Sign-In
Cart
The Schoolmistress: A Poem
Paperback
Poetry CriticismGeneral Poetry
ISBN13: 9781025968315
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 46
Weight: 0.17
Height: 0.10 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The School-Mistress, a Poem by William Shenstone stands as a celebrated example of 18th-century pastoral and descriptive poetry. Written in the Spenserian stanza, the work offers a vivid and affectionate caricature of a village dame school and its formidable yet humble mistress. Through rich, archaic language and a mock-heroic tone, Shenstone captures the daily life of an English country schoolroom, detailing the mistress's discipline, her garden of herbs, and the varied personalities of her young pupils.
This poem is widely recognized for its contribution to the Spenserian revival and for its influence on later Romantic poets. It provides an insightful glimpse into the educational traditions of the rural poor during the mid-1700s, blending social observation with literary parody. Shenstone's attention to detail-from the birch rod to the students' attire-paints a nostalgic picture of a bygone era of English education.
Readers interested in the evolution of English verse and the cultural history of schooling will find The School-Mistress, a Poem to be a charming and significant work. It balances humor with genuine sentiment, securing Shenstone's place as a master of the descriptive genre.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Also from
Shenstone, William
The Works of William Shenstone in Verse and Prose: Sixth Edition. Vol. I
Shenstone, William
Dodsley, Robert
Paperback
The Works in Verse and Prose of William Shenstone, Esq.: in two volumes
Dodsley, Robert
Shenstone, William
Paperback
The Works in Verse and Prose of William Shenstone, Esq.: in two volumes
Dodsley, Robert
Shenstone, William
Paperback
The Works in Verse and Prose of William Shenstone, Esq. In two Volumes. ... of 2; Volume 1
Shenstone, William
Hardcover
Also in
General Poetry
Dante's Vita Nuova, New Edition: A Translation and an Essay
Alighieri, Dante
Pitavy, Francois
Paperback
Sounding the Seasons Enlarged Edition: One Hundred and Ten Sonnets for the Christian Year
Guite, Malcolm
Paperback
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book about the Way and the Power of the Way
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Lao Tzu
Paperback
They Bloom Because of You: Poems on the Infinite Love, Growth, and Magic of Motherhood
Urlichs, Jessica
Paperback
Ariel: The Restored Edition: A Facsimile of Plath's Manuscript, Reinstating Her Original Selection and Arrangement
Plath, Sylvia
Paperback
This Is the Main Event: Discovering the Life You Long for in the Life You Have
Smith, Joshua Luke
Hardcover