The Times Are Tidy

A social comment/observation/indirect judgment on the blandness of contemporary culture compared to the fairy-tale world of the past.

From The Colossus, The Times Are Tidy was written in 1958 after Plath had resigned from her teaching position at Smith College. As a way of keeping up her German, Plath had read the Grimms’ fairy tales. Around the time she wrote this, Plath and Hughes were experimenting with a Ouija board. Also, Hughes was from Yorkshire in the north of England where many superstitions still survived.


Stanza 1
§ Plath suggests that the present is an unheroic age with little opportunity for adventure or valour.
§ There is an ironic, sardonic attitude towards contemporary society with the suggestion that the present is a repetitious monotony. Her use of the word “province” may mean a historical period but there is also the derogatory suggestion of a place that is culturally backward. The image of “a stuck record” suggests something that is going nowhere. Plath also suggests that the present offers no opportunity for even the most ordinary of humans to perform a vigilant duty.

Stanza 2
§ Plath introduces the figure of the knight riding to battle the dragon, but the idea that adventure has died is clearly put forward.
§ Plath suggests the difference between the heroic age of the past and the career-minded world of the late 1950s. This is especially emphasised with the use of the word “career”.

Stanza 3
§ The striking, creative and imaginative references to a “love-hot herb” and “the talking cat” suggest a regret that romance, mystery and magic have passed.
§ The “but” that introduces the last two lines is unconvincing. The ironic, sardonic tone suggests that the speaker of the poem believes that the gains referred to in the last two lines do not compensate for the losses mentioned elsewhere in the poem.


Questions

1) Describe the tone and mood of the poem and the attitude it expresses towards the contemporary world. Refer to the title of the poem in your answer.

2) What musical features does this poem have? Give examples.

3) Do you think this is a well-crafted poem? Explain your answer.

4) The poem has been dismissed by some critics as a mere “exercise”. What is your assessment of it?