For the record: Marvell lived a pretty public life, and there's no record
of any mistresses, coy or otherwise. She would appear to be a topos;
determining her stance is a different matter from determining that of a
woman with an actual, independent life.
Mark
At 10:46 AM 5/26/2005, you wrote:
>A Half Cock from a while back:
>
>COYNESS IS QUIETUDE, a study
>in itself. The apparition
>advances with raised palms, smoke
>
>pouring from its mouth. To do
>an intervention - to coax, coerce
>acceptance speech from dyed-in-the-wool denier -
>
>is that not also to impose "our
>values"? (Discuss, one-sidedly).
>For sturdy enough rebuttal, see reverse -
>
>---
>
>The Latin root of "coy" is in "quies", from whence quiet, quietude,
>quiescent, acquiescent etc.
>
>There is an ambiguity about whether Marvell's "coy mistress" is one
>who has refused to answer, or one from whom the poet has refused to
>take "no" for an answer. It is he that has determined that she is
>"coy", as opposed to simply unwilling.
>
>Dominic
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