Robert Southey Practice Questions

Correct answer: Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom

Robert Southey was appointed Poet Laureate in 1813 after the post was declined by Sir Walter Scott. He held this official position until his death in 1843, when he was succeeded by William Wordsworth. His acceptance of the laureateship cemented his transition from a radical youth to a member of the Tory establishment.

Correct answer: The Pantisocracy Community

Southey and Coleridge co-created the concept of 'Pantisocracy,' meaning an equal rule by all. They planned to buy land near the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania where twelve couples would live in an egalitarian, communal agrarian society. The utopian scheme ultimately collapsed due to financial difficulties and personal disagreements between the two poets.

Correct answer: Thalaba the Destroyer

Written in irregular, unrhymed verse, 'Thalaba the Destroyer' is an adventurous epic based on Middle Eastern mythology. The narrative chronicles Thalaba's perilous quest to defeat a cabal of dark magicians based in an underworld cavern. This work had a profound stylistic impact on the young Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Correct answer: The Life of Nelson

Published in two volumes in 1813, 'The Life of Nelson' expanded upon a previously published review essay. The biography provides a clear, compelling narrative of Admiral Horatio Nelson's naval career and heroic death at Trafalgar. It was universally praised for its clear, robust prose and became a classic textbook for the Royal Navy.

Correct answer: The Aztecs of Mexico

'Madoc' is based on the traditional folklore that Prince Madoc of Wales discovered America in the twelfth century. The second half of the poem describes the Welsh settlers interacting, trading, and eventually waging war with the Aztec civilization. Southey used the narrative to explore themes of colonization, religious reform, and cultural conflict.

Correct answer: The Quarterly Review

Southey was a regular, highly prolific contributor to 'The Quarterly Review' from its inception in 1809 until 1839. Writing for this Tory publication allowed him to voice his conservative political and religious opinions on contemporary social issues. The income from his quarterly essays formed the financial backbone of his household at Greta Hall.

Correct answer: King George III

As Poet Laureate, Southey wrote 'A Vision of Judgement' to eulogize King George III, depicting the late king being welcomed directly into heaven. The poem's controversial preface attacked Byron and Shelley as leaders of a 'Satanic School' of poetry. Byron responded with his own brilliant parodic masterpiece, 'The Vision of Judgment,' which utterly humiliated Southey's piece.

Correct answer: The Curse of Kehama

Published in 1810, 'The Curse of Kehama' is a complex mythological epic set in ancient India. The narrative details the struggle against the tyrannical king Kehama, who acquires immense supernatural powers through religious sacrifices. It reflects the early 19th-century British literary fascination with exoticizing Eastern mythologies.

Correct answer: An elderly farmer, Kaspar, and his young grandchildren

In 'The Battle of Blenheim,' an elderly peasant named Kaspar tells his grandchildren about the famous military victory while unable to explain what good came of it. His young grandchildren question the pointless slaughter, highlighting the stark contrast between romanticized military glory and the grim reality of uncontained violence. This ironic dialogue makes it one of English literature's earliest prominent anti-war poems.

Correct answer: The Story of the Three Bears

Southey first published 'The Story of the Three Bears' in 1837 within the pages of his sprawling, multi-volume miscellany titled *The Doctor*. In Southey's original version, the intruder was not a young girl named Goldilocks, but an impudent, foul-mouthed old woman. Over time, subsequent adaptors converted the old woman into a little girl, creating the classic fairy tale known today.

Correct answer: Joan of Arc

Southey composed 'Joan of Arc' as an epic poem celebrating the French heroine as a champion of liberty against British tyranny. Published in 1796, it reflected his early democratic passions and his strong sympathy for the ideals of the French Revolution. The poem was well-received by radical circles but later caused him political embarrassment as his views grew conservative.

Correct answer: A radical play backing peasant rebellion, exposing his past political hypocrisy

Southey wrote 'Wat Tyler' during his radical youth but chose not to publish it. In 1817, his political enemies obtained the manuscript and published it illegally to humiliate him. As the sitting conservative Poet Laureate, Southey was publicly exposed as a former sympathizer of popular rebellion, generating fierce charges of hypocrisy from the radical press.

Correct answer: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge married sisters, Edith and Sara Fricker. In 1803, Southey moved his family into Greta Hall in Keswick, sharing the house with the Coleridge and Fricker families. When Coleridge effectively abandoned his family, Southey took full financial and emotional responsibility for both households, demonstrating remarkable domestic generosity.

Correct answer: The rapid growth of industrial capitalism and urban squalor

In the 'Colloquies,' Southey stages a series of imaginary conversations between himself and the ghost of Sir Thomas More. He uses this framework to critique the social consequences of the Industrial Revolution, arguing that unbridled manufacturing degrades working-class life. This work provoked a famous, scathing counter-attack from Thomas Babington Macaulay in the *Edinburgh Review*.

Correct answer: The Inchcape Rock

'The Inchcape Rock' is one of Southey's most popular narrative ballads, focusing on a dangerous reef off the coast of Scotland. In the poem, the pirate Ralph the Rover cuts down a warning bell placed there by an abbot out of pure malice. Years later, Ralph's own ship crashes into the rock during a storm, illustrating a clear moral lesson on poetic justice.

Correct answer: Roderick, the Last of the Goths

'Roderick, the Last of the Goths' is a tragic historical epic that follows King Roderick after his actions betray his country to the Moorish invaders. Disguised as a humble monk, he undergoes deep psychological and spiritual penance before rising to lead his people in a holy war of liberation. It represents Southey's move toward more orthodox Christian themes.

Correct answer: Francis Jeffrey

Francis Jeffrey, the influential editor of *The Edinburgh Review*, coined the label 'Lake School' or 'Lake Poets' to describe Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey. He used the term mockingly to criticize their habit of living in the remote Lake District and their focus on common, domestic themes. Despite the initial critical animosity, the name became a lasting literary designation.

Correct answer: Manuel Alvarez Espriella

Southey published 'Letters from England' under the false identity of Don Manuel Alvarez Espriella, a fictional young Spanish Catholic traveling through Britain. This framing device allowed Southey to comment freely and satirically on English politics, religious oddities, and the grim realities of the early manufacturing towns from a detached perspective.

Correct answer: Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be

Southey wrote back to Charlotte Brontë praising her talent but warning her against pursuing a public career in writing. He stated that 'literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be,' advising her instead to focus on her proper domestic duties. Though discouraging by modern standards, Brontë actually thanked him for his honest, protective guidance.

Correct answer: Bishop Hatto

Commonly known as 'Bishop Hatto,' this ballad recounts a traditional German folktale about a wicked bishop who locks starving peasants in a barn and sets it on fire. As divine retribution for his extreme cruelty, thousands of rats swarm his island tower and eat him alive. The poem displays Southey's skill at blending folk horror with clear moral lessons.