The Spider And The Fly

Mary Howitt’s poem for children, “The Spider and The Fly” (1829), first appeared in The New Year’s Gift and Juvenile Souvenir, published in England. The poem’s plot and first lines were adapted from a comic folk song, written down by Thomas Hudson (1824). Hudson discussed how males were being tempted by Pleasure, which was represented by the Spider. Howitt’s version reverses the main character’s gender and gives voice to what editors in 1913 would call “a message we would refuse to hear from human lips” (See: Further Reading & Resources).

The poem maintains its didactic tone but centers instead on warning women about wealthy men who promise easy comfort. Later, Howitt included this poem in her collection Sketches of Natural History (1834), a volume intended to educate children about the natural world. The poem, with its natural description and lesson about human behavior, has a strong moral and proved popular in educational curriculums. It was widely anthologized throughout the 1840s and 1850s under the title “The Spider to the Fly” or “The Spider and the Fly.”

The first line of the poem became one of the most famous lines in all of English. School children were often assigned the poem for recitation, which, a decade later, English author Lewis Carroll parodied in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Carroll’s book marked a dramatic turn away from the didactic literature prior to it and writers like Howitt fell out of favor. Howitt was well-known in her day for authoring and translating over a hundred books, including Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. As time progressed, however, Howitt was seen as old-fashioned, and most of her poetry and fiction faded from view. However, her version of “The Spider and the Fly” has long retained its popularity as a fable, spawning retellings, references in political cartoons (1880s-1920s), a Disney Silly Symphony (1931), a Rolling Stones song (1965), and a Caldecott Honor Book by illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi (2002).

Poet Biography

Mary Botham was born on March 12, 1799, to Samuel and Ann Botham in Coleford, Gloucestershire, England. Mary had two sisters and a brother. She was particularly close to her sister, Anna, and the two later shared an extensive correspondence when adults. As was common during this time period, the girls were schooled at home. Mary read extensively and produced poetry, even as a child.

At the age of 22, Mary married William Howitt, a pharmacist with literary aspirations. In 1823, William and Mary published a coauthored book of poems, The Forest Minstrel. In 1824, their second volume of verse, The Desolation of Eyam, was well-received. The Book of Seasons (1828), with essays and poetry, proved popular. Together, William and Mary would go on to write nearly 200 books between them. The couple was close and shared progressive political concerns, particularly about women’s rights and injustice to the poor. They had seven children, four surviving to adulthood.

In 1834, Mary’s first solo volume, The Seven Temptations, was published, shortly followed by the much more popular Sketches of Natural History, which contained “The Spider and the Fly.” This was followed by Tales in Verse (1836) and Birds and Flowers, and Other Country Things (1838). By the 1840s, Mary’s work was in demand, and she was approached to write a series of prose tales on domestic virtue, which centered on economics and family dynamics.

While Mary consistently published children’s fiction and poetry—and the occasional adult novel—many consider her most significant contribution to the world of letters to be her work in translation. Through a friend, she developed an interest in Scandinavian literature, taught herself Swedish and Danish, and began translating the work of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and Swedish author Fredrika Bremer. In 1843, William and Mary moved to London, and in 1847, Hans Christian Andersen visited them there on his tour of Europe.

The Howitts were well acquainted with several prominent literary figures of the Victorian period, including William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Charles Dickens, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Elizabeth Gaskell. Mary’s work was even shared by Queen Victoria. In the 1840s-1850s, Mary took up editing and anthologizing, including a biographical sketch series of the Queens of England, and other books about British history. For a year, between 1847 and 1848, the Howitts published Howitt’s Journal of Literature and Popular Progress, which mixed articles about politics and welfare with creative work.

The Howitts were briefly separated physically in the early 1850s when William’s brother’s family emigrated to Australia. After he returned, William became one of the first English writers to write about Australia and New Zealand. The couple’s son Alfred later became a renowned anthropologist and naturalist specializing in this region. Due to interest in other parts of the world, the Howitts left England in the 1870s and spent their remaining years in Austria and Italy. In 1879, William died and Mary was given a literary pension. In 1883, she joined the Catholic Church in Rome, and had an audience with the Pope just before her death in 1888. Other than “The Spider and the Fly,” her work has largely faded from view.

Poem text

“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,

“‘Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy.

The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,

And I’ve many curious things to shew when you are there.”

“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “to ask me is in vain,

For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.”

“I’m sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;

Will you rest upon my little bed?” said the Spider to the Fly.

“There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin;

And if you like to rest awhile, I’ll snugly tuck you in!”

“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “for I’ve often heard it said,

They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!”

Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, “Dear friend, what can I do,

To prove the warm affection I’ve always felt for you?

I have, within my pantry, good store of all that’s nice;

I’m sure you’re very welcome—will you please to take a slice?”

“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “kind sir, that cannot be,”

I’ve heard what’s in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!”

“Sweet creature!” said the Spider, “you’re witty and you’re wise.

How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!

I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf,

If you’ll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.”

“I thank you, gentle sir,” she said, “for what you’re pleased to say,

And bidding you good morning now, I’ll call another day.”

The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,

For well he knew, the silly fly would soon come back again:

So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner, sly,

And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.

Then he went out to his door again, and merrily did sing,

“Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;

Your robes are green and purple—there’s a crest upon your head;

Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!”

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,

Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;

With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,

Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue—

Thinking only of her crested head—poor foolish thing! At last

Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.

He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,

Within his little parlour—but she ne’er came out again!

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,

To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you ne’er give heed:

Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,

And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.

Howitt, Mary Bonham. “The Spider to the Fly.” 1872. Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature Digital Archive.

Summary

The poem begins when a spider with anthropomorphic or human qualities invites another humanlike character, a fly, into his home, where he assures her she can see unusual objects. The fly, however, knows of his reputation as a predator and refuses his offer. He tries again, this time suggesting that because of her hard-working nature, she might be attracted to taking respite in his “little bed” (Line 8). Again, the fly rejects him, suggesting that she’s heard rumors of those who have come into his house and not come back well, if at all. After this, the spider offers to feed the fly, particularly from his well-stocked larder. She again stresses she’s heard what’s in it and won’t partake.

Applying a new tactic, the spider tells the fly she’s beautiful and that he has a mirror that will prove this to be true. The fly again rejects him, but this time with less gusto. The spider watches her retreat but knows she’s intrigued by his flattery. True enough, when the spider calls out next time, exclaiming that he needs her beauty, the fly comes close enough for him to snatch her up. She is never seen again. An outside narrator explains to the audience that this is “a lesson” (Line 44)—the fly should be their example to what happens if one succumbs to flattery.