Eloisa to Abelard

“The Convent Threshold” by Christina Rosetti (1858)

Christina Rosetti was a famous poet from the Victorian era. In this poem, Rosetti discusses a similar narrative to that of “Eloisa to Abelard,” in which a young woman is considering entering a convent but must make peace with leaving behind a lover. Similar to “Eloisa to Abelard,” the poem suggests the impossibility of finding a resolution between spiritual beliefs and earthly passion.

“An Elegy written in an empty assembly-room” by Richard Owen Cambridge (1756)

Richard Owen Cambridge was an 18th-century English poet who wrote satirical poems, with his most well-known work being a mock epic poem called “Scribleriad” (1751) that was inspired by Alexander Pope’s satirical writings with the Scriblerius group. In this parody of “Eloisa to Abelard,” Cambridge pays homage to Pope’s poem, lightly mocking the romanticized perspective on love that it expresses.

“In Memoriam A. H. H.” by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1850)

Alfred Lord Tennyson was the most famous poet of the Victorian era in England. In this poem, he writes an elegy for his best friend, Arthur Hallam, who passed away unexpectedly at a young age. This poem discusses the themes of the loss of love, though in this case the love is platonic rather than romantic. Tennyson worked on the entire poem for 17 years. This poem is called one of the greatest poems of the Victorian era.

 “A Game of Chess” from The Wasteland by T. S. Eliot (1922)

T. S. Eliot, a famous Modernist poet, was an ardent defender of Pope’s poetry during the Modernist era of poetry, when Pope’s Neo-Classical style was viewed critically. In this poem from the second part of The Wasteland, Eliot explores the themes of marriage and the stifling conventions of society on women’s freedoms. Exploring similar themes as “Eloisa to Abelard,” Eliot’s poem explores themes of womanhood, sexuality, and the meaning of love in the modern world.