Andrew Marvell spent two years (1650-1652) at Nun Appleton, an estate in Yorkshire, with the Fairfax family, tutoring their young daughter and only child, Mary Fairfax. The time at Nun Appleton proved both influential and inspirational and was among Marvell’s most productive years as a writer and the place at which he penned “Upon Appleton House” in 1651 (Hirst and Zwicker). Although it was published posthumously in 1681, “Upon Appleton House” was written during a tumultuous time. The political unrest of the 1630s culminated in the Civil War and the beheading of King Charles I in 1649. And given that the underlying subject of “Upon Appleton House” is Lord Thomas Fairfax, a general for Parliament’s army who left in protest of Cromwell’s plans to attack Scotland, it is not…
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Citation: Beskin, Anna . "Upon Appleton House". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 May 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8573, accessed 21 November 2024.]
