Robert Frost – Birches
Event Details
When he wrote Birches in 1913, Robert Frost was living in Beaconsfield in England, far away from the New England woodlands of his childhood. Saying “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader” Frost claimed never to have started a poem the ending of which he already knew. This poem manages to be many things at once: a celebration of joyful childhood play, an interrogation of memory and a technical tour de force with a cascade of images rendered in iambic pentameter that comes very close to the sound of everyday speech.
Birches is one of Frost’s most widely admired and anthologised poems. Over the course of two hours, we will work towards a deeper understanding of the poem through repeated readings, analysis and discussion.
SALON DETAILS:
- Single meeting study facilitated by Caroline Hammond
- Wednesday 20 September, 6.00 – 8.00 pm (UK)
- £30 to include background materials and opening notes
- Birches can be read on the Poetry Foundation website
