14. Beachcomber

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we read through the thirteenth poem in the collection, 'Beachcomber', focusing in particular on: (i) what's happening in the poem; (ii) the themes (once again) of time, memory and reminiscing about one's childhood; (iii) the meaning of the word "trow", and the idea of 'trowing' through your memories, going back further and further into the past; (iv) the vividness of the memory; (v) the final question of the poem – and its answer.

Course

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores Carol Ann Duffy’s 1993 collection, ‘Mean Time'. After an introductory module in which we think about the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy in general and the collection as a whole – and especially the implications of its title – the course continues with a reading and analysis of each of the thirty-nine poems in the collection, one by one.

Lecturer

John McRae is Special Professor of Language in Literature Studies and Teaching Associate in the School of English at Nottingham University, and holds Visiting Professorships in China, Malaysia, Spain and the USA. He is co-author of The Routledge History of Literature in English with Ron Carter, and also wrote The Language of Poetry, Literature with a Small 'l' and the first critical edition of Teleny by Oscar Wilde and others.