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Robert Herrick was a remarkable seventeenth-century author whose rediscovery has long been overdue. Born into a wealthy family of goldsmiths (the equivalent of modern bankers), he became a clergyman. Herrick spent much of his life in a remote Devonshire village. He enjoyed life (occasionally leaving his parish behind and going to London to spend time with his mistress) and had a somewhat eccentric sense of humour, keeping a pet pig that was taught to drink beer from its own tankard.
The revolutionary period brought the loss of his position as a clergyman; as he was a royalist, he was ejected from his living in 1647. The poems he wrote in these difficult times are particularly interesting: What do you do as a poet when you do not agree with the new, revolutionary political system that has just taken your job and livelihood away?
Herrick wrote highly polished, short poems that suggest an obsession with sex, death and the passing of time. The musical quality of work is extraordinary; he knew how to play not only with ideas but also with sounds and rhythms. However, we also find evidence of a royalist agenda in his poetry. Once the political system changed again with the Restoration (1660), Herrick was reinstated and returned to his village.
A reader will be made available. His poems are also available in EEBO (titles: Hesperides, 1648, and Noble Numbers, 1647) which gives you a chance to acquaint yourselves with his work right now. Requirements: thorough preparation for each session, active participation, and written work according to your particular Studienordnung. As always: read, think, enjoy (!!), annotate (!) and look things up if necessary.
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