Miniver Cheevy by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Miniver Cheevy is a scorned, unhappy man who grows lean while railing against the seasons and regretting his birth. He longs for an imagined past of bright swords, prancing steeds, bold warriors, Thebes, Camelot, Priam’s neighbors, renown, Romance, Art, and the Medici. He despises the commonplace and modern khaki clothing, wishing instead for the mediaeval grace of iron armor. Though he scorns the gold he seeks, he is troubled by lacking it. Believing himself born too late, he continually thinks about his condition, calls it fate, and keeps drinking.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1910 · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Satirical Poetry · 254 words
First lines
MINIVER CHEEVY, child of scorn, / Grew lean while he assailed the seasons; / He wept that he was ever born, / And he had reasons.
Miniver loved the days of old
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing; / The vision of a warrior bold
Would set him dancing.
What this Textopian page supports
Miniver Cheevy is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1910 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Date: 1910 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Satirical Poetry, Character Study, Psychological Poetry
- Length: 254 words
- Structure: 1 section, 18 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Miniver Cheevy by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Narrative Poetry — The work is a verse portrait that narrates Miniver Cheevy's attitudes, fantasies, disappointments, and decline through regular stanzas and rhyme.
- Dramatic Monologue — Although told in the third person, the poem centers intensely on a single character's inner life, exposing Miniver's longing, resentment, and self-deception.
- Satirical Poetry — Robinson satirizes Miniver's romanticized nostalgia, impractical aristocratic fantasies, contempt for ordinary life, and habit of blaming fate for his failures.
- Character Study — The poem constructs a concise psychological portrait of an alienated, impoverished man whose identity is defined by escapism and dissatisfaction.
Tags
poetry · narrative poem · modernism · satire · irony · melancholy · escapism · nostalgia · romanticism · medievalism · disillusionment · alienation