At An Inn By Thomas Hardy 1840 1928

At An Inn By Thomas Hardy 1840 -1928 At an Inn – Thomas Hardy

At An Inn What do we understand from the title of the poem? The theme of this poem might well be about the way in which Victorian society could have strict judgemental views on love outside marriage = the speaker might well be echoing Hardy’s frustration.

When we as strangers sought Their catering care, Veiled smiles bespoke their thought Of what we were. They warmed as they opined Us more than friends-That we had all resigned For love’s dear ends. And that swift sympathy With living love Which quicks the world--maybe The spheres above, Made them our ministers, Moved them to say, “Ah, God, that bliss like theirs Would flush our day!” And we were left alone As Love’s own pair; Yet never the love-light shone Between us there! But that which chilled the breath Of afternoon, And palsied unto death The pane-fly’s tune. The kiss their zeal foretold, And now deemed come, Came not: within his hold Love lingered numb. Why cast he on our port A bloom not ours? Why shaped us for his sport In after-hours? As we seemed we were not That day afar, And now we seem not what We aching are. O severing sea and land, O laws of men, Ere death, once let us stand As we stood then!

AO 3: Context

1840 -1928 Novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was a Victorian realist, influenced by the Romantics and highly critical of what he considered to be a declining society. He was particularly focused on rural society and his novels explore tragic characters struggling against their social circumstances and passions. Hardy was born in Dorset. His father was a stonemason; his mother was well-read and educated him until he went to school from the ages of 8 -16. He could not afford a university education so trained as an architect. He moved to London but felt socially inferior and acutely aware of class divisions. He became interested in social reform, including the plight of women in an unequal society. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His novels are still studied today but he is also a highly regarded poet. His first wife’s death affected him greatly and, although he remarried, he wrote poetry to cope with her death. When Hardy died he stated he wished to be buried with his first wife however the executor of his will insisted he be buried at Poet’s Corner. A compromise was reached – his heart was buried with his wife; his ashes in Westminster Abbey.

‘At An Inn’ describes (or is inspired by) an unfulfilled relationship with a married woman, the spirited, aristocratic Florence Henniker whom Hardy met in 1893. Hardy yearned for the unattainable with women and though the Hon. Florence Henniker was game for a busy friendship with the well-known author, she was certainly unattainable. When Hardy learned that she was staying at the family’s seaside house in Southsea, he proposed in August 1893 that they meet in Winchester so that he could show her the cathedral, to which she agreed. He left Dorchester, and his own wife, by train and met Mrs Henniker at Eastleigh station, where they caught a train to Winchester. In a compartment together, between the two stations, Hardy told her that he had more than the cathedral on his mind and Mrs Henniker told him that surveying the cathedral would be quite sufficient. It’s to their credit that the friendship survived this proposition. The pair did stay in Winchester that night, at the George Hotel, and Hardy took some pleasure from the staff thinking that the couple were in fact married. Florence Henniker

AO 2: Language and Imagery

Stanzas 1 & 2 Stanza 1 What is the effect of the first person plural pronoun in the first line ? There is alliteration and sibilance in the first 2 lines, what mood does this create ? Is there a euphemism in this stanza ? Why does a dash follow ‘friends’ ? Stanza 2 What mood does the alliteration in the first 2 lines of this stanza create ? Is there a semantic field of religion – why is it there (connects with next question) The reference to the ‘spheres’ suggests that what is happening is fate. How does the use of religious language reinforce this idea that their ‘love’ is meant to be? How do the dash and use of ‘maybe’ temper this idea?

Stanzas 3 & 4 Stanza 3 Love is personified – what is the effect of this ? What is the ‘that’ which changes the atmosphere? The admission that they are not in love signals a transition. What is the phrase that indicates this and what happens to the atmosphere in the poem ? Stanza 4 What narrative is now used for the rest of the poem – why is this significant? What is the impact of the caesura in this stanza ? What mood does the alliterative personification of love suggest on line 4 ? What does the assonance on lines 5 and 6 suggest ? Whose ‘bloom’ is it? How does this tie in with the idea of movement or growth? The speaker suggests that this encounter is not his fault- it is Love’s ‘sport’. What earlier idea in the poem does this tie into ?

Stanza 5 What is theme of the first 3 lines of this stanza ? What does ‘aching’ represent? Is it the speaker’s sense of regret or a reflection of his advanced age ? How would you describe the 2 lines beginning with ‘O’ – what type of language is this ? In these lines , are the couple now separated by distance as well as time? Or by morality ? If the speaker does regret something, what is it?

AO 2: Form / Structure Can you identify the rhyme scheme? Do the rhyme scheme and the rhythm contrast or complement theme of the poem – why is this do you think?

AO 4/5: Links and Interpretations

Hardy uses the first person plural throughout the poem – speaking for both himself and the woman. How can we link this to other poems we have read? How does it link to attitudes towards love? “Hardy does not deny the woman in his poem a voice, but he does assume that he knows her feelings and that he can speak for her. In doing so, he objectifies her as much as any of the earlier male poets. ” Do you agree?