Elizabeth Bishop

LitCharts guides for works by Elizabeth Bishop

Explore LitCharts poetry guides for works by Elizabeth Bishop. Each guide offers line-by-line analysis, exploration of poetic devices, and helpful resources for studying Elizabeth Bishop's poetry.

Crusoe in England

"Crusoe in England" appears in Geography III (1976), the final collection Elizabeth Bishop published during her lifetime. The poem is a dramatic monologue voiced by Robinson Crusoe, literature's mo... view guide

Filling Station

The speaker of Elizabeth Bishop's "Filling Station" describes a seemingly derelict gas station and the dirty, "greasy" family running it. Though first struck only by the station's thick layer of gr... view guide

First Death in Nova Scotia

"First Death in Nova Scotia" appears in Elizabeth Bishop's 1965 collection Questions of Travel. Its speaker recalls a poignant scene from her early childhood: a wake held for her very young cousin,... view guide

One Art

“One Art” was written by the American poet Elizabeth Bishop. The poem is a villanelle, a traditional form that involves a fixed number of lines and stanzas and an intricate pattern of repetition an... view guide

Sestina

"Sestina," by the American poet Elizabeth Bishop, explores family trauma, the gap between adult understanding and childhood innocence, and the persistence of grief. The poem describes what at first... view guide

The Fish

"The Fish" first appeared in Elizabeth Bishop's 1946 collection North & South. In this poem, a speaker catches a huge, astonishing fish and becomes fascinated with its primordial strangeness. W... view guide

The Man-Moth

"The Man-Moth" tells the story of an elusive, city-dwelling creature who lives underground and only emerges at night. The Man-Moth climbs buildings in an attempt to reach the moon, which he thinks ... view guide

The Mountain

"The Mountain" is a free verse poem by American writer and artist Elizabeth Bishop, composed in Brazil and first published in Poetry magazine in 1952. Taking the perspective of an ancient, isolated... view guide