마블의 모호한 서사시: 『애플턴 저택에 부쳐』
Marvell's Ambiguous Epic: Upon Appleton House
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Marvell's Upon Appleton House begins as a country-house poem but becomes "something new and different." The poem begins as a panegyric on the pastoral virtues of Thomas Fairfax and Appleton House but soon turns into a lyric meditation on the difficulty of interpreting reality. The poem's ambiguity has been interpreted as reflecting Marvell's ambivalent attitude toward Thomas Fairfax, who had retired to Appleton House after his sudden resignation from the command of the Parliamentary army. Fairfax's retirement is praised as pastoral retreat, yet there is a feeling in the poem that a commitment to history is needed at such a critical moment of the Civil War. Faced with the two choices of commitment and retreat, the poem oscillates between pastoral and epic mode. There is a constant impulse to subvert pastoral metaphors and a constant intrusion of history into the pastoral garden of Appleton House. This paper examines the poem's epic consciousness, particularly its self-conscious references to Virgil through which Marvell tries to overcome his own ambiguous stance. Marvell begins the poem by adopting the epic poet's role. The historical narrative of the founding of Appleton House echoes Aeneas' foundation of Rome. Both Aeneas and William Fairfax establish a new dynasty by "escheat;" the former by marrying Lavinia, the latter Isabel Thwaites. Both marriages are accompanied by violence, yet the prosperity of the Roman empire justifies Aeneas' action as destiny in the Aeneid just as William's marriage, by bringing forth Thomas Fairfax as its progeny, is proven to be providential. However, Marvell cannot assume an epic voice regarding Thomas Fairfax's choice, as he is uncertain about its outcome. Marvell's retreat into the wood represents his frustrated effort to gain a prophetic vision and to read a providential meaning in the present reality. Interestingly, this scene too is set against Aeneas' journey to receive a vision of his destiny. To reach the ultimate vision in the underworld, Aeneas is advised to find a golden bough, which is likened to the green mistletoe in the winter. It is no coincidence then that a sprig of mistletoe is employed to describe Mary Fairfax, through whom Marvell regains the epic voice. Mary, referred throughout the poem as Maria, is given the epic role of self-sacrifice to bring forth a future hero. Marvell places Thomas Fairfax's withdrawal from history within the providential scheme of his destiny as well as his decision to prepare his daughter "for some universal good." Appleton House, hitherto regarded as a place of pastoral retreat, emerges as an epic space where providence will make Fairfax's choice a destiny in time.
Abstract
Marvell's Upon Appleton House begins as a country-house poem but becomes "something new and different." The poem begins as a panegyric on the pastoral virtues of Thomas Fairfax and Appleton House but soon turns into a lyric meditation on the difficulty of interpreting reality. The poem's ambiguity has been interpreted as reflecting Marvell's ambivalent attitude toward Thomas Fairfax, who had retired to Appleton House after his sudden resignation from the command of the Parliamentary army. Fairfax's retirement is praised as pastoral retreat, yet there is a feeling in the poem that a commitment to history is needed at such a critical moment of the Civil War. Faced with the two choices of commitment and retreat, the poem oscillates between pastoral and epic mode. There is a constant impulse to subvert pastoral metaphors and a constant intrusion of history into the pastoral garden of Appleton House. This paper examines the poem's epic consciousness, particularly its self-conscious references to Virgil through which Marvell tries to overcome his own ambiguous stance. Marvell begins the poem by adopting the epic poet's role. The historical narrative of the founding of Appleton House echoes Aeneas' foundation of Rome. Both Aeneas and William Fairfax establish a new dynasty by "escheat;" the former by marrying Lavinia, the latter Isabel Thwaites. Both marriages are accompanied by violence, yet the prosperity of the Roman empire justifies Aeneas' action as destiny in the Aeneid just as William's marriage, by bringing forth Thomas Fairfax as its progeny, is proven to be providential. However, Marvell cannot assume an epic voice regarding Thomas Fairfax's choice, as he is uncertain about its outcome. Marvell's retreat into the wood represents his frustrated effort to gain a prophetic vision and to read a providential meaning in the present reality. Interestingly, this scene too is set against Aeneas' journey to receive a vision of his destiny. To reach the ultimate vision in the underworld, Aeneas is advised to find a golden bough, which is likened to the green mistletoe in the winter. It is no coincidence then that a sprig of mistletoe is employed to describe Mary Fairfax, through whom Marvell regains the epic voice. Mary, referred throughout the poem as Maria, is given the epic role of self-sacrifice to bring forth a future hero. Marvell places Thomas Fairfax's withdrawal from history within the providential scheme of his destiny as well as his decision to prepare his daughter "for some universal good." Appleton House, hitherto regarded as a place of pastoral retreat, emerges as an epic space where providence will make Fairfax's choice a destiny in time.
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