The Ruined MaidBy Thomas Hardy

1840-1928

The Ruined Maid

What do we understand from the title of the poem?

‘O ’Melia, my dear, this does everything crown! Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town? And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?’ –‘O didn’t you know I’d been ruined?’ said she.

– ‘You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks, Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks; And now you’ve gay bracelets and bright feathers three!’ –‘Yes: that’s how we dress when we’re ruined,’ said she.

– ‘At home in the barton you said “thee” and “thou”, And “thik oon”, and “theäs oon”, and “t’other”; but now Your talking quite fits ’ee for high compa-ny!’ –‘Some polish is gained with one’s ruin,’ said she.

– ‘Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak But now I’m bewitched by your delicate cheek, And your little gloves fit as on any la-dy!’ –‘We never do work when we’re ruined,’ said she.

– ‘You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream, And you’d sigh, and you’d sock; but at present you seem To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!’ –‘True. One’s pretty lively when ruined,’ said she.

– ‘I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown, And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!’ –‘My dear – a raw country girl, such as you be, Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined,’ said she.

AO3: Context

Thomas Hardy1840-1928Novelist and poet

Hardy was a Victorian realist, influenced by the Romantics and highly critical of what he considered to be a declining society. He was particularly focused on rural society and his novels explore tragic characters struggling against their social circumstances and passions.

Hardy was born in Dorset. His father was a stonemason; his mother was well-read and educated him until he went to school from the ages of 8-16. He could not afford a university education so trained as an architect. He moved to London but felt socially inferior and acutely aware of class divisions. He became interested in social reform, including the plight of women in an unequal society. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

His first wife’s death affected him greatly and, although he remarried, he wrote poetry to cope with her death. When Hardy died he stated he wished to be buried with his first wife however the executor of his will insisted he be buried at Poet’s Corner. A compromise was reached – his heart was buried with his wife; his ashes in Westminster Abbey.

Prostitution in Hardy’s England

Victorian England may seem very strict and moral on the surface but drug taking, violent crime, prostitution, adultery and pornography all went on, only hidden under a more genteel surface.

It was usually accepted or even expected that men had sex outside marriage but women who did this were called ‘fallen women’ and considered ‘ruined’. They were often shunned by polite society, banished from their families, or left without support, money or connections.

Opportunities, rights and support for women were so limited that many poor women felt they had no option but to turn to prostitution to make enough money to live. However, there wasn’t usually much sympathy or understanding for their circumstances. Prostitution was seen as a big problem, not only as a nuisance in society, but as a threat to morality.

Although prostitution was not spoken about in polite society, prostitutes and adulterous and otherwise ‘fallen’ women were popular subjects for Victorian art and literature. This sort of art and literature often conveyed a message or lesson which aimed to reinforce Victorian values and warn against sexual temptation.

AO2: Language and Imagery

‘O ’Melia, my dear, this does everything crown! Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town? And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?’ –‘O didn’t you know I’d been ruined?’ said she.

Is she mocking her friend’s use of ‘O’ (genuine shock)? –sarcasm?

Why might this be shortened?

Matter of fact tone – Melia’s‘ruin’ seems to be common knowledge

What is the poet saying here?

What is the significance of the passive voice in ‘I’d been ruined’? What do you think it represents?

Town as opposed to country – social division.

– ‘You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks, Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks; And now you’ve gay bracelets and bright feathers three!’ –‘Yes: that’s how we dress when we’re ruined,’ said she.

Alliteration adds to ‘bouncing’ rhythm/ light-hearted tone

Colloquialism/ dialect used by friend‘spudding up docks’ = digging up weeds

Use of ‘we’ to identify with larger group – why? What does this signify?

Alliteration draws attention to contrast of ‘shoes’/’socks’ and ‘bracelets’ / ‘bright feathers’ – why has Hardy drawn our attention to these contrasts?

What is the poet saying here?

How has Melia gained such prosperity? Why is this ironic?

– ‘At home in the barton you said “thee” and “thou”, And “thik oon”, and “theas oon”, and “t’other”; but now Your talking quite fits ’ee for high compa-ny!’ –‘Some polish is gained with one’s ruin,’ said she.

Dover dialect: contrasts with more refined speech of Melia

What impression does it give of the country girl?

Speaks in a more formal way– use of impersonal pronoun. What might this suggest about the answers Melia gives her friend?

barton = barn/ farmyard

What is the poet saying here?

Why is it ironic that Amelia is fit for ‘high company’?

– ‘Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak But now I’m bewitched by your delicate cheek, And your little gloves fit as on any la-dy!’ –‘We never do work when we’re ruined,’ said she.

Is this an implied criticism/suggestion of wrongdoing? What connotations does the word ‘bewitched’ hold?

Animalistic simile (contrast this with ‘little gloves’) showing how different she is now.

What is the poet saying here?

What is the impact of the alliteration here? (Hint: blue/bleak contrasts with the previous bracelets/bright.)

– ‘You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream, And you’d sigh, and you’d sock; but at present you seem To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!’ –‘True. One’s pretty lively when ruined,’ said she.

Metaphor: her previous life was a nightmare, but her current life surely seemed like an impossible dream

Alliteration: sounds reflect the negative mood

megrim = migraine

What is the poet saying here?

What interpretations of ‘lively’ are possible? How might this be ironic? (Hint: look at the final line and its structure.)

– ‘I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown, And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!’ –‘My dear – a raw country girl, such as you be, Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined,’ said she.

Direct address; again mocking the words used by her old friend (stanza 1)

Caesura places the emphasis on ‘you’. The tables are turned; she is judging the ‘clean living’ girl.

‘ain’t’: her dialectcreeps in, revealing her humble origins and connecting her to her friend

‘strut’ suggests her friend thinks Melia is arrogant

Repetition of ‘said she’ creates emphatic tone to highlight ’Melia’s consistent lack of remorse

What is the poet saying here?

Hardy gives Melia two lines for her final retort. Why?

Key Image: Clothing

Clothing in this poem symbolises Melia’s newly acquired social status, but also her ruin. Hardy juxtaposes her new clothes with the grime and physical ruin of the countryside.

• Line 5: her shoeless feet and ‘tatters’ symbolise the impoverishment of her life on the farm and how much she has improved

• Line 6: ‘spudding’ suggests the dirty, back-breaking work of the country

• Lines 9-10: ‘thik oon’ and ‘theas oon’ = metaphorical dirt via dialect

• Line 12: ‘polish’ suggests she has stripped away all of the dirt, grime and dialect of her previous life

• Line 12: her ‘paws’ and ‘blue and bleak’ appearance contrast to her ‘small gloves’ and ‘delicate cheek’

• Lines 23-24: the ‘raw’ country girl contrasts with Melia’s ‘polished’ appearance

‘Melia is short for Amelia

‘Melior’ means ‘better’To ‘ameliorate’ is to make something bad better

A ‘meliorist’ is someone who believes that society can be improved by people making an effort

Why do you think the poet called the ruined maid Amelia?

What do you think the poet’s message is?

AO2: Form / Structure

Can you identify the rhyme scheme?

‘O ’Melia, my dear, this does everything crown! Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town? And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?’ –‘O didn’t you know I’d been ruined?’ said she.

– ‘You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks, Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks; And now you’ve gay bracelets and bright feathers three!’ –‘Yes: that’s how we dress when we’re ruined,’ said she.

– ‘At home in the barton you said “thee” and “thou”, And “thik oon”, and “theäs oon”, and “t’other”; but now Your talking quite fits ’ee for high compa-ny!’ –‘Some polish is gained with one’s ruin,’ said she.

– ‘Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak But now I’m bewitched by your delicate cheek, And your little gloves fit as on any la-dy!’ –‘We never do work when we’re ruined,’ said she.

– ‘You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream, And you’d sigh, and you’d sock; but at present you seem To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!’ –‘True. One’s pretty lively when ruined,’ said she.

– ‘I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown, And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!’ –‘My dear – a raw country girl, such as you be, Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined,’ said she.

There are six quatrains.

A ‘O ’Melia, my dear, this does everything crown! A Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town? B And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?’ –B ‘O didn’t you know I’d been ruined?’ said she.

C – ‘You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks, C Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks; B And now you’ve gay bracelets and bright feathers three!’ –B ‘Yes: that’s how we dress when we’re ruined,’ said she.

D – ‘At home in the barton you said “thee” and “thou”, D And “thik oon”, and “theäs oon”, and “t’other”; but now B Your talking quite fits ’ee for high compa-ny!’ –B ‘Some polish is gained with one’s ruin,’ said she.

E – ‘Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak E But now I’m bewitched by your delicate cheek, B And your little gloves fit as on any la-dy!’ –B ‘We never do work when we’re ruined,’ said she.

F – ‘You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream, F And you’d sigh, and you’d sock; but at present you seem B To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!’ –B ‘True. One’s pretty lively when ruined,’ said she.

G – ‘I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown, G And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!’ –B ‘My dear – a raw country girl, such as you be, B Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined,’ said she.

The poem is a dialogue, with two different speakers –the couplets represent this conversation.

The first part of each stanza discusses Amelia’s past whilst the second discusses her present.

The rhyme scheme makes the poem bounce along almost comically, establishing a pattern that means the reader knows when to expect a ‘punchline’.

Anapestic Trimeter

Trimeter = 3 beats

Anapest = two unstressed syllables

followed by a stressed syllable(dadaDUM)

(1) (2) (3)

Who could [have supposed] [I should meet] [you in Town?] ?

Who could [have supposed] [I should meet] [you in Town?]

anapestanapest

anapest

not an anapest!

(1) (2) (3)

What is it?An iamb! (iAM)

So, we’ve got a consistent metre of an iamb, then three anapests.

What is the effect of this?

The anapests create a sing-song rhythm, almost like telling a story. The iamb, however, grabs your attention and prevents you from falling into the rhythm too easily.

In the same way, the poem is trying to draw your attention to the plight of fallen women – it suggests there is more to this than the light-hearted nature of the poem on its own might suggest.

AO4/5: Links and Interpretations

Do you agree?

Here, again, we hear the voice of a woman – two, in fact – but they are really the voice of Hardy, a man. He speaks for the women of the time who could not speak for themselves.

How can we link this to other poems we have read? How does it link to attitudes towards love – or lust?

“Both women in this poem are ruined – ‘Melia, because she has compromised he sexual innocence, and the country girl, because she must slave away on the farm. There is no way out for these women.”

“Hardy’s poem suggests that women were ruined through no fault of their own. They were ruined because of the social codes of their era and the limited options available to them.”

AO1: What kind of love is presented in this poem?

Think about: • The characteristics of love• The representation of the people involved• The feelings of the speaker• Any imagery or language used• The way the structure and form reflects this

You can either: Write a side of A4 to explain your answer.

Write a detailed plan of your answer.

Make sure you include and analyse quotations from the text.

Fill in your CLIFS sheet for this poem. Remember, this will be a revision aid!