Thomas Gray
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Study Guide
Bibliography
Course Hero. "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Study Guide." Course Hero. 1 Nov. 2019. Web. 27 Jan. 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Elegy-Written-in-a-Country-Churchyard/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2019, November 1). Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Elegy-Written-in-a-Country-Churchyard/
In text
(Course Hero, 2019)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Study Guide." November 1, 2019. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Elegy-Written-in-a-Country-Churchyard/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Study Guide," November 1, 2019, accessed January 27, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Elegy-Written-in-a-Country-Churchyard/.
Thomas Gray
1751
Poem
Nature, Philosophy, Religion
The poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is written from the perspective of a speaker who describes the churchyard and meditates on the dead buried there and on death itself.
The poet makes use of several tenses in "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard": present to describe the graveyard, past to describe the dead, and future to imagine later visitors' thoughts.
"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" reflects a shift from the classical elegiac tradition toward the metaphysical meditation found in modern elegiac poetry. The speaker, standing in a country churchyard, memorializes the dead rather than one specific person.
This study guide for Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.
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