Get teaching notes on analysing love poetry at www.hoddereducation.co.uk/englishreviewextras
The 2016 Nobel prize for literature was awarded to Bob Dylan ‘for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition’. For some, this action devalues the currency of ‘real literature’. For others, the award is either richly deserved or at least a decade too late. One thing on which most are agreed is that making Dylan a Nobel Laureate has sent shock waves through the cultural landscape. In the words of the New York Times, the Swedish Academy has ‘dramatically redefined the boundaries of literature, setting off a debate about whether song lyrics have the same artistic value as poetry or novels’. Yet, if we glance at the titles of the poems in the AQA Anthology: love poetry through the ages, we see that songs have been taken seriously for, well, ages. This article considers two — Burns’s ‘Ae Fond Kiss’ and Lovelace’s ‘The Scrutiny’ — and aims to show that considering their musical and generic qualities can enrich your understanding and appreciation.
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