Thomas Carew’s “To Saxham” (1640) contributes to a small but important country house poem genre, popular in England during the first half of the seventeenth century. Published in Poems by Thomas Carew—printed by I. Dawson for Thomas Walkley—soon after Carew’s death, “To Saxham” was most likely written in the early 1620s when the poet spent time at the Saxham estate of Sir John Crofts, a friend for many years. “To Saxham” praises the estate as a compliment to the landlord; such a metonymic relationship between the estate and its landlord is a common trope of country house poems. Carew’s influences included Latin poets such as Martial and Horace; however, he is most indebted to Ben Jonson’s famous country …
1457 words
Citation: Beskin, Anna . "To Saxham". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 March 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34885, accessed 21 November 2024.]
