Literature week 4
Lj comment Hello! You have some interesting thoughts on The Nymph's Reply, and I agree with you in that the nymph is not necessarily cynical about love, more that she is cautious in accepting his proposal. Maybe she is older and/or has been burned by love before. She seems to wrestle with the idea of taking him up on the offer but is too driven by intellect to accept. This ambiguity is most shown in lines 11 and 12, where she says, "A honey tounge", (positive) "a heart of gall", (negative). And then "Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall." It's like she's wrestling with the idea. As you say, "she is holding onto a desperate hope" for the fairytale. Good one,
Georgina.
Georgina.