The Romance of a Watch
The poem explores the idea that a watch can hold sentimental value and evoke emotions due to its association with past events and people. The speaker describes the watch's intricate mechanisms and compares them to the workings of the human heart, suggesting a parallel between the watch's ability to keep time and the heart's ability to keep emotions.
By Eugene Field · First published 1892 · Genre: Poetry, Humor, Fable · 232 words
First lines
One day his father said to John: "Come here and see what I hev bought -- - A Waterbury watch, my son -- It is the boon you long hev sought!"
The boy could scarcely believe his eyes -- The watch was shiny, smooth an' slick -- He snatched the nickel-plated prize An' wound away to hear it tick.
He wound an' wound, an' wound an' wound, An' kept a windin' fit to kill -- The weeks an' months an' years rolled round, But John he kep' a windin', still!
As autumns came an' winters went An' summers follered arter spring, John didn't mind -- he was intent On windin' up that darned ol' thing.
What this Textopian page supports
The Romance of a Watch is listed on Textopian as a poem by Eugene Field, dated 1892 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Eugene Field
- Date: 1892 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Humor, Fable, Satire, Narrative
- Length: 232 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Romance of a Watch by Eugene Field
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is written in verse, employing rhyme and meter typical of poetry.
- Humor — The narrative contains a humorous portrayal of obsession with a watch, highlighting the absurdity of the situation.
- Fable — The story conveys a moral lesson about the futility of certain pursuits, akin to traditional fables.
- Satire — The exaggerated depiction of the character's fixation serves as a critique of materialism and obsession.
Tags
Humor · Satire · Romance · Irony · Social commentary · Marriage · Love · Relationships · Materialism · Middle class · American culture · Late 19th century