How does the poets mood change throughout the poem In Paris With You by James Fenton?

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How does the poet’s mood change throughout the poem “In Paris With You”?


Although Paris is often thought of as the city of love, James Fenton opens his poem, ‘In Paris With You’, with the sentence “Don't talk to me of love”. He appears to be getting over a broken relationship, saying “I've had an earful / And I get tearful”. Rather than both words of the rhyming pair coming at the end of lines, “tearful” is in the middle of the second line. The rhymes seem to give a lighter atmosphere to the first stanza, although Fenton is feeling upset. However, in the last line of the stanza, Fenton seems to be feeling more optimistic when he says, “But I'm in Paris with you”.

In the second stanza Fenton makes it quite clear that he is “on the rebound”. He uses alliteration in the phrase “I've been bamboozled”. Fenton is angry at the way he has been treated and refers to his previous relationship as a “mess”. Once again, the tone towards the end of the stanza becomes more upbeat since he has met someone new and they are together in Paris. In this stanza he shows self pity, “Yes I’m angry at the way I’ve been bamboozled and resentful at the mess I’ve been through.”

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Fenton is not in the least bit interested in sightseeing, and is insulting of Paris' famous attractions in the third stanza. He uses enjambment to link the end of the third stanza to the beginning of the fourth, commenting that he would rather stay in the “sleazy” hotel room than go to see the sights. No matter how horrible the room is compared to the beautiful attractions of Paris, he wants to spend time there with the person he has met. Fenton closes the fourth stanza with the idea that he will learn more about his companion as well as ...

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