Week 15 Discussion Forum 1: Hardy, “The Phantom Horsewoman”
“The Phantom Horsewoman” (photocopy):
Who is the man of whom the speaker of the poem probably is speaking? At one point in the poem do we feel that we know?
Why “moveless” hands and not the idiomatic “motionless”? (Stanza 1)
What are some possible meanings that might be implied by “instant” in Stanza 2?
Does anything seem unusual about the way that Hardy uses the word “figuring”? (St. 2)
Look closely at the lineation of Stanza 3. How does the placement of “everywhere” at the end of its line affect its meaning? How might “everywhere” by itself mean something different from “everywhere in his brain”?
How does “In his rapt thought” tell against “On that shagged and shaly / Atlantic spot”?
What happens to the rhythm of the last line of the poem?