English Literature / Unit 16 ENL 1512 short lesson, about 20 seconds
"Leda and the Swan" and "The Wild Swans at Coole"
Captions available
The idea
"Leda and the Swan," a sonnet, opens, "A sudden blow: the great wings beating still," and sees in Zeus's assault the seed of "The broken wall, the burning roof and tower / And Agamemnon dead." "The Wild Swans at Coole" counts "nine and fifty swans" with a sore heart.
In practice
A god's violence; aging and swans.
Where people slip
Leda's story begins the Trojan war.
Your place on the trail
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Unlocks
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