idealistic and sombre effect the death has had on them.

THEMES: List the main themes.

Death & Mortality, Love, Loss, Memory, and Communication.