And one said smiling 'Pretty were the sight If our old halls could change their sex, and flaunt With prudes for proctors, dowagers for deans, And sweet girl-graduates in their golden hair.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Someone imagines an all-female academic setting, replacing male roles with women.
- In plain terms
- He jokes about a college run entirely by women.
- What can you take from it?
- Gender roles in institutions can be inverted.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How would education change without men?
- Is satire a valid critique?
Another view
It relies on stereotypes about female behavior and appearance.
More from Alfred (Lord) Tennyson
'If you are not the heiress born, And I,' said he, 'the lawful heir, We two will wed to-morrow morn, And you shall still be Lady Clare.'
Permalink to quote #126 A rosebud set with little wilful thorns, And sweet as English air could make her, she.
Permalink to quote #128 'If I come dressed like a village maid, I am but as my fortunes are: I am a beggar born,' she said, 'And not the Lady Clare.'
Permalink to quote #125
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