George Eliot's 1865 poem "In a London Drawingroom" is a scathing critique of urban life in Victorian London. The speaker describes the city, which had become the largest in the world by the time Eliot wrote the poem, as a filthy, hectic place that robs life of its color, warmth, and joy. London's residents are utterly alienated from nature, each other, and even their own humanity as they hurry through the foggy streets, never making eye contact or taking a moment to simply appreciate being alive. So oppressive is city life, the speaker argues, that London might as well be a prison. The poem's plodding blank verse and single, unbroken stanza help to convey the relentless drudgery and monotony of the urban world.
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The Full Text of “In a London Drawingroom”
1The sky is cloudy, yellowed by the smoke.
2For view there are the houses opposite
3Cutting the sky with one long line of wall
4Like solid fog: far as the eye can stretch
5Monotony of surface & of form
6Without a break to hang a guess upon.
7No bird can make a shadow as it flies,
8For all is shadow, as in ways o'erhung
9By thickest canvass, where the golden rays
10Are clothed in hemp. No figure lingering
11Pauses to feed the hunger of the eye
12Or rest a little on the lap of life.
13All hurry on & look upon the ground,
14Or glance unmarking at the passers by
15The wheels are hurrying too, cabs, carriages
16All closed, in multiplied identity.
17The world seems one huge prison-house & court
18Where men are punished at the slightest cost,
19With lowest rate of colour, warmth & joy.
The Full Text of “In a London Drawingroom”
1The sky is cloudy, yellowed by the smoke.
2For view there are the houses opposite
3Cutting the sky with one long line of wall
4Like solid fog: far as the eye can stretch
5Monotony of surface & of form
6Without a break to hang a guess upon.
7No bird can make a shadow as it flies,
8For all is shadow, as in ways o'erhung
9By thickest canvass, where the golden rays
10Are clothed in hemp. No figure lingering
11Pauses to feed the hunger of the eye
12Or rest a little on the lap of life.
13All hurry on & look upon the ground,
14Or glance unmarking at the passers by
15The wheels are hurrying too, cabs, carriages
16All closed, in multiplied identity.
17The world seems one huge prison-house & court
18Where men are punished at the slightest cost,
19With lowest rate of colour, warmth & joy.
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“In a London Drawingroom” Summary
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“In a London Drawingroom” Themes
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Nature vs. the City
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Alienation and Conformity in Urban Life
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “In a London Drawingroom”
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Lines 1-4
The sky is cloudy, yellowed by the smoke.
For view there are the houses opposite
Cutting the sky with one long line of wall
Like solid fog: -
Lines 4-6
far as the eye can stretch
Monotony of surface & of form
Without a break to hang a guess upon. -
Lines 7-10
No bird can make a shadow as it flies,
For all is shadow, as in ways o'erhung
By thickest canvass, where the golden rays
Are clothed in hemp. -
Lines 10-14
No figure lingering
Pauses to feed the hunger of the eye
Or rest a little on the lap of life.
All hurry on & look upon the ground,
Or glance unmarking at the passers by -
Lines 15-19
The wheels are hurrying too, cabs, carriages
All closed, in multiplied identity.
The world seems one huge prison-house & court
Where men are punished at the slightest cost,
With lowest rate of colour, warmth & joy.
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“In a London Drawingroom” Symbols
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The Birds
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The Sun
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“In a London Drawingroom” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Enjambment
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Imagery
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Metaphor
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Simile
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“In a London Drawingroom” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Monotony
- To hang a guess upon
- O'erhung
- Canvass
- Hemp
- Lingering
- Unmarking
- Lowest rate
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “In a London Drawingroom”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“In a London Drawingroom” Speaker
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“In a London Drawingroom” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “In a London Drawingroom”
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More “In a London Drawingroom” Resources
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External Resources
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"Dirty Old London" — Learn more about what it was like to live in infamously filthy 19th-century London in this story from NPR.
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George Eliot's Life and Work — Learn more about Eliot in this biography from the Poetry Foundation.
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The Eliot Archive — Dive into more of Eliot's work, including all of her poetry.
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A Scandalous Genius — Learn more about why Eliot was such a radical artist, dubbed by this BBC article a "genius who scandalised society."
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