Literary Analysis: Browning's Toccata and Keats' To Autumn

A Toccata of Galuppi's by Robert Browning

"Oh, Galuppi, Baldassare, this is very sad to find!"

1. Analysis

Voice and Mood

Voice: The poem is written in the third voice as a character speaks; it is a dramatic voice with three identities where the poet disappears. In the poem, there are three voices: that of a scientist, a pair of lovers, and Galuppi himself. In turn, they are one, but all are presented scientifically. The scientist is remembering and evoking Galuppi's music, and the music makes him think of Venice.

Mood: The poem has a tone of nostalgia ("this is very sad to find"), then evokes the enthusiasm of parties and dances, and finally, everything dies with death.

2. Summary

Everything dies with death. Is there anything else? There is nothing after. It conveys a sense of impotence.

3. Topic

The themes include Carpe Diem (splendor), Tempus Fugit (drowning in depression), and metaphysical questions regarding immortality and whether there is life after death.

4. Parts

• Part A: Lines 1 to 3 (Introduction); Lines 4 to 30 (Asking Galuppi). The speaker is introduced into the soiree and talks to the people.
• Part B: Lines 31 to 45. Reflection on death, Tempus Fugit, and metaphysical questions.

John Keats: Ode to Autumn

1. Analysis

Voice and Mood

Voice: The poem is written in the second voice, as the speaker turns to address the season of Autumn.

Mood: The dominant tone throughout the poem is melancholy, as it loses the fullness of summer and the cold approaches. It represents a "railway crossing" because autumn is a state of transit.

2. Summary

The poem highlights the full life of the fall, describing an autumnal landscape of trees, fruits, and maturity. Everything is fulfilled, and the fruits are in season. In the second stanza, Keats personifies autumn; there is talk of farming and the autumn harvest (grapes). This is characterized by calm because there is no hurry or urgency, giving the reader a feeling of pleasure. In the last stanza, there is a comparison with spring, where one can appreciate the music created by animals. The songs of autumn are compared with spring with the intention of claiming the beauty of the fall.

3. Topic

The theme is the exaltation of the fullness of maturity.

4. Parts

• Part A: Lines 1 to 11. The fullness of maturity.
• Part B: Lines 12 to 22. Voluptuousness.
• Part C: Lines 23 to 33. The claim of maturity versus the rest.