Ode on a Grecian Urn Art and Culture Quotes Page 2

He gives the urn a backhanded compliment, praise it’s shape and beautiful posture ("fair attitude") but then adding that the carving of the men and maidens smacks of too much effort. Are there places where this poem, too, seems "overwrought"? Do you think this is intentional?

This is almost like a paradox, because "pastoral" poetry usually concerns sunshine, warm-blooded maidens, and hard-working shepherds. "Cold" is not a word a poet would normally attach to "pastoral." The urn is starting to seem remote and indifferent to the speaker.

If you’re a poet, or any kind of artist, you have to love this last claim. You can say to philosophers, "See? You thought you guys had a monopoly on truth, but it turns out to be me, after all!" Then again, it’s far from an uncontroversial statement, and many critics have attacked it harshly. Also, "beauty" is a very vague term. Do you think it necessarily refers to art, and, if that’s the case, how do we define "art"?