Abstract

Andrew Marvell made frequent use of scriptural references in his lyric poetry. To date, there are no book length studies of Marvell's use of scripture. One raison d'etre of this dissertation, then, is to provide a listing of scriptures relevant to Marvell's lyric poetry and a commentary on such usage. ;The references are discussed line by line in the context of each poem so that a reader may easily survey the number, type, and frequency of Marvell's scriptural references. In addition to the line by line references, headnotes are provided which indicate the degree or type of scriptural use Such discussions were necessary to analyze the traditional meanings carried by specific words and phrases which evoke scripture and what Marvell may be doing with such phrases. ;The King James or Authorized Version of the Bible was selected as the version for reference since it was not only contemporary to Marvell but also still familiar to readers today