What a Marvel!

Damn, I keep forgetting to do this! :( I know I'm about 12 hours late, but I'll post anyway. I think I liked the idea that Marvell had a smaller body of work and was only published after his death, but nonetheless had a large impact upon literature. His literary persona seems humble in this way (though of course I do not know what he was like as a person) and it made me happy for his eventual success. I also really enjoyed the fact that (as the book noted), he covered a range of forms, rather than recomposing the same sort of thing time and again. It completely makes up for having a smaller body of work, and promises that if he had written more it probably would have been just as rich and various. I also liked that he was friends with one of the most prolific greats (Milton) and although he was not seeking to be the next great epic poet, he was still confident enough in his abilities to write. Furthermore, he did not try to put himself out there in the way that other writers did (though of course his point in history was not so favorable for that sort of thing), but he stilled garnered the respect that he deserved. This alone makes me want to read more of him... oh, and the fact that his work is gorgeous.