City's Beauty by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The work explores the contrast between natural beauty and urban development, emphasizing the aesthetic value of a city adorned with architectural grandeur. The speaker admires the unspoiled hills, yet believes that a city enhances their beauty through its structures. The imagery of "white walls," "towers," and "stately streets" illustrates the allure of urban life, suggesting that human creations can rival nature's splendor. The poem reflects on the transient nature of human beauty, which diminishes over time due to life's hardships. In contrast, the beauty of a city is portrayed as eternal, sustained by the love and respect of its inhabitants. This duality highlights the relationship between people and their environment, suggesting that a city's worth is tied to its community's appreciation and care. Ultimately, the work advocates for the celebration of urban beauty, asserting that while individual beauty may fade, the collective beauty of a city endures, enriched by the lives and experiences of its people. The poem serves as a tribute to the enduring legacy of urban landscapes, inviting readers to recognize and honor the beauty found within their cities.
By Charlotte Perkins Gilman · First published 1898 · Genre: Fiction, Social commentary, Feminism · 223 words
First lines
Fair, oh, fair are the hills uncrowned, / Only wreathed and garlanded / With the soft clouds overhead, / With the waving streams of rain; / Fair in golden sunlight drowned, / Bathed and buried in the bright / Warm luxuriance of light,- / Fair the hills without a stain.
Fairer far the hills should stand / Crownèd with a city's halls, / With the glimmer of white walls, / With the climbing grace of towers; / Fair with great fronts tall and grand, / Stately streets that meet the sky, / Lovely roof-lines, low and high,- / Fairer for the days and hours.
What this Textopian page supports
City's Beauty is listed on Textopian as a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, dated 1898 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Date: 1898 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Social commentary, Feminism, Utopian and dystopian
- Length: 223 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for City's Beauty by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
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Genres
- Fiction — Given the author's background and style, the book is expected to be a piece of fiction.
- Social commentary — Charlotte Perkins Gilman is known for exploring social issues such as gender roles and societal structures in her works.
- Feminism — Gilman is a known feminist writer, so themes of female empowerment and gender inequality are likely to feature in the book.
- Utopian and dystopian — If the 'city's beauty' in the title refers to a symbolic or literal city representing certain societal constructs, it might have utopian or dystopian elements.
Tags
urban · beauty · society · nature · feminism · architecture · environment · culture · gender · identity · social critique · modernity