A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed: Oh, How Hollywood
Recommendation
Want a study guide too?
And you thought a nymph was a naturally lovely woodland creature. To be fair, so did we. But boy did Jonathan Swift prove us wrong.
Author | Swift - Jonathan Swift |
British Literature | 18th-Century British Literature All British Literature |
Form | Poem |
Language | English Language |
Literature | 18th-Century Literature British Literature |
Poetry | Poetry |
Themes | Irony |
Transcript
…we’re surprised the sun isn’t up by the time she’s under the covers.
00:28This poem still holds up today, because it’s about timeless vanity, and the extreme lengths
00:33many people will go to in order to achieve beauty.
00:36Surprisingly, things haven’t changed that much since the 1700s.
00:40As part of her nightly ritual, Swift’s subject removes her artificial hair at the end of
00:45the day…
00:46Today, some people wear hair extensions, everything from glued-in strands of real human hair to
00:51a cheap, sewn-in polyester weave. While the modern gal dons fake eyelashes made
00:56from mink fur…
00:57…the classic nymph peels off eyebrows made from a mouse’s hide.
01:01Not as sophisticated, but as long as she doesn’t dab on a beauty marks made from mouse droppings,
01:07it’s not too bad. Ladies lacking in the bust department used
01:11to use wadded-up rags to prop up… the girls.
01:15Bosom technology is much more advanced today, ranging from push-up bras and chicken cutlets
01:20for adding a little extra, all the way to implants.
01:23Finally, if you have extra in all the wrong places, you used to need a small army of servants
01:29to be roped into a steel-ribbed bodice.
01:32Today, it’s as easy as pouring yourself into skin-tight Spanx, which transport your
01:38fat to another dimension.
01:40It’s likely that the 18th-century babe needed false teeth as an alternative to gumming her
01:44corn on the cob.
01:46Today, dental care is just as much about beauty as it is about health. Instead of false teeth,
01:52we have veneers and UV-whitening.
01:54Still, don’t go trying to open bottles with your chompers.
01:58Whether it’s 18th-century or modern day, it takes a lot of extra work to achieve a
02:01certain look.
02:03What was Swift trying to say about beauty with this poem?
02:05Does it still apply today? Shmoop amongst yourselves.