Blog Post 1

Initially, I ranked the literary contexts quite differently than I did after reading "My Last Duchess." I placed Authorial Intent as well as Author's Beliefs at the top of my list, because to me they just seemed like the most crucial pieces of information needed to interpret a text. However, after reading the poem I realized that often authorial information can be omitted and a text can still be entirely analyzed. So, the second time I ranked the literary contexts, I listed a Clear Understanding of Vocabulary and an Understanding of Traditional Literary Elements at the top. This is because throughout "My Last Duchess," which I had a difficult time with, these two elements were essential for interpreting the poem. For example, terms like "spot of joy" and "mantle" were present, which possessed different meanings when the poem was written: a "spot of joy" referring to blushing, and "mantle" being a wrist. Also, it was not obvious to me who the Duke was speaking to in the poem, or that he was even speaking to a specific person at first. At the end of the poem, it appears that the Duke is speaking to a servant of a possible future spouse. Comprehending literary elements like point of view and narration furthered my understanding of the poem because I was able to see that the poem was a warning to his new wife. If she, like his "last Duchess," is "too easily impressed," she may suffer a fate similar to the Duchess's: an abstract death assumed by the phrase "then all smiles stopped together." Overall, I believe that these literary context rankings will continue to change, varying between every piece of literature, for every piece is unique.