Crusoe in England

“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth (1804)

Commonly called “Daffodils,” William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” plays a significant role in Bishop’s “Crusoe In England.” Bishop’s Crusoe recites two lines of Wordsworth’s poem: “They flash upon that inward eye, / which is the bliss…” (Lines 96-97). The word Crusoe fails to recall is “solitude” (Line 22), which he also discovers upon his return to England. These lines, incidentally, are Wordsworth’s favorite in the poem and were contributed by his wife Mary.

“Robinson Crusoe’s Story” by Charles E. Carryl (1885)

Charles E. Carryl was one of the most celebrated children’s authors of the late 19th century. “Robinson Crusoe’s Story” is a narrative poem that recounts the major events of Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. This poem, unlike Bishop’s, stays very close to the original text. Carryl’s retelling is indicative of the way the generation of poets before Bishop integrate well-known stories into their works.

“Skunk Hour” By Robert Lowell (1956)

Robert Lowell was Bishop’s contemporary and one of Bishop’s closest literary friends. “Skunk Hour,” written in response to Bishop’s poem “The Armadillo,” shows Lowell trying to imitate Bishop’s style. Though formally similar to “The Armadillo,” Lowell’s poem fudges Bishop’s unique and often telescopic perspective.