Close Reading Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard | A Lecture

Since its first publication on February 15, 1751, Thomas Gray's "Elegy written in a Country Churchyard" has been endeared by readers. What's to account for the poem's enduring popularity? Partly its rootedness in literary tradition. I’ll begin this video lecture with an introduction to the poet’s life and times. Then, I’ll turn to a close reading of the poem itself, to reveal how Gray’s poem fuses an expansive breadth of literary knowledge with a highly sensitive lyrical intuition.

Introduction 0:00-8:14
The Title & the Elegiac Mode 8:15-11:29
Stanza 1 11:30-16:10
Stanza 2 16:10-18:58
Stanza 3 18:58-19:51
Stanza 4 19:51-21:50
Stanza 5 21:50-23:43
Stanza 6 23:43-25:38
Stanza 7 25:38-27:03
Stanza 8 27:03-28:50
Stanza 9 28:50-30:00
Stanza 10 30:00-31:28
Stanza 11 31:28-33:13
Stanza 12 33:13-34:27
Stanza 13 34:27-36:05
Stanza 14 36:05-37:16
Stanza 15 37:16-38:29
Stanzas 16-18 38:29-41:52
Stanza 19 41:52-44:45
Stanza 20 44:45-46:15
Stanza 21 46:15-47:08
Stanza 22 47:08-48:26
Stanza 23 48:26-50:03
Stanza 24 50:03-51:15
Stanza 25 51:15-53:15
Stanza 26 53:15-53:37
Stanza 27 53:37-54:53
Stanza 28 54:53-55:14
Stanza 29 55:14-56:00
THE EPITAPH 56:00-59:36
Conclusion 59:36-1:00:46

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